Vancouver vigil mourns Muslim family killed in hate-motivated attack in London, Ont.

Police in London say it’s believed the suspect intended to harm the family in what investigators are calling a “premeditated attack, motivated by hate.”

“This family. They were out for a walk. Just like any other day.”

I’m at a vigil tonight for those who lost their lives in Ontario; a Muslim family out walking yesterday was torn – 4 of 5 of them losing their lives. They are being remembered in #VancouverBC pic.twitter.com/TMqReOppM8

— Ria Renouf ???? (@riarenouf) June 8, 2021

Yusuf Siraj is with the BC Muslim Association and helped organize the vigil at Al-Jamia Masjid. He, like so many other Canadians, was left reeling when he heard the news.

“Today, families across Canada are horrified and shocked at the news from last night. I don’t know what other sane response there could be,” he said, adding Muslims in this country are painfully familiar with Islamophobic attacks.

“Canadian Muslims have really become all too familiar with Islamophobia, either in the forms of online hate or in real world violence as we saw today, and in the Quebec City mosque shootings, and the murders outside a Toronto mosque, the attacks against Muslims in Alberta, particularly Muslim women. The daily insults and attacks and harassment that Muslims face, It’s ongoing. It’s a continuous problem. But at the heart, these are human issues, and today a young boy lost his family. He lost his mother, his father, sister, his grandmother, that will stay with him forever.”

Hurt & heartbreak tonight, including here in B.C.
Yusuf Siraj speaks for the BC Muslim Association. He says what happened in London, ONT, was another way to try & divide people, but he wants to know the Muslim community's doors are welcoming & accepting of all. #ourlondonfamily pic.twitter.com/rI8qq8A9FZ

— Ria Renouf ???? (@riarenouf) June 8, 2021

Coming together with the support of friends, neighbours, and other faith groups is one way Siraj says Canadians can fight back and stand together against hate.

“Our community has banded together. We have the support of allies. We are working with the governments, provincial and federal to address these issues,” he said.

“Canadians come together to support one another through allyship, through kindness, and good works. Always remember, always remember that our answer to those who try to divide Canadians, to sow discord and hate — the answer to that is to unite Canadians.”

One thing Siraj says is important is to keep the victims of these attacks in the foreground, rather than the perpetrators.

“We don’t want to give any notoriety to the people who do this at all. As a community, is that is one important ask from us.”

And he says it’s crucial for all Canadians not to be complacent.

“I would say that anyone who hears Islamophobic comments or sees it — either at the dinner table or on public transit or at school — call it out. Don’t let it continue. We can’t normalize this behaviour,” he said, adding that fostering connections across faiths and cultures is one way to combat bigotry.

“In-person engagement is the number one best way to help to heal these frayed bonds between our communities,” Siraj continued.