Anti-Muslim hatred killed a family in Canada. What needs to be done?
Let's review the political practices and policies that are currently fueling Islamophobia — and some of the proposed solutions.
Hey there, and welcome to the 34th issue of The Supplement, a newsletter that fills in the gaps of your other news intake. This is Sam, one-third of the Supplement team!
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This week, we’re tackling this question: Anti-Muslim hatred killed a family in Canada. What needs to be done?
TL;DR: Four members of the Afzaal family were killed in a premeditated attack motivated by Islamophobia in London, Ont. During a June 8 vigil, the leaders of Canada’s three major political parties were quick to denounce anti-Muslim hatred. But the Muslim community and allies were quick to point out that they haven’t backed this up with political action, from Quebec’s Bill 21 to the lack of a national anti-hate strategy.
On June 6, a 20-year-old man named Nathaniel Veltman drove a recently purchased pick-up truck into the Afzaals, a local Muslim family that was out for their usual evening walk in London, Ont. The attack killed four members of the family: 46-year-old Salman Afzaal, 44-year-old Madiha Salman, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Salman, and Salman’s 74-year-old mother, Talat. Nine-year-old Fayez Afzaal is still in the hospital recovering from serious injuries.
It was clear from the very beginning what had happened: a premeditated attack rooted in Islamophobia, police confirmed. Veltman has now been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, but not yet with terrorism. Facebook deleted the accused’s social media account the day charges were laid. (Here’s what we know and don’t know about him.)
This was not an isolated incident. From 2013 to 2019, the National Council of Canadian Muslims tracked over 320 anti-Muslim incidents that were reported across Canada, including the January 2017 terrorist attack on the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre, which killed 6 people and injured 19 others.
Reporter Fatima Syed spoke to attendees of a vigil for the Afzaal family that took place Tuesday night. “Policymakers need to accept responsibility that this is an environment they have allowed to exist in Canada, whether it’s on the streets or online,” Mohammed Hashim, executive director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, told her.
Let’s unpack that quote and bring a few current political examples to your attention:
PM Justin Trudeau sparked outrage after telling reporters on Tuesday that Bill 21 — a law in Quebec prohibiting some public servants from wearing religious symbols such as the hijab — does not promote hate and discrimination. Two months ago, a Superior Court judge upheld most of the bill. Now, it is once again facing intense scrutiny after the attack this weekend.
Columnist Max Fawcett recently dug into how the Conservative Party of Canada has stoked Islamophobia over the years. He noted that when the federal government tabled a motion to condemn Islamophobia after the Quebec City mosque shooting, all but one participant in the Conservative leadership race at the time voted against it. The non-binding vote was merely a symbolic motion, and instituted a National Day of Remembrance on January 29 for the attack’s victims and survivors.
The federal government has earmarked millions for anti-racism initiatives. But according to advocates, the actual action is largely left up to local community organizations. “What we had called for was a nationally led anti-racism, anti-hate strategy led by the federal government in the same way that the federal government has been dealing with the pandemic,” said Fareed Khan, of Canadians United Against Hate.
Alberta was the first province to establish a provincial hate crimes unit — but that didn’t happen until 2019, and it has not been paired with a formal policy approach at the provincial level to address hate crimes. (The UCP axed a funding program for anti-racism initiatives in 2019.) A recent series of assaults against mostly Black, Muslim women has left many in the province’s major cities feeling unsafe.
So what could be done at the federal level? Suggestions include:
Thoroughly denouncing crimes like Sunday’s attack through quick prosecution
Providing money to beef up security around mosques, synagogues and other places of worship
Looking at how immigration policy fuels xenophobia
Cracking down on online extremism
Dismantling far-right groups
Implementing better data collection on the extent of hate-motivated incidents
Establishing cultural sensitivity training for law enforcement groups
As the last few weeks have brought devastating news story after devastating news story to my feed, there’s a recurring thread that keeps coming to mind, captured by Abeer Khan in the Toronto Star this week: “In Canada, many like to think multiculturalism is a shield from racism and xenophobia. In reality, it’s a distraction from the adamant denial of white supremacy and a product of willful ignorance.”
Here’s someone to follow:
Journalist and editor Sarah Berman has done a lot of work I’m a fan of. But I really couldn’t put down her recent book, “Don’t Call It a Cult,” a culmination of her years of reporting on NXIVM and Keith Raniere.
Here’s a story to check out:
I’m still thinking about the 215 children who were found buried near a former residential school in BC and how colonialism continues today. So my must-read this week is Anya Zoledziowski’s examination of how foster care is in many ways a reiteration of the residential school legacy, for VICE Canada. “It wasn’t right then, and it’s not right now, what we’re doing by having these children in non-Indigenous homes.”