Daily Times

It was a beautiful summer’s day last Sunday in London, Ontario. It should have stayed that way. Syed Salman Afzaal, mom Talaat Kidwai, wife Madiha, their 15-year- old daughter, Yumna, and nine-year-old son, Faaiz, had just finished dinner and prepared to go for a walk in the park across the street from their home, as they often did. Little did they know that they were being watched. By a human hyena, lying in wait.

The family waited at the pedestrian crossing and Salman was right behind them; exchanging greetings with a friend who was driving past. Suddenly, a pick-up truck appeared out of nowhere. Driving straight into the Syed family — crushing them to death. A painful end for four of them. Three generations extinguished in the blink of an eye. Young Faaiz, the only survivor, suffering a shattered femur, was found bleeding and gasping for breath.

The killer vanished into the darkness only to reappear some seven kilometres away in a deserted parking lot. A taxi driver was taking a short break close by. The murderer disembarked from his vehicle and laughed loudly, proudly claiming to have killed a bunch of Muslims. The shocked taxi driver gathered his wits and called 911. The police arrived promptly and apprehended the culprit. Underneath his bullet-proof vest, police were confronted by a t-shirt emblazoned with swastikas. He was taken away, still shouting anti-Muslim slogans.

I write these details to personalise those whom we have lost. They are not just another statistic or number — but were amongst us, living a normal and happy life. They were taken away by prejudice, hatred, evilness and blind bigotry

All this happened in Canada. An envious location where presumably love is in the air and honey is in abundance. The jolt is especially pronounced when it involves near and dear ones. The grandmother, Mrs Talat Afzaal belonged to a respectable and educated Kidwai family of Lahore. Her father was Chairman Railways during Ayub Khan’s era. A Punjab University alumni of the Fine Arts department, she remained an accomplished artist who continued to paint until her life was so cruelly snatched away. Her son Salman, a successful physiotherapist, known for his warm smiles, was immensely popular and active in the local community.

There are less then six degrees of separation. Salman was first cousins with Yasmin Hasan Khan, a childhood friend of my wife, Rakhshanda. Syed Aftab Ali, Yasmin’s father (Salman’s Chacha) was DIG Police when West Pakistan was one unit. We shared their grief as news of this huge tragedy unfolded. Madiha, Salman’s wife, a talented community activist, had completed her PhD. She wrote extensively in support of the Palestinian and other Muslim causes. Young Yumna’s mural in the basement of her elementary school is already turning into a hallmark of affection for all communities and faiths. Surviving young Faaiz’s trauma will continue to haunt us all for a long time.

I write these details to personalise those whom we have lost. They are not just another statistic or number — but were amongst us, living a normal and happy life. They were taken away by prejudice, hatred, evilness and blind bigotry. I regularly walk in our wooded neighbourhood trails, mostly accompanied by my beautiful daughters. We come across neighbours from all ethnic backgrounds and exchange smiles and greetings, even with strangers. It is such a fulfilling experience. Should I start looking over my shoulder now? Or withdraw into my shell out of fear of falling victim to a terrorist attack?

One needs to understand the dynamics of the city because this phenomenon is happening, here, in the developed world. London, Ontario became a part of the rust belt when North America suffered severe decline to heavy industry. Until two decades ago, it was a rundown city, largely rural. I remember discussing the area’s potential with my friend, Tariq Khan, who settled there more than a decade ago. Now he is a prominent politician and is the elected Chairman of London Transit Authority. Home prices were low and GTA (Greater Toronto Area) ‘desis’ discovered it and started moving there. Now, it is a vibrant city where the demographics have swung from a largely white town to an ethnic majority greater than that of Toronto.

All of which makes it the perfect breeding ground for Islamophobia. This phenomenon is creeping throughout the developed world as if a termite, egged on by fear, hatred, and prejudice against Islam. It is fast becoming a rising force of terrorism. Since 9/11, Islamophobia has raised its ugly head across Europe, Britain, the US and Canada. It is being promoted on social media and absorbed by racists and disgruntled youth alike. Picture those who attended the Trump rallies or else the crowds that attacked the US Capitol Building back on January 6.

When Muslim extremists do their worst they are condemned and have been soundly rejected, denounced and castigated by Muslims like Salman and I. The West labels them terrorists, and rightly so. Then, why, is the Afzaal family tragedy being limited to that of a ‘hate crime’? It was definitely not a crime of passion but pre-meditated murder. The neo-Nazi truck driver bought a brand new Dodge Ram truck in the run-up to the attack and fitted it with a grill to inflict maximum damage. He then dressed for battle, complete with helmet and bullet-proof vest.

Let our leaders and us commoners not brush this event under the carpet. Let us confront the challenge and call a spade a spade. It is terrorism borne of Islamophobia. Let Canada take the lead like it did when legislating multiculturalism. Let us declare attacks against any faith or beliefs criminal acts of terrorism; to nip this evil in the bud while we can. Our political leadership, regardless of party affiliation, found the right words on the day of the vigil to commemorate this enormous loss. Let us now convert these into action by calling a summit at the national level to tackle this brewing storm.

The writer is the director of CERF, a non-profit, charitable organisation in Canada