The President of the local Muslim Association is challenging government authorities to decisively deal with hate and the places in which it propagates.
Dr. Mansoor Pirzada was responding to what police call a premeditated attack targeting the Muslim community in London, Ontario that killed a family of four, and left a little boy—the family’s only survivor—in hospital. Thousands filled the streets outside the London Muslim Mosque on Tuesday evening to attend a vigil and stand in solidarity with the Muslim community.
(Dr. Pirzada. File photo.)
Pirzada says such acts of violence are escalating, and they instill fear and terror in the community. He says there is already heightened vigilance among Muslims when they gather at community centres or mosques knowing that the community has seen targeted attacks, but the London attack is especially chilling.
He asks people to imagine what it’s like to be walking on a trail, or be out grocery shopping and not know what could happen just because you are a visible person of faith.
Pirzada says the trend is escalating and he challenges government to deal with Islamaphobia and hate seriously and decisively.
“Agencies are watching the internet,” he says. “They know the trend, they know that there is a lot of hatred being spewed on the internet.”
Pirzada says hatred has no place in Canada and governments need to clamp down on people and groups that are “spewing hatred.”
(The local Muslim community holds an Eid prayer at the Jack Byrne arena in Torbay. File photo.)
The provincial government has begun the process of establishing a Ministerial Committee on Anti-Racism to seek input from residents, community organizations, employers, educators, researchers, and others to develop tools to end racism in all its forms.
Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills, Gerry Byrne made the statement in the House of Assembly yesterday in condemning the shocking targeted attack on the Muslim community in London, Ontario.
He calls the tragedy a stark reminder of the danger and horror caused by discrimination in its most brutal form.
