As-salamu alaykum,

On behalf of all residents of Windsor-Tecumseh, I express our heartfelt grief and condolences to the Muslim community in London, here in Windsor-Essex and across Canada.

Three generations – a grandmother, a mother, a father, and a daughter – were murdered during the most common of Canadian activities – an evening walk in the neighbourhood – simply because they are Muslim. A nine year-old boy must face life without his family, simply because they are Muslim.

No Canadian family should be afraid to go for a walk, or wear a hijab, or practice their faith. This pre-mediated, hate-filled act of terrorism is the horrific face of Islamophobia and it is all too real and all too common. The attack on worshippers at the IMO mosque in Toronto. The massacre at Quebec City Mosque. This violence grows from countless aggressions that Muslims face in neighbourhoods across Canada that are rooted in hatred and dangerous stereotypes.

We must move beyond words.

Let us commit to rooting Islamophobia out of our communities and our hearts. Let us learn more about each other and in the process confront our own biases and prejudice. Let us walk together – Muslims and non-Muslims – on the path towards understanding, peace, and tolerance and let us stand united against all forms of racism, bigotry and violence including and especially the scourge of Islamophobia.

To the members of my local Muslim community – I know I can never fully understand what you experience each day, but I am here to listen, and I am here to support you and advocate in any way I can.

We mourn the loss of the Afzaal Family, and their names are forever etched in our hearts for generations.

Irek Kusmierczyk

Photos by Windsor Updates.