Yumna Afzaal was murdered with her family in London in 2021
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Content Warning: This story contains details that some readers may find distressing. If you find that this topic is provoking, ask an adult or trusted person to read it with you.
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Safiyah Lawendy is part of a group of young Canadian Muslims who are raising awareness and trying to stop Islamophobia.
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A year ago, Safiyah’s friend Yumna Afzaal, 15, and three members of her family were killed in an attack in London, Ontario.
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They were hit by a truck in what police say was a hate-motivated attack.
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Read on to find out what Safiyah expects to change. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
A year ago, 15-year-old Safiyah Lawendy remembers the heartbreaking silence.
She was sitting on the porch of her family’s home in London, Ontario, when her mother came out to read a message she received on the phone.
The message was that her friend, Yumna, was killed along with her parents and grandmother in what police say was a hate-motivated Islamophobic attack.
“There were no words … just those moments of silence and realization,” Safiyah told CBC Kids News.
“And it was so heartbreaking when we realized who he was. This is a family from London. This is a Canadian family.”
Safiyah is one of the founding members of a youth group called the Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia (YCCI) which is organizing a march on June 5 and a vigil on June 6 in London to remember the Afzaal family.
Safiyah grew up and went to school with Yumna and called her “such a beautiful and kind soul.”
The death of her friend pushed her to act.
Left to right, 15-year-old Yumna Afzaal, her mother, Madiha Salman, 44, her grandmother, Talat Afzaal, 74, and her father, Salman Afzaal, 46, were killed on 6 June 2021. A child, not in the photo, was killed. wounded and survived. (Image sent by the Afzaal family)
What is Islamophobia?
Islamophobia is the fear or hatred of Muslims or followers of Islam.
Watch this episode of KN Explains for more information.
“When these ideas [of Islamophobia] they start to grow, if left unchecked, they become words that become actions, ”Safiyah said.
Safiyah’s motivation
Safiyah went from crying for her friend to fighting for change.
In the days following the attack, she remembers sitting in the London mosque, quickly painting signs and preparing for a vigil.
“We got together because we knew the action was going to happen,” he said.
Safiyah Lawendy, left, attended a vigil with thousands of others to honor the Afzaal family on June 8, 2021 in London, Ontario. (Image sent by Safiyah Lawendy)
After the vigil and the walk scheduled for this year, Safiyah said he wants to see a follow-up, such as concrete changes in education, online hatred and daily conversation.
“We have to stop hating the Internet,” he said.
“We need to stop hatred in our schools. We need to stop hatred in the conversations we’re having with people on a day-to-day basis in our day-to-day lives.”
Safiyah said it is important to understand that words can become deadly actions.
“These kinds of problems don’t happen overnight. This murder wasn’t something that just happened. It’s something that’s been built,” Safiyah said.
Create “a community where we all belong”
Safiyah said young Muslims often live in fear when they see other Muslims attacking.
“We shouldn’t have to guess walking down the street,” he said. “I should never feel like I’m a target of hatred because of how I choose to represent my beliefs and religion.”
She wants young Canadian Muslims to know that hatred of others has nothing to do with them.
Flowers and tributes to the Afzaal family were left in London last year at the scene of the attack. (Image credit: Geoff Robins / The Canadian Press)
“They should be proud of their identity. We are Canadians who are Muslims.”
Safiyah said that non-Muslim children can be allies of their fellow Muslims by understanding how similar we all are.
“We are one country and we are one people … it is very important to accept our differences and our similarities because that is what makes us human beings,” Safiyah said.
Safiyah is not the only one to promote the alliance.
Aasiyah Khan, the program manager for the National Council for Canadian Muslims, works with young Muslims and non-Muslims in Canada.
Khan said non-Muslim children can be allies by shouting harassment and Islamophobia when they happen.
“I encourage us to move forward with the pain, to endure it, but also to think about how we can create a Canada or a community where we all belong,” he said.
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