TORONTO, June 9, 2021 — Ontario’s university faculty and academic librarians were deeply disturbed to learn of the recent attack and murder of a Muslim family in London, Ontario—Madiha Salman, Salman Afzaal, their daughter Yumna Afzaal, and Salman’s mother. Madiha and Salman’s son Fayez remains in hospital, recovering. The family was targeted because of their Islamic faith. OCUFA and its members condemn this hateful, violent act and send our solidarity and support to London’s Muslim community.
The Afzaal family, violently ripped from their community when they were murdered in a hit and run while out for a walk, were known for their kindness and leadership in the community. Madiha Salman will be especially remembered by those working and studying at Western University where she was pursuing a PhD in Civil Engineering with the dream of using her education to help reclaim natural environments damaged by industrial chemicals.
White supremacy has no place in our society. Neither do racist, bigoted, and Islamophobic acts of violence. It is unacceptable that Canada’s Muslim community continues to be terrorized by these heinous attacks.
Faculty and academic librarians are committed to eradicating racism at our universities and within our communities. As educators, this requires fostering inclusive, diverse, and safe campuses where we can collectively dismantle white supremacy and other ideologies that facilitate this violence. Together, we must work to combat prejudice everywhere it grows—we must root out the hate that festers in the fabric of our society.
Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 professors and academic librarians in 30 faculty associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.
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For more information, contact:
Ben Lewis, OCUFA Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca