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DHA’s Statement Against Islamophobia

Recently you’ve seen more statements from our firm speaking out about events in the news. The theme running through these statements is that they relate to racism. The point in making these statements is to acknowledge that racism exists in our world, and Ottawa and Canada are no exceptions.

The recent murder of four members of the Salman – Afzaal Family in London, Ontario (and the critical injury of a fifth family member) while they were out for their evening walk has again brought us face to face with this unavoidable reality. What happened to this family was an intentional and hate motivated act of violence targeted against a Muslim family simply because of their faith. It’s a blatant example of the racism that exists in Canada that cannot be tolerated.

We express our grief, sadness, and solidarity with the Muslim communities in Canada. In doing so, we recognize that this horrific act of violence further reduces any sense of personal safety for many people in the Muslim communities (and other visible minority groups across the country) when they leave their homes. In our view, all people in Canada have a right to live a safe life free from hate and violence, but sadly that is not the reality we live in. The ripple effect of consequences stemming from this tragedy go well beyond the City of London.

We acknowledge and affirm the statements heard from the Muslim communities over the last week: We recognize that Islamophobia is real in Canada and we believe our Muslim colleagues when they tell us about their lived experiences with it.

Ultimately, addressing racism is a responsibility that all Canadians share. It is easy to point our finger at acts of racism that occur in other places in the world, but in reality our country is in no position to do so. Our firm denounces Islamophobia, hatred, and violence and stands with the Muslim community as we mourn the loss of the Salman – Afzaal family members and we remain committed to further addressing racism as the fight to eradicate it continues.

In an effort to better support those who are actively working against Islamophobia, our firm has made a donation to the National Council of Canadian Muslims, a non-profit organization that protects Canadian human rights and civil liberties, challenges discrimination and Islamophobia, builds mutual understanding, and advocated for the public concerns of Canadian Muslims.