SHAFAQNA- The London attack in Canada was a horrific by-product of the systemic racism. The issue of tackling Islamophobia appears to have been pushed down on the political priority list and Muslim Canadians worried they’ll be targeted.
Dareen Shilbayeh can’t stop herself from looking over her shoulder while out in public.
The London, Ont., resident who wears a hijab says she’s been worried she’ll be targeted because of her faith ever since a Muslim family was killed in the city this summer.
“Every corner I take, even at the mall, when it’s a public place, it’s like, I have to be careful,” said the 19-year-old who grew up in London and is a student at the city’s Western University, Globalnews.ca reported.
It’s a sentiment many Muslim Canadians have shared after four members of the Afzaal family, who were out for an evening stroll, were run down and killed by a vehicle in what police have called an attack motivated by hate.
At a vigil held outside a London mosque two days after the June 6 tragedy, federal party leaders condemned Islamophobia and made promises to fight it.
But some, including Shilbayeh, say there has been little action since then, and argue the issue hasn’t been discussed enough during the campaign.
“I don’t think they’ve addressed it in any sense,” Shilbayeh said. “Act on what you say.”