London Ontario Killing Was A Hate Crime
It’s Tuesday June 8, 2021. Today I am outraged. Hatred runs rampant in our city. I must share my thoughts on the evil and heinous murder of 4 family members, and the attempted murder of a little boy, still fighting for his life in hospital. The attack on this family was pure evil. Hatred is the reason this happened. Racism is the reason this happened. The young man who murdered this innocent family is filled with evil. I don’t pretend to know how or why his mind became permeated by racism, hatred, intolerance and evil, but I do know this. I can not tolerate this shit for one more day. I tell you right now, that whenever I see or hear racist comments or activity, or comments or acts of hatred, or even if some insensitive thought rises in my own mind, I will address it immediately.
I will NOT hold back and I will not tolerate racism or hatred. I WON’T look the other way; I will NOT keep my opinion to myself and I WILL encourage everyone to do the same.
Politicians Speak Out
After hearing of this hideous crime, The Honourable Erin O’Toole, Leader of the Canadian Conservative Party said this as he thought about his Muslim friends and loved ones, and how he would be devastated if this happened to them~
He said “I am reminded of Chapter 41 of the Qur’an. ‘Good and evil are not equal. Repel evil with good, and be patient’.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke out and Jagmeet Singh gave an impassioned speech against racism. Today is the day to make changes. We are all responsible to make changes.
I am emotional in waves; one minute I feel sad and I cry. The next minute I am outraged and angry. Then I’m frightened for Muslim people especially, but also for all the good people of this broken world. I am shocked, but I shouldn’t be. Evil is not new. But I feel that hatred and evil have become rampant in our city in the last decade and we have to address it. As a society we need to understand what is going on and why.
Is Peace Even Possible?
Why can’t people live in peace? So-what if someone’s language is different from yours? Who cares if they practise a different religion? Why does it matter that someone’s skin is different from your own? The way other people dress is NONE of your business! You have absolutely NO RIGHT to judge other people by their skin, their facial features, their clothing, customs or religion.
I find that I am increasingly more intolerant of intolerance. Think about it. We can’t just stand around thinking “oh how sad” or “what’s this world coming to?” We can not use the term “those people”. I’ve had enough! “Those people”, are people, just like you and I. They are human beings with the same red blood as you and I. They are people who love; hardworking, honest members of our community who deserve the respect of their community just like you deserve it.
Most Of Us Are From Immigrant Families
When are people going to understand that the color of someone’s skin, and their different lifestyle is no different than the many different shades of Caucasian “white” skin? If you are not an Indigenous person, you (like myself) are an immigrant, or at least our family members were.
We are no different from anyone else who comes to this country from another country and we’re certainly not better than anyone else. At some point, most of us somewhere way back in our families, were immigrants. So enough already with the comments such as “go back home where you came from”. I just want to punch people when they say that, but…that would just be more violence.
Instead, I will take a message from the Qur’an and I will practise fighting evil with goodness, and I will try to be patient.
Stand Up~Speak Out
You can damn sure believe I will continue to speak out about hatred and racism. I am proud that my daughters stand up against hatred and racism. We will ensure that future generations of my family know and embrace cultures that are different from their own, understanding that all people are deserving of love and respect and that hatred, insensitivity and racism will NOT be tolerated. EVER.
If you have had a thought or spoken about others in a way that you now realize may be as a result of racism or hatred, or even just insensitivity, you’re not alone. I think all of us have. What matters is that we make changes; we recognize, check ourselves and more importantly, educate ourselves on anything that is new, different or not understood.
Pray For The Victims
Please pray for that young boy, 9 years old, who will have to go through life without his family members who were killed because of hatred. Pray for him that he will be embraced by the love of extended family members and everyone in this community. Pray that somehow, he will fight evil with good, and that he will be patient; patient with himself as he struggles through extremely difficult emotions, and patient with ignorant people he comes across during his lifetime. Pray that God will keep his heart pure; that evil and hatred will not invade his heart. Pray that this young boy is blessed with loving people surrounding him his whole life. May he create some sort of goodness from this tragedy, in the years to come.
A Thought For The By-standers
One more thought about the blonde girl who witnessed this atrocity and did a few interviews in the media and was clearly and understandably distraught~ If anyone knows her, and even if you don’t, please share this post widely. I hope she speaks to someone immediately about this trauma. It will not be easy for her to recuperate from this. She needs to work through her shock, sadness, disappointment and fear with an experienced therapist, in hopes of avoiding PTSD. Please just share this post like crazy in hopes that she or someone she knows will see it and encourage her to seek professional guidance.
What she saw (and everyone else who saw or heard this tragic incident) cannot be unseen or unheard. But she can get help in dealing with it. There is a trickle-down effect from violent acts like this. Clearly, the innocent victims and their loved ones suffer the worst devastating effects. The family’s loved ones, friends and co-workers will also grieve. The people who witnessed this horrific event have been negatively affected. Even those of us who didn’t witness it are negatively affected just by hearing about such evil. Trauma affects people in different ways. If you are finding it difficult to manage your emotions about this hate crime, please seek help. Don’t let things fester. Deal with unsettling emotions right away.
I will pray for this young boy’s survival and healing and for blessings throughout his life. I will pray for the family members who were murdered, that they rest in peace. I hope you will pray for them all. Let’s lift this boy in love. FIGHT EVIL WITH GOODNESS.