Honourable senators, it’s hard to put into words the collective pain and grief Muslims in Canada feel having to mourn another loss in our community. This is the second act of mass murder against Muslims and the third Islamophobic attack resulting in death. The beautiful Afzaal family in London was murdered — a grandmother, mother, father and teenage child — simply because they were Muslim and because they went for a walk. A 9-year-old boy is hospitalized in serious condition, now an orphan, his entire family stolen from him by hate.

My family watched the horrific news of this premeditated terrorist act together in silence, as we learned the details of a Pakistani Muslim family so much like our own, out for a regular evening walk. Salman Afzaal was a doctor, known for his generosity and kindness; Madiha Salman, a civil engineer from my hometown of Peshawar, was days away from defending her PhD. They were described by friends as “the best people in the community.”

The nature of this attack is shocking, but unfortunately it is not surprising. This is not the first time I have spoken about the rise of Islamophobia, and I fear it will not be the last. As government leaders, we regularly condemn Islamophobia but this alone is not enough. We need concrete actions. CBC News has stated that there are 250 identified White supremacist groups currently active within Canada. What are we doing to dismantle these groups? What are we doing to combat the radicalization and extremism of White supremacists?

We must also combat Islamophobia before it reaches the point of physical violence. It is Islamophobic rhetoric that sows the seeds of these acts of hate. I’m sorry to say, I have been witness to many Canadians, the press, even some of my colleagues using language that is harmful to the perception of Muslims, such as identifying any Muslim majority country that is being condemned as an Islamic state, choosing only to identify an attacker by religion when they are Muslim, using terms like “Islamism.” Words matter and words have consequences.

I urge my colleagues to reach out to Muslim communities in their regions and work with them to take immediate action. I encourage you to consider the necessary changes we must make to end online hate and to combat hateful extremist ideologies. Our voices matter. It’s time we vocalize our unwavering dedication to the right and freedom of every Canadian to live a dignified life free of prejudice, and to follow our words with actions so that we too become part of the solution.

My community is struggling with their grief right now, but in that grief they are also forced to contend with the fear for their safety. I have had countless calls from Muslims in Canada and abroad saying, “Canada has always been perceived as a safe country for us. What happened?” It’s the question that I’m struggling to answer myself, and that I challenge my colleagues to consider: What happened? Thank you.