Muslim group seeks action on Islamophobia 5 years after Ontario family murdered

“Islamophobia is not only expressed through individual acts of hatred but also through broader social and institutional structures that continue to harm and disenfranchise Muslim communities.”

He spoke Thursday on Parliament Hill, just days before the fifth anniversary of the killing of the Afzaal family in a truck attack in London, Ont.

The assailant was convicted of four counts of murder and one of attempted murder after driving his truck into a family wearing traditional Muslim clothing.

“The attack on our London family was not an isolated tragedy. It exposed a reality that Muslim communities across Canada have long warned about,” Al-Qazzaz said as his group released a new report urging Ottawa to do more to fight anti-Muslim hate.

The report urges the federal government to follow through on recommendations tabled by House and Senate committees to boost training on detecting and preventing discrimination.

It also builds on work by the former special representative on combating Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, who asked Ottawa to officially recognize anti-Palestinian racism.

Elghawaby repeatedly said that Arab-Canadians and Muslims were being marginalized and framed as terrorists for peacefully expressing support for Palestinians and urging accountability for Israel’s violations of international law.

Al-Qazzaz’s group is also calling for $40 million in federal funding to protect mosques and Muslim schools, a sum it says is proportionate to funding recently earmarked for Jewish institutions.

The group is also seeking policies that hold social media companies accountable for spreading and promoting hate online, noting that mass killings in Canada have been carried out by people exposed to extremist content.

Thursday’s press conference came days after Prime Minister Mark Carney launched a new advisory council on rights, equality and inclusion, which replaced the role held by Elghawaby along with that of a special envoy on antisemitism.

Al-Qazzaz said Muslims are looking for progress from Ottawa, regardless of how that is done.

“When the prime minister dismantles the office and replaces it with the advisory council, we have even higher expectations,” he said.

“The names and structures do not matter. The idea is that the government takes this seriously, acknowledges it, puts specific resources toward addressing it and engaging the communities in a real way.”

Statistics Canada data shows overall reports of hate crimes in Canada nearly tripled between 2018 and 2024, due in part to significant increases in both Islamophobia and antisemitism.

Al-Qazzaz said Ottawa should also boost its fight against antisemitism.

He also said that mainstream Muslim groups are facing restrictions on planning conferences because some people who have been critical of Israel are being denied entry to Canada.

He said mainstream Muslim groups support combating hate, even when they platform people critical of Israeli policies.

“Assuming that discourse or political dissent of foreign regimes or foreign governments as antisemitism is actually damaging to both sides,” he argued.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2026.