On January 29, Canadians mark the National Day for Remembrance and Action Against Islamophobia. It was on this day, five years ago, that six innocent lives were taken in cold blood, while praying at a Mosque in Quebec City. Six innocent people, with dreams and hopes, who made Canada their home, seeking tolerance and peace. Six innocent souls murdered simply because they were Muslim.

Sadly, more such killings would follow—Mohamed-Aslim Zafis, as he volunteered at a mosque in Etobicoke, Ontario in 2020; and then last year’s horrific murder of the Afzaal family in London, Ontario, run over as they went for an evening stroll. Each of these lives was taken by someone filled with hate for Muslims.

The facts are sobering. In the last five years, there have been more mass killings motivated by Islamophobia in Canada than in any other G7 nation. 

Sadly, for each tragic story that captures the attention of the nation, there are many more that do not. Imagine the daily fear women feel of being assaulted because they’re wearing their headscarves on the street—or a young person logging online and experiencing widespread hate that portrays Muslims as violent and un-Canadian. This is a daily reality for many Muslims across this country.

Like many of those whose lives we remember today, my family left difficult circumstances to come to Canada. My parents left strife in East Africa and were welcomed to this country—given the chance to live in peace, embraced by strangers and inspired by Canada’s values. They instilled in me—as many immigrant parents do—a fierce belief in a pluralistic Canada that seeks to embrace diversity as a strength, not as a weakness.

So even as I reflect on this solemn day, I am filled with hope. I am proud to be the first ever Muslim member of Parliament from B.C. I represent Vancouver Granville, home to Vancouver’s first mosque and the heart of Vancouver’s Jewish community. Our community reflects a powerful diversity of Asian, francophone, anglophone, South Asian, and Indigenous cultures, each connected to the other.

It’s a constant reminder that the Canada to which we aspire is well within reach. I see it in the solidarity communities share in times of grief, and the efforts to build and celebrate together in times of happiness. So I hold firm the belief that, at our core, we are a country that will look past race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation to see the best in one another. 

This is why I believe our path forward is through dialogue, education, and partnership. The more we work across communities to solve shared challenges, the easier it will be to achieve success.

The more effort we put in to learning about one another, the stronger the fabric of our country.  And Canadian Muslims are a part of that fabric, rooted in the Islamic principle that all people are created from a single soul, who share a common humanity. Muslims are called upon—as an act of faith—to contribute to the communities in which we live, and to improve the quality of life for those around us. We seek justice, compassion, and kindness—values that are deeply Canadian values.

Let this be our starting point. All of us, as Canadians, have an obligation and an opportunity to look past prejudice and stand together, with a shared commitment to take on Islamophobia and all forms of hate. We must all call it out when we see it—and we must work to correct misperceptions of Muslims, among our friends, online, and in our communities. 

And our government has committed to doing its part—to appointing a Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, committing to a systemic review of the concerns of the Muslim community regarding the targeting of Muslim charities, and working alongside Muslim organizations to tackle Islamophobia head on.

Today, as we remember those who have been victims of Islamophobia, their lives cut short by hate, we must also pause to remember the hope that we have for our country and in our fellow Canadians.

The innocent victims of every one of these attacks believed in the promise of Canada. It’s up to us to make that dream come true.