Interrupting Islamophobia — The Muslim Community Needs Our Allyship

As you may have seen from recent news reports, four Muslim family members were killed in a racist and Islamophobic attack last week in London, Ontario. The Afzaal family was out on an evening walk in their neighborhood — something that we all want to be able to do with our families — when their lives were tak-en by a white supremacist.

As you’ll know from my other blogs and posts, I’m a member of the Sikh community — a community that experiences hate incidents because we are Sikhs, but also because we are often mistaken for the Muslim community. As an ally to Muslim communities, the racist attack in London last week feels devastating and painful.

This is a moment that deeply calls for allyship. For those of us who are not Muslim, we must check in with our Muslim friends and colleagues, name how difficult this moment is during team and personal interactions, and use our voices and actions to call out racism and Islamophobia. This is not an exhaustive list — in fact, there’s much more that you can be doing. To that end, I wanted to share two resources with you:

• If you’re looking for ways to be a better ally to your Muslim colleagues, here’s a tip sheet that lists key must dos for allyship in the workplace
• A few years ago, after another horrific Islamophobic attack in Canada occurred where Muslim lives were lost as a result of a mass shooting at a Quebec City mosque, I shared a tip sheet that highlights steps that you can take in the face of intolerance that you may find useful in this moment.

Finally, to people from across Muslim communities, I'm sending you so much love and positive energy right now. Please know that I'm here for you and I stand with you.