‘A model family,’ friends remember Muslim Canadian family killed in a targeted attack

The victims of Sunday’s truck-ramming attack in Canada were a “model family,” friends say. People from around the world mourned the killing of four members of a Muslim Pakistani-origin Canadian family, reports Geo News.

The lives of three generations were snuffed out in a moment. Madiha Salman, age 44, who was doing postgraduate work in civil and environmental engineering; her 46-year-old husband, Salman Afzaal, who loved to greet people at the mosque; their 15-year-old daughter, Yumna Salman; and Afzaal’s 74-year-old mother, who has not been named.

The couple’s son, nine-year-old Fayez, remains in hospital with serious injuries but is recovering, relatives said.

UN Secretary-GeneraI Antonio Guterres expressed his outrage over the targeted killing of a Pakistani-origin Muslim family in Canada, and called for unitedly standing against Islamophobia.

I am appalled by the targeted and heinous attack on a Muslim family in Ontario, Canada. My heart goes out to the victims, surviving family and loved ones – and the community.

We must stand united against Islamophobia and all forms of hatred, now more than ever.

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) June 8, 2021

“I am appalled by the targeted and heinous attack on a Muslim family in Ontario, Canada,” the UN chief wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, too, offered his condolences to the victims of Sunday’s attack and called it an “act of evil.”

“You are not alone. All Canadians mourn with you and stand with you, tonight and always,” Trudeau tweeted.

To those who knew the Afzaal family, to the son who survived, to Muslims in London and in communities across Canada, to everyone who feels sad or angry or afraid: You are not alone. Canadians across the country are mourning with you and standing with you – tonight, and always. pic.twitter.com/MqMj1kKeTC

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 9, 2021

On Sunday, a man ran a black pickup truck over the family of five at a London intersection, killing four of them and wounding a boy.