London attack verdict:
WHITE SUPREMACIST TERRORIST VELTMAN.
You hear and read these words as part of a verdict in the gruesome murder trial of four innocent Muslims community members in London and you feel disgusted, ashamed and pained beyond words as to the horror faced by them and their surviving family member- a child.
But then you read these words again and unfortunately but truthfully there is a painful relief that perhaps for the first time in Canada, that person was not just considered a textbook ‘mentally ill’ white man but actually a terrorist.
The pain will NEVER GO away.
I saw a Black man calling an innocent Sikh shop keeper who was facing a traumatic verbal abuse at Albion and Islington 2 years back being called a terrorist just because he was wearing a turban. I had to personally step in to push back the bully and then decided to stand in the local election without knowing a single soul in the neighborhood only to speak up against racism and stereotypes. But unfortunately saw more hate and disgust in the eyes of the people towards me just because of my color.
We need to stand up for each other and remember that people WILL use Islamophobia or other religious phobia just to destroy communities and break us. A barrage of what’s app forwards are used to poison our minds and make people like Veltman rise.
No words can bring solace to the life of that innocent surviving child or make the mother of that Muslim gentleman live a normal life.
Yet be it known to all bullies, all haters, everyone who divides us, that we will endure. Be together and build a harmonious South Asian community in timed to come.
BROWN and BOLD. And as much Canadian as anyone else.
Devanshu Narang's 