This past weekend, a family in London, ON was targeted and struck because of their Islamic faith – killing four members of the family and leaving a 9-year old boy in the hospital with serious injuries and unimaginable grief. A member of our team’s Muslim community, Zeeshan Ali Khan, VP, Finance Technology and Digital and Philippe Oille, our President, Southwestern Ontario, took this opportunity to reflect on this tragic attack, and how we can take a step forward to support our communities.
Philippe Oille
I want to express my thoughts about a tragic attack which took place in our London, Ontario community this past weekend.
This is a devastating loss and a horrific, unspeakable act. On behalf of our leadership team and our entire Rogers family, our thoughts are with the loved ones of the of the four individuals who were killed, the young boy who has survived this tragedy, and with all of our Muslim team members, customers and community partners.
We are reminded of the importance of creating a culture of inclusion where everyone feels they belong; where diversity is embraced. Our values at Rogers stand against any form or act of hate, racism and discrimination, including Islamophobia. This is core to who we are as a company. This stands true today and every day.
Zeeshan Ali Khan, VP Finance
I’m so saddened by this horrible attack on innocent human lives.
Pain and frustration are what I feel. Pain for the loved ones that this family leaves behind and a void that will be impossible to fill. Frustration over feelings of injustice. I pause to think about how different the narrative would be if the situation was reversed and a Muslim person had carried out this attack. To the Muslim community in London and across the country, please know that we stand together and mourn this unspeakable loss.
We want to live in a world where we are treated as equals. Everyone should have the right to feel safe doing everyday activities with their families. While we truly believe this, it’s disheartening as we continue to see senseless attacks on Muslim lives like the tragic even this past weekend. In moments like this, it is so important for us to use our voices to drive change.
Events like this also underscore the importance of all of us coming together, to educate ourselves and to deepen our understanding around how we can create safe and inclusive environments where every one of our team members can be themselves. In this moment, I want to encourage leaders at our organization and across Canada to continue taking actionable steps to prioritize the diversity and value of our people, and to foster an inclusive culture where everyone knows they belong.