Whatever happened to the Our London Family Act in wake of Afzaal family attack?

Nearly three years after members of a London, Ont., Muslim family were murdered in a hate-motivated attack that shocked the country, a national Muslim organization is calling for the anti-hate bill named in their honour to be revived in the Ontario Legislature.

It comes days after news emerged that the 23-year-old found guilty of murder and attempted murder in the June 6, 2021, attack, in what a judge ruled was a terrorist act, plans an appeal of his conviction.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) says the Our London Family Act, which it helped to draft, needs to be passed "now more than ever" as the organization records a surge in Islamophobic incidents.

"When we have an act with provisions here that ... can actually make families safer, our community safer, it's time that we get that passed as soon as possible," said Omar Khamissa, NCCM's chief operating officer.

Tabled at Queen's Park eight months after the attack on the Afzaal family, the private member's bill from then Toronto MPP Faisal Hassan sought to address Islamophobia in the province and prevent future attacks.

Co-sponsored by London's three New Democrat MPPs, the Our London Family Act came out of the upswell of support for the Muslim community in the wake of the attack and widespread calls for action against Islamophobia.

But just over two months after it was introduced, the bill died on the order paper when the 2022 provincial election was called that May, having been referred to a standing committee by Paul Calandra, the government house leader.

More than two years later, the bill has yet to be retabled.

"We have expressed our disappointment with the way that things unfolded, because this is something that is of great significance for our community," said Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal, chair of the London Council of Imams (LCI).

Yumnah Afzaal, 15, and her parents — Madiha Salman, 44, and Salman Afzaal, 46 — as well as family matriarch Talat Afzaal, 74, were killed in the attack. A nine-year-old boy was injured and orphaned.

Twakkal said the Muslim community was disappointed the bill did not pass and nothing has been tabled since. However, he believes there could be a piecemeal approach.

The bill sought to, among other things, establish a provincial review of hate crimes and hate-motivated incidents, designate safe zones around houses of worship, prevent white supremacist groups from registering as societies and present tools for schools to fight racism.

"Although that piece of legislation was not adopted in its entirety, there were several pieces to that legislation, so it's important we continue to pursue whatever aspects of it that can be legislated," Twakkal said.

Nawaz Tahir, a board member of the London-based Muslim advocacy group Hikma, said the Muslim community had put forward what they believed is a detailed plan to fight Islamophobia — a plan that would honour the family and be a "non-partisan no-brainer."