Afzaal family's legacy grows at memorial held by Western University
A memorial service held by Western University heard from relatives of the Afzaal family who are drawing strength from their legacy.
On June 6, four members of the Afzaal family were killed in a truck attack on Hyde Park Road in London.
Police say it was a hate-motivated act of Islamophobia.
Family recall the Afzaals as hard-working, community-minded and always looking to help new Canadians.
“They would go out of their way to help everyone and anyone, be it family, friends or even complete strangers,” says Arjumand Ghani, one of Madiha Salman’s sisters.
Western University’s online memorial service honoured the family, which had close ties to the school.
Salman Afzaal had received his Master's Degree in Health Sciences there -- his wife Madiha Salman was completing her PhD.
“The university has awarded her, posthumously in June, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering,” announced Alan Shepard, president of Western University.
Western has also created two memorial scholarships in their honours -- two more pieces of a growing legacy based on family, faith and community.
Salman’s mother, Tabinda Bukhari adding, “These scholarships will benefit deserving students to fulfill their dreams. It gives us great satisfaction that Madiha and Salman’s trailblazing memory will live on.”
“Salman and Madiha left behind their legacy as a benchmark for all immigrants who come to Canada for a better future,” added Salman Afzaal’s sister Dr. Ayesha Shaukat.
The Afzaals’ nine-year old son was the only member of the family to survive the attack.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.