Victims of London, Ont., attack honoured with new Western University scholarships

Two new university scholarships are being established in honour of Madiha Salman and Salman Afzaal, the couple killed along with two other family members in an attack in London, Ont., on June 6.

Western University is organizing the Madiha Salman Memorial Scholarship in Civil and Environmental Engineering, which will be open to female engineering students who advocate for the inclusion of all races and religions. Madiha had been studying at the school.

The university confirmed Friday it will also offer the Salman Afzaal Memorial Scholarship in Physical Therapy. In a statement, it said the award will go to a full-time graduate student enrolled in a doctoral or master's program in health and rehabilitation sciences. 

Police say the attack by a pickup truck was motivated by hate and the family was targeted due to their Muslim faith. Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha, 44, their daughter Yumna Afzaal, 15, and Salman's mother, Talat Afzaal, 74, were killed. The youngest family member survived. 

A 20-year-old man faces four first-degree murder charges, one attempted murder charge and associated terrorism charges. 

'Sadly missed'

"As a Muslim, Madiha strongly believed in inclusivity ... Madiha will be sadly missed by many of her students, friends, and colleagues," reads the Western University scholarship website. The school said both scholarships have been endorsed by the couple's family. 

Salman obtained a master's degree in civil engineering under the supervision of Prof. Jason Gerhard.

Gerhard described Salman as a "sparkling, generous, loving person that treasured education, female advancement, equality and research."

Salman worked as a teaching assistant for more than six years during her graduate studies and was described by Ayman El Ansary, associate chair of graduate professional programs at Western, as "one of the best." 

Salman, who was working as a physiotherapist in long-term care homes, earned his master's degree at Western in 2010.

PhD awarded posthumously

Shaukat Rizvi, a relative of the Afzaals who lives in Oakville, Ont., said family members are still processing the loss.

Rizvi said he and Salman were always talking about her work, which focused on Lake Ontario and pollution. He described her as "outstanding" and "very intelligent yet simple and soft spoken."

A week after the attack, Salman, who was in the process of completing her PhD in civil and environmental engineering, was posthumously given her doctorate from Western.

"She was keeping me informed about her progress," said Rizvi. "We have lost a very talented researcher in Canada."

A scholarship is also in the process of being created for Yumna Afzaal and it will be an all-star high scholarship for a graduating Grade 12 student.