Just after 5 o’clock on Tuesday evening in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Deah Barakat, Yusor Mohammad and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were murdered in their apartment by their neighbor, Craig Hicks.
Although the police reported that Hicks’ motive was his frustration over a parking spot, many have labeled the murder a hate crime, sparking Muslim communities across the United States to hold candlelight vigils in remembrance of the three victims.
The UT Muslim Student Association did the same, organizing a candlelight vigil and prayer in Circle Park on Wednesday night. Students of diverse backgrounds stood with the members of the Muslim Student Association in memory of the three students and as a sign of strength in the Muslim community.
Drost Kokoye, a graduate student in political science and organizer of the event, was quick to voice the suspicions many students shared about the murderer’s motives.
“We’re going to label this a hate crime,” Kokoye said. “I’m going to label this a hate crime. And I invite all of you to recognize it as such, because if we continue to misconstrue these events, we will continue to lose innocent lives.”
Several association students said their initial reaction to the news was one of shock and disbelief as well as fear for other members of their community.
“I’m at a loss for words, I don’t really know how I should feel,” said Amany Alshibli, a sophomore in chemical engineering and member of the Muslim Student Association. “It hit really close to home because it could’ve been anyone, and they didn’t do anything.”
Alshibli said hearing about this violence toward neighbors made her feel saddened and unsettled by how someone could justify murder based on one’s religious views.
“I don’t understand how someone could hate me for my faith, or for what I wear on my head,” Alshibli said.
Abdalla Husain, a member of the association, said he immediately thought of his two sisters, who both wear a hijab and are close to the same age as the two women who were killed.
“I feel almost paranoid now, because my sisters are out there wearing scarves,” Husain said. “They’re going to take the brunt of this. It’s the girls.”
Vinit Babu, the public relations chair of the Indian-American Association, added that while the killings were premeditated acts of hatred, it is important to recognize that this was more than just a crime against Muslims, but a crime against common humanity.
“I don’t care how you want to say it, sugar coat it, put it under the rug, we all know why this happened,” Babu said. “It’s because a single member of our human community stopped viewing some of us as humans.”
Rafiq Mahdi, an Imam with the Muslim Community of Knoxville and member of the Islamic Community of North America, agreed, emphasizing the need for understanding and solidarity among people of all backgrounds against acts of hatred and violence.
“Yes, they were Muslim,” Mahdi said. “But they were human beings, and we need to recognize that we share a common goal, a common purpose.”
Husain said he thinks greater communication and understanding between Muslims and non-Muslim students about Islam will help to alleviate some of the fear and hatred that lead to hate crimes such as the murders at Chapel Hill.
“I think something we should all do is get to know our neighbor, Muslim or non-Muslim, we should get to know each other,” Husain said. “As people who live in this society and this culture, we follow the same laws, we’re all brothers and sisters.”
