Murder of Young Muslims In Chapel Hill
Three innocent young Muslims were killed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Our sincere sympathies to the family and friends of the victims. We strongly condemn this hideous act. The media is reporting a parking dispute, but it is hard to believe that parking dispute alone can lead to murder of three innocent young individuals. The murderer claims to be an atheist and hates all religions but it is no accident that the killer chose Muslims as his target. I do not think it is unfair if some Muslims are calling it terrorism against Muslims in this charged environment and asking political leaders to step up and condemn it like any other act of terrorism.
Acts like these are no accident when media stars like Bill Maher and Sam Harris spew poisonous hatred against Muslims at large every day and even Hollywood has joined in this spread of hatred and Islamophobia. Movie “Sniper” motivated many individuals to write threatening comments in social media. Below is a sample of tweets.
1-Portal Hudson dochudson 15 Jan16
“American Sniper has me wanting to go shoot some ragheads.”
2- Sabrina Ho
” nice to see a movie where muslims are portrayed for who they really are vermin scum intent on destroying America# AmericanSniper “
3- Connor Besnikari
“American Sniper make me appreciate the work American soldiers do and also made me hate camel riding rag heads load more#AmericanSniper ““.
One of my relative applied for internship in one the media outlet and was told blankly” we do not hire Muslims”, and it was even before Paris incidence. Muslims at large are as much victims of Islamic extremism and acts of terrorism as non-Muslims. Spreading hatred against all Muslims, as it is happening now, is a self-defeating endeavor. It ends up pushing some angry and frustrated young Muslims to choose the wrong side. When hatred is spread by media or non-media outlets, by Muslims or non-Muslims, it always claims innocent victims from all sides. World has to join all hands to combat hatred and extremism in all its forms and from every quarter.
Editorial note: This thoughtful piece was submitted by Dr. Fayyaz Sheikh. There was some concern among members about how the statement should be made public. In the opinion of the editor of the month the note is an expression of concern at the cold blooded murder of three innocent young people and some of the factors that contribute to such actions. The police in North Carolina are describing it as murder over a parking dispute. The alleged perpetrator’s wife arranges a hasty news conference that such was the case. She was not there but she knew that the sole motivation for killing three people was because somebody had parked their car in the wrong space.
There is genuine disbelief being expressed in the social media. It is a textbook example of assassination when three people are shot in the head. Such barbarity is a crime of hate that is no different from the murderous acts of ISIL terrorists that we all abhor. This is yet another act of terrorist violence–like the mass murder in a Sikh temple last year — that is being mischaracterized by the authorities. We should all recognize the evil for what it is, the causes that contribute to the rising tide of such anti-Muslim feelings and the national news media should take the lead in examining the core issues. It is every citizen’s right to demand that the investigations be thorough such that the ends of justice are served.
Nasik Elahi, Editor