A day later, I am trying to fathom what happened in Chapel Hill and comprehend how our country presented this event and digested it. First and foremost, I am no expert about anything, with maybe the exception of basketball (self-proclaimed). Nor am I a writer. So I am looking at this through my own lenses, as a Muslim, and trying to understand it strategically.
The moral of the story is three young Muslim-Americans were shot in the head, execution style, in Chapel Hill, NC by a white-atheist man. I would prefer to leave out ‘white-atheist’, but this is of importance in today’s media coverage. Well, not when the man is a white atheist, but we will get there. The murder of the three young Muslim-Americans was, as the mainstream media has portrayed it, over a parking spot. The man shot and killed these three young Muslim-Americans over a parking spot. Repeated for emphasis on how ridiculous this sounds.
This is a hate crime. Plain and simple. How? Well how could one parking spot be the motivator to kill three people? With a gun? If this was over a parking spot, shoot the driver. Go to jail for it. If the parking spot was the true motivator, do you think by killing someone over it will let you park there ever again? A rhetorical question, but I will answer it for you. No, the only parking spot you will see will be a jail cell.
I am not denying that the white-atheist man was not bothered by a parking spot. But I am explaining the motivation to kill. There is alleged rhetoric on his Facebook showing his hate for Muslims. To shoot three young people, in the head, without a threat to your life, is absolutely a hate crime.
As a hate crime, lets let this sink in. Three people were killed due to their religion in the United States in the year 2015. Innocent, young, service-driven people. How is this not a bigger deal? How is it not of mention the day after the day after? Well the answer is, media’s double standard on Muslims. It has never been more evident than today. But we haven’t seen such hate crimes occur in this country since the Civil Rights era. Muslim-Americans are currently scared for their lives because they could be killed over a parking spot!
The media has time in and time out painted criminals that are Muslims as terrorists and/ or extremists. Whenever a criminal that claims the religion of Islam performs an act of violence, the country needs reform and policies to combat terror. See France. These criminals are committing crimes against random, innocent people. The media portrays them as motivated by Islam. Guess what, Islam doesn’t do that! How do I know? Well I am Muslim. That’s how.
Two days ago, a white-atheist man killed three innocent Muslim-Americans near a college campus. I should have stayed home because I am a Muslim-American that is currently on a college campus, right? Well no, I know not all white-atheist men are motivated to kill Muslim-Americans. That is common sense. But today’s media paints Muslims as violent, bad people in every opportunity that is presented. I am not only talking about CNN. But movies and tv shows too. See American Sniper. Subliminally we are taught that Muslims are violent terrorists. Well at least any Muslim that kills someone.
News flash, Muslims are human. Media has removed the ‘human’ aspect to Muslims. If they are killed due to their religion, it’s too bad. If a criminal that claims Islam as their religion kills someone, they were motivated by their religion. Here is the truth. Stupid people kill people. Craig Stephen Hicks is stupid. He committed a hate crime. Its sad to see people support him. Its sad to see it as a non-headline in the media. But I blame the media we consume for such a hateful act to occur without the coverage it deserves.
Muslims are human. And just like various humans, Deah, Yusor, and Razan were extraordinary ones. Its sad to see these incredible Muslim-Americans leave us. As a fellow Muslim-American, I feel a sense of myself in them, I can relate to their struggle. They could’ve been myself, or one of my family or friends. Which always sinks my heart. To hear their family speak out of shock and sadness, felt like they were my own family.
So even if the media continues to portray Muslims the way they do and continue to hold their double-standard, we should remember Deah, Yusor, and Razan in our every day lives. We should carry out the good they wanted to bring to the world in our actions. And continue to be exceptional human beings so that no matter how we are painted, that our actions and characters speak louder. The reason for writing this is for the simple fact that these three deserve to be remembered. I feel deeply hurt, angry, and cheated by these events.
Please keep Deah, Yusor, and Razan’s families in your prayers.
‘We belong to God and to Him we shall return.’ Quran 2:156
A Muslim Dude. 