Obama Responds to Deaths of Three Muslim Students in North Carolina

Chapel Hill, N.C.  Police said on Feb. 10 that three people had been shot to death at a condominium complex east of the University of North Carolina campus and a man has been arrested.

Chapel Hill police told local news outlets that Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, was arrested and has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He is being held at the Durham County Jail.

A social media campaign has erupted from the deaths around the theme #MuslimLives Matter.

Police were responding to a report of gunshots around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday when they found three people who were pronounced dead at the scene. The dead were identified as Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, of Chapel Hill; Yusor Mohammad, 21, of Chapel Hill; and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh.

It is unclear if the incident is faith-based, or some other altercation.  Speculation has also focused on the violence stemming from a parking dispute.

In a statement from the White House on Feb. 12, President Obama stated:

Yesterday, the FBI opened an inquiry into the brutal and outrageous murders of Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, Deah Shaddy Barakat, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  In addition to the ongoing investigation by local authorities, the FBI is taking steps to determine whether federal laws were violated.

No one in the United States of America should ever be targeted because of who they are, what they look like, or how they worship.  Michelle and I offer our condolences to the victims’ loved ones.  As we saw with the overwhelming presence at the funeral of these young Americans, we are all one American family.  Whenever anyone is taken from us before their time, we remember how they lived their lives – and the words of one of the victims should inspire the way we live ours.

"This may be the product of Muslim-bashing by the Right in America covered so often by the popular press. The act is horrific and demeans our nation," says Jim Luce, president of the J. Luce Foundation and publisher of The Stewardship Report on Connecting Goodness .

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, chairman of The Cordoba Initiative in New York, issued a statement that said in part:

I am deeply saddened to learn of the murder of three Muslim students at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. I ask that we pray for God to bless the families and loved ones of those killed in this incident with His grace and peace, and that we all embrace them with tenderness as our reflection of God's infinite compassion.

God promises the believers divine aid in return for patience and endurance. "Remain patient in adversity just as all of the apostles, endowed with firmness of heart, bore themselves with patience." (Quran: 46 - 35).

As an American Imam in a pluralistic and great nation, I call upon people of all faiths to work together to spread peace, tolerance, and understanding within our communities.

One of the dead students, Yusor Mohammad, recently said, “Growing up in America has been such a blessing.  It doesn’t matter where you come from.  There’s so many different people from so many different places, of different backgrounds and religions – but here, we’re all one.”

See:  WNCN: News, Weather, Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville

Police said the investigation was continuing.

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