Just over a month ago, students Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were shot outside their home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
“Tragedies touch everyone in a community, especially in a [small] community … like Chapel Hill,” said University of North Carolina Chapel Hill sophomore and North Carolina native Leah Johnson. “It has been tough.”
Barakat, who had recently started his second year at UNC Chapel Hill’s school of dentistry, had recently moved in with Yusor, his wife of about six weeks, and her sister, Razan.
Allegedly, the shooting happened over a parking space, though many believe the shooting occurred because the three victims were Muslim.
“Religion should never be grounds for discrimination,” said Josh Weil, a senior at North Carolina’s Guilford College and a member of the school’s Hillel chapter. “When it is, all religious organizations need to get together.”
UNC Chapel Hill held a vigil to commemorate the lives lost.
“There has been overwhelming support,” said Johnson. “Hundreds of people [came]. It’s been very emotional and awe inspiring to see the Carolina community … come together to support each other.”
“It was really somber and there were so many people on the UNC campus,” said Drew University Graduate and Chapel Hill native Rebekkah Whetten-Goldstien. “Everyone was crying.”
At Guilford, organizations such as the Muslim Student Association, Hillel, and Students for Justice in Palestine got together to mourn Barakat, Yusor and Razan.
“We should be remembering the tragedy that happened and showing support for the Muslim communities and the families of these victims,” said Weil, an active participant at Guilford Hillel.
For him, being part of a religious organization means supporting all those killed in the name of religion.
Whetten-Goldstein, who identifies as Asian-American and Jewish, can identify with feeling discriminated against.
“I’m very American, but I know that I’m different,” she said. “People assume I celebrate Christmas and I tell them I’m Jewish. These students were so integrated into [American] culture, but because of their outward appearance, [they were killed].”
At Guilford, MSA and Hillel come together to hold panels on Islamophobia and anti-Semitism and educate the community about Islam and Judaism.
“Muslims are one fifth of the world’s population,” said Zhihong Chen, an assistant professor of history at Guilford who recently converted to Islam. “Not everybody in that group thinks the same way. Not every Muslim thinks similarly.”
Five students spoke on the panel, including two Muslim students, two Jewish students and one student who identifies as both.
“Our Jewish community wanted to participate in some way [after the shooting],” said part-time Lecturer in Religious Studies at Guilford Marilyn Forman Chandler. “No human being is separate or apart from others.”
Several students on the panel agreed that conflict could be solved with communication.
“People are afraid to ask questions about Islam,” said a Guilford sophomore who identifies as Muslim. “I want to be asked why I chose Islam, what’s beautiful about Islam.”
Junior Layla Rafaoui, who identifies as Jewish and Muslim, spoke to feeling discriminated against on both sides.
“My father is Muslim and my mother is Jewish,” said Rafaoui. “I’ve been told I can’t be [both].”
The event was well-attended by both Guilford staff and students.
“It was very brave [for the students] to share these thoughts,” said Forman Chandler. “It is our responsibility to educate.”
According to Greg Bothelho and Ralph Ellis of CNN, in the wake of the tragedy, 150 religious and ethnic groups got involved to support the Muslim community, producing a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder claiming there is sufficient evidence to “warrant a federal hate crime investigation” sought by both the victims’ families and Muslims across the U.S.
In the face of unimaginable tragedy, we can come together as a community and build stronger connections.
“Check in with your neighbors,” said Whetten-Goldstein. “Get to know them as people.”
Nicole Zelniker is a student at Guilford College.
