Muslim rights obstructed in the land of the free

Racism has- unfortunately- always been a part of American society. The country has fought drastically to halt oppression in its tracks, but recent events highlight that US citizens may not be as free and liberated as they are led to believe.

On February 10, three Muslims were shot and killed execution-style at the University of North Carolina. Victims Deah Barakat, 23, and Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, were newlyweds. Razan Abu-Salha, 19, was the third victim and Yusor Abu-Salha’s sister. They were all students who excelled academically and volunteered regularly, according to the New York Times. All were under the age of 25.

The shooter was 46-year-old Craig Stephen Hicks, a former car parts salesman who lived on the opposite side of the victims’ complex. According to friends of the victims, Hicks had complained about the couple’s “excessive” use of parking spots and their noise levels. Rumors spread across the media that the shooting occurred over these juvenile altercations, misguiding the public on what this crime truly was- an act of hate, violence, and discrimination due to racism. Refusing to acknowledge the true intent behind these killings is a slap in the face to all three victims, their families, friends, and Muslims across the globe. America prides itself on its justice system, but where is the justice for Barakat and the Abu-Salha sisters?

Hicks was known as an atheist, and was accused of posting this status: “When it comes to insults, your religion started this, not me. If your religion kept its big mouth shut, so would I.” These types of hostile attacks on social media support the idea that his act was a hate crime. Taking the time out of his day to voluntarily berate religion on multiple occasions raises some eyebrows. Officials may be tentative to label the crime because of the possible repercussions; if so, their courage is lacking and their conscience has failed them.

Thursday, March 5 saw another horrid Muslim killing. 36 year old Ahmed Al-Jumaili was shot eight times in Dallas, Texas, right outside of his home. He went outside with his brother to observe the snow while his wife began to take pictures. Al-Jumaili and his wife Zahraa had married 16 months prior, and she had left Iraq for the safety of Texas while Al-Jumaili stayed to work and save money. He died at Texas Health Presbyterian hospital, after having only 20 brief days with his wife in the US. The shooter has not yet been found, and police again refuse to distinguish the killing as a hate crime. See a pattern yet?

The Islamic death toll and violence doesn’t end there. CBC News reported Mustafa Mattan’s unsolved murder. On February 9, Mattan was answering a knock on the door when someone shot through it and killed him. Daily KOS and ABC13 also informed the public about the intentional burning of Houston’s Islamic Center. A retired Houston-area volunteer posted: “Let it burn…block the fire hydrant.” This is a man who had previously served and protected the public and is now supporting the demolishment of a Muslim building and all that it stands for. Shameful, disgraceful, and disturbing are some of the many words that comes to mind after reading his post.

On Twitter, the hashtag #KillAllMuslims began to trend after the release of Bradley Cooper’s movie American Sniper. The film had no intentions of degrading muslims, but rather depicting the raw and real life of American soldiers; despite this goal, some viewers distorted the message and began to use the movie as a piece of anti-muslim propaganda. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) wrote to Cooper, who plays deceased Navy Seal and US sniper Chris Kyle in the film. Within the letter, ADC draws attention to the “hundreds of violent messages targeting Arabs and Muslims from moviegoers of the film” and asks for Cooper to “make a statement against the rhetoric being exhibited.” Currently, no one involved in the movie (Cooper or otherwise) has responded.

Of course, some good has come out of this mess. A Twitter war of sorts arose as some users defend Muslims with the hashtag #muslimlivesmatter. Americans have begun to speak out against the racial discrimination of Muslims. It’s a step in the right direction, but until judgements based on religion/ethnicity are no more, full equality in the US will not be achieved.

Events such as 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing have scared and scarred many American citizens. Stereotypes have been placed unfairly on all Muslims due to a few anomalies. According to Encountering Islam, ninety-three percent of Muslims do not support extremist views of terrorism. However, finding a consensus on the percentage of Muslims that are actually terrorists is extremely difficult. Some websites claim up to 25 percent of Muslims are terrorists, while others say less than one percent. This wide gap shows how the media can distort the facts and statistics into whatever final product they desire.

In short, don’t always believe what is written, published, broadcasted, etc. Take time to do research and find out the facts of a situation. Following in the footsteps of humanity will only lead to more violence and death. Instead, society should be pushing for a change in the way people treat one another. In the grand scheme of things, every single person on this earth was placed here by the same force- be that the Big Bang, God, or some strange coincidence- so why fight? Because some believe in a different beginning than others? Because some worship differently? Those matters are trivial. The beginning isn’t what matters anyway. The present matters. The future matters. Racism doesn’t hold a candle to the bright future that peace and equality can give, so why support such a barbaric belief? For the world’s sake, and the reputation of all mankind, this bigotry needs to end. Now.