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Community gathers at UNLV to mourn loss of slain Chapel Hill students

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Photo: Leslie Ventura

More than 60 community members comprised of Muslims, Sikhs, interfaith leaders and atheists gathered in front of the UNLV Student Union on Friday night to mourn the loss and remember the lives of three students who were murdered in their home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina last week.

The students, sisters Yusor and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha and Yusor’s husband, Deah Shaddy Barakat, were shot and killed by their neighbor, Craig Stephen Hicks, on February 10. Chapel Hill police believe that the killings occurred over a parking dispute, while others are labeling the murders as a hate crime or a terrorist act.

“Today, we are making a statement,” said Islamic Society of Nevada director Aslam Abdullah. “We are one in defense of human rights and human dignity. The murder of an innocent person is the murder of humanity. It is our responsibility to come together. We as Americans are one people and nothing can divide us.”

The evening featured a candlelight vigil and speeches by students, prominent local Imams, Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada chairman Gard Jameson and Nevada Aassemblywomen Michele Fiore and Victoria Seaman. One student read a letter on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas.

The evening was a positive, heartfelt memorial for the three students that died, but it also raised questions about how the murders have been characterized by the media and law enforcement.

“It’s a hate crime against society as a whole,” said Deyaa Dabbagh, president of the Muslim Student Association at UNLV.

According to the FBI’s website, domestic terrorism “involve[s] acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law [and] appear intended … to intimidate or coerce a civilian population.”

Whether or not Hicks’ goal was to intimidate the Muslim population, Friday’s candlelight vigil showed solidarity, strength and perseverance across a multitude of beliefs—even in the face of violence.

“We needed a place of healing,” said event co-organizer Samantha Haikal. “The last couple days have been very, very heavy on my heart … It’s like losing three friends I never met.”

“We’re here as Americans speaking out against hate,” added co-organizer Aliyah Suba. When asked how community members can help, Suba suggested focusing on the positive impacts the victims left behind and attending “more interfaith dialogue [meetings] to break misconceptions and misunderstandings.”

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