Sayyid Ali Fadhlallah:

North Carolina killings, an example of Islamophobia in West

Rasa – A senior Lebanese cleric said the killing of three Muslim students in the US state of North Carolina can be seen as yet another example of Islamophobia in the West.

News ID: 2128

Date: 14 February 2015 - 19:14

Addressing Friday prayers worshipers in Beirut yesterday, Sayyid Ali Fadhlallah said the incident raises worries that there will be more attacks against Muslims in western countries.

He criticized the way US media have covered the brutal crime, saying that if the murdered students had not been Muslim, there would have been extensive coverage of the incident.

Deah Barakat, 23, a University of North Carolina dental student, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, a student at North Carolina State University, were gunned down on Tuesday in Chapel Hill.

Police charged the couple’s neighbour with murder. They say initial findings indicate a dispute over parking prompted the shooting, but they are looking into whether Hicks was motivated by hatred toward the victims because they were Muslim.

Thousands of mourners attended funeral prayers for them on Thursday.

The case has garnered international attention, prompting vigils and the hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter on social media, and raising concerns among some Muslim advocates in the United States who say they have seen an increase in threats against their communities in recent weeks.

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