With the recent tragedy that took place last week here on Millersville’s campus and the impact that it has left on our campus community, the recent incident that left three students dead at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus sadly hits close to home.
What was believed to be a dispute over a parking space left three Muslim students dead and others wondering whether or not something more menacing prompted the shooting.
According to cnn.com, police said “an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking” might have been a factor in the shootings Tuesday evening, but said they weren’t dismissing the possibility of a hate crime.
The victims were a newlywed couple and the bride’s younger sister.
All three of the victims, Deah Barakat, 23, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Razan Abu-Salha, 19, were Muslim. Given their religion and comments the alleged shooter apparently left on a Facebook page, many social media users wondered what role the victims’ faith may have played.
Their families say the gunman had threatened the victims before, and they believe the shootings were a hate crime.
The 46-year-old suspect, Craig Stephen Hicks, has been charged with murder.
At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, his wife said she was “shocked” by the killings and offered condolences to the victims’ families (cnn.com).
“This incident had nothing to do with religion or the victims’ faith, but in fact was related to the longstanding parking disputes that my husband had with the neighbors,” Karen Hicks said.
The father of the female victims, however, told CNN he was sure that wasn’t true.
“We have no doubt that the way they looked and the way they believed had something to do with this,” Mohammad Abu-Salha said.
When his son-in-law lived alone in the condominium complex, the family never had any problems. Once his daughter moved in, wearing a headscarf that clearly identified her as Muslim, trouble started.
This story has caused many to once again bring up the topic of race and religion here in the United States, and how such factors play a role in predigest views of minorities. Whether the students were in violation of a parking space does not validate the reasoning for them being shot to death. Their religious views and practices do not take away the fact that their lives have been cut short due to the stupidity of another person. This tragic event deprived these students of their future. They could have been our future doctors, lawyers, caregivers or neighbors, but due to the hate of another man, these students potential have been short lived.
On behalf of Her Campus Millersville, our hearts go out to the students and those impacted by this tragic event at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus.
May our prayers be with you.