Thousands Attend Funeral of Three Muslims Killed in the U.S.

Three Muslims who were shot dead in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, were buried on Thursday, February 12, during a ceremony attended by more than five thousand people. According to AFP, the father of two of the victims stated at the ceremony that his children were victims of religious hatred. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also criticized U.S. President Barack Obama for his silence regarding the murder of these three Muslims. According to Reuters, Mr. Erdogan, who was in Mexico, said he had called the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State of the United States, urging them to respond to these murders. Zia Shadi Barakat, along with her sister Razan Mohammad and her husband Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, were killed by one of their white neighbors. The suspect has surrendered to the police and is currently in custody. Reuters also reported that Craig Stephen Hicks, a 46-year-old man, was arrested on three counts of first-degree murder. Craig Stephen Hicks was promoting atheism on his Facebook page. Zia Shadi Barakat was a second-year dental student at the University of North Carolina. According to information from the victims' memorial page on Facebook, she and Yusor Mohammad had recently married, and she was set to start her studies in the same field in the fall. Razan Abu-Salha, 19, was also studying at one of the colleges affiliated with the same university. U.S. officials have stated that based on initial investigations, this deadly shooting was due to a parking dispute. However, the victims' families claim their children were victims of religious hatred. Meanwhile, Muslim activists have called on the police to investigate the possibility of religious hatred being involved in the murder of these three students, who were engaged in humanitarian activities. A spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations told Reuters that the three victims were Muslims. Nihad Awad, the executive director of this council, stated: 'Given the brutal nature of this murder, the anti-religious comments made by the suspect, as well as the religious affiliations of two of the victims and the increasing anti-Muslim atmosphere in America, we urgently call on the government and state judicial officials to investigate concerns and speculations regarding biased motives in this case.' These murders have sparked a wave of commentary on social media, raising concerns about the dangers facing Muslims and discussing the possibility of religious hatred as a motive for these killings.