In early February, the murders of Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu Salha, and Razan Abu in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, brought to light the lack of media attention serious crimes against the Muslim community receive. Twitter hashtags like #MuslimLivesMatter brought to everyone’s attention how the media turned its back on this attack, allegedly caused because of a dispute over a parking spot.
Craig Hicks, a neighbour of the murdered family, was known for his aggressive behaviour, his vast arsenal of weapons, and for being part of a movement called the “New Atheists”, who are against all organized religions. As mentioned in other articles, Hicks allegedly suffered from a mental illness, apparent from his obsession with parking spots in the neighborhood. He was indicted on the three counts of murder and one count for discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling.
But despite Hicks indictment, there’s still the lack of attention the media gives these attacks, not the first or the last, against the various Muslim communities, or why these attacks aren’t immediately labeled as terrorist attacks or even hate crimes. It takes trending subjects on Twitter, #MuslimLivesMatter and #ChapelHillShootings, to inform the world that the media are biased when it comes to what they consider news, and the insensitivity they receive concerning these situations. Many protesters and journalists are arguing that if the roles were reversed how quickly would the media news publish these killings, label them as hate crimes, and continue the growing hostility against the Muslim community.
The ongoing violence against different cultures should not be silenced. And the people are making sure that that will never happen.