As salaamu alaykum. It is with great sadness that we learned of the three young Muslims who were murdered near Chapel Hill in North Carolina yesterday. Our hearts and prayers are with the families and friends of Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19. May Allah grant these souls the highest station in Heaven.
Inna Lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un. (Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return.)
We ask that everyone keep the victims’ loved ones in their prayers. This is a difficult time for the community, especially those close to the victims.
We also ask that Muslim community members be extra cautious today and in the coming weeks as a result of increased anti-Muslim sentiment. We are receiving information about threats being made against Muslims by individuals who appear emboldened by the Chapel Hill shooting. If you feel your life is in danger or see someone else being threatened, please call 911 for help immediately.
We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and concerned for the safety of our community.
Please be safe.
In faith and for freedom,
Khalil Meek, Executive Director
“O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to Piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.” [Quran: Al-Maidah 5:8]
Muslim Legal Fund of America is a national charity that funds legal work and programs to defend Muslims against injustice in American courtrooms, prisons and communities. Established in 2001, MLFA has defending freedom of speech, association, religion, the right to a fair trial and other constitutional rights.
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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