Thousands gathered for a vigil on Tuesday, after three local Muslim students were killed. Deah Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her younger sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, were killed in the couple’s apartment in Chapel Hill, according to news reports.
Muslim
We Are Not Trayvon Martin: Community Accountability In A Culture Of Racial Profiling
In the wake of Trayvon Martin’s killing, a diverse array of supporters adopted the slogan “I Am Trayvon Martin” in solidarity. As the nation reels from the acquittal of George Zimmerman, one website challenges readers to consider the ways they are NOT Trayvon Martin, by sharing stories that identify privilege at work in their lives. We commend projects like these that empower people to take ownership over their agency in hate prevention, by actively transforming how they engage with their own racial realities.
After the murder of 75 year-old Mohammed Saleem in Birmingham, people came together for a vigil. Credit: ITV.
On June 4, a mosque and Islamic cultural center in Muswell Hill, North London was burned to the ground. The letters ‘EDL’, the acronym of the anti-Muslim group English Defense League, were found graffitied on a nearby wall. Hours after the news broke, EDL members took to Facebook with comments such as “Burn them all”, “love it!!” and “shoulda been full.”
Community supports gay politician following assault
CREDIT: Advocate.com
Oklahoma’s first openly gay state politician is receiving vocal support from his community following an assault which he says was motivated by hate. Jim Roth, a Democrat who served on the Oklahoma Cortwas assaulted outside a bar by three men who called him anti-gay slurs during the attack, according to Policymic.
This is the fifth and final piece of a five-part series published by our public media partneras at Fronteras. Listen to the accompanying radio piece.
By Adrian Florido
Hate Crimes in the Alamo City
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — San Antonio is known as a Mexican-American city. Yet it’s also home to a small but vibrant South Asian community, including Muslims and Sikh religious followers.
In the early hours of a February morning in 2008, Daoud Abudiab woke up to a call by the local fire department. The Muslim community leader was notified that there had been an attack on the Islamic Center of Columbia, the home of the Muslim community in Columbia, Tenn. The very mosque that he directed was defaced with racial slurs and burned to the ground.
For Abudiab, his family, and the Columbia community, the attack was a reminder of how hate can devastate a community; but also, a lesson that strength and unity can overcome tragedy.
Nearly four years later, his daughter reflects on the hate that she and her community experienced that day. This user-generated video is part of Nashville Public Television's award-winning Next Door Neighbors series, which views the Tennessee city through the lens of its newest residents.
By Adam Strom, Director of Research and Development, Facing History and Ourselves
Full article originally published on Facing History and Ourselves
The debate continues around the building of an Islamic center two blocks from Ground Zero. According to a New York Times report, the center's organizers reached out to key interfaith leaders, including those from the Jewish Community Center, Trinity Church and the 9-11 victims' families, but they did not anticipate the firestorm in the media that followed.
In the midst of this controversy, Not In Our Town offers these stories from communities about interfaith action and understanding. We encourage you to use these films to begin a dialogue in your town and with your firends. Please let us know about the creative ways you develop to start a conversation.
A City Unites After Synagogue Arsons
Make Our Mosque Safe From Hate
Tampa, FL: Muslim leaders in western Florida are concerned they might be seeing a backlash from last week’s attacks at Fort Hood.
