Yusor Abu-Salha, A Victim Of Chapel Hill's Triple Murder: In Her Own Words
Excerpt: "Someone made the point that if a Muslim had done
the shooting, every TV station in the world would
bring a satellite truck."
Hello Friends -
Once again I am shocked, appalled,
disgusted, enraged .... and once again,
I am not (yet) at a loss for words.
You may have heard or read the news
about the triple murder in Chapel Hill.
It happened very near my parents' home.
I do not expect this will get as much coverage
as the sad death of former UNC Basketball
coach Dean Smith. Coach Smith was a good and
honorable man who made a lot of positive difference
in sports ethics and race relations. But he had
suffered from apparent Alzheimer's disease for
a long time. The governor is flying the NC flag
at half-mast. It's the only good decision our
governor has made, as far as I know.
These murders in the same college-town community,
though, are symptomatic of a disease which is also
epidemic in the United States. What label shall
we apply? Is it anti-religion hatred? Anti-Muslim hatred?
Or just plain hatred? How about bigotry?
Unlike Alzheimer's disease or cancer or heart disease,
many in the mainstream media seem to advocate
or ignore what is referred to as Islamophobia.
We don't call racist bigotry "melaninophobia,"
and I think it's good to remember we are talking about
racist bigotry of the very worst sort.
Aside from reports that the media are minimizing this event,
there are attempts to alter the spin. Someone has even
suggested this was over a parking dispute. Nonsense!
Fox News says the police have taken that view!!!
Someone made the point that if a Muslim had done
the shooting, every TV station in the world would
bring a satellite truck.
There is a vigil in Chapel Hill tonight, and I hope to attend.
Other than that, what shall we do? What shall we do?
See the bottom of the post script (before the links) for one idea.
- Claiborne Clark
PS - I have some article links below, along with (what I view as)
related items in the Triangle university community (and also
further afield).
These include Duke University's recent reversal of its decision to allow
the Muslim Call to Prayer once a week from the Duke Chapel Bell Tower,
UNC's kowtow to Israel-boycott opposition, UNC's former
chancellor's junket to Israel, and a piece by Terri Ginsberg, a former
NCSU assistant professor who (no matter what the courts
say or do not say) denied tenure due to her stand for human rights
for Palestinians. I added a Democracy Now interview with Dr. Sami Al-Arian
whose persecution, beginning at the University of South Florida and ending
last week (more than a decade later) with his deportation, is one of the
most disgraceful episodes I have witnessed in American justice in my lifetime.
The intertwining stories (and the potential solutions)
actually stretch around the world, but they also reach into our own hearts
and (if you will forgive a spiritual concept) beyond.
The enemy is still bigotry. The enemy is still hatred.
The enemy is attacking our halls of government, our ivory towered
universities, our mechanisms of communication (e.g. journalism),
our civil rights, and our very thought processes. We must, in this context,
guard against the enemy within us, as well as the enemy among us. - Claiborne
LINKS:
The Chapel Hill murders:
And Fox News:
And an article on bigotry:
Duke decision cowardly?
UNC's related history:
Current Chancellor:
Former Chancellor on a junket to Israel:
...And the Israel prize goes to:
Dr. Terri Ginsberg (formerly at NCSU):
Dr. Sami Al-Arian:
If you want to see what published hate speech looks like in the context of Al-Arian:
(c) 2015 Claiborne M. Clark
Nothing here may be reproduced without my express permission.
Claiborne M. Clark
Writer/Producer & Activist
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