President Barack Obama condemned the “the brutal and outrageous murders” of three muslin-Americans, in the first time he has spoken about the shooting that took place in North Carolina Tuesday evening.
His silence had not gone unnoticed, drawing criticism from Muslims in the United States and around the world, including Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan who called the silence of President Obama, Vice-president Biden, and U.S. Secretary of State Kerry significant, stating “These three were killed in their own home and the leader responsible for the country has said nothing. I say to Mr Obama, where are you Mr President? I say to Biden, where are you?”
Obama offered condolances to the families and responded with a statement from the White House Friday, “No one in the United States of America should ever be targeted because of who they are, what they look like, or how they worship.”
Newlyweds Deah Shaddy Barakat, a 23-year-old dental student and his wife, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21 were buried with her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh, were on Thursday preceding a funeral in Raleigh that drew an excess of 5,000 participants. Candlelight vigils were held across the U.S. in honor of the victims. The families had asked Obama to request a federal investigation on the suspicion that murder suspect, 46-year-old Craig Stephen Hicks, was motivated by hatred of the victims solely because of their Muslim beliefs.
Hicks turned himself in after allegedly killing his neighbors in a condominium parking lot miles from the University of North Carolina campus. Police are looking at whether the shooting was motivated by a hatred of Muslims or a more mundane argument over a parking space. Hicks is known for his blatant atheism, causing discrepancies in motive. The FBI is investigating whether the killings were technically a hate crime, according to the statement released by the White House early Friday.
Leave a Reply