Originally published in USA Today
The fatal shooting of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, N.C., last week prompted a debate about Islamophobia. Letter to the editor:
I heard the tragic news of the senseless killing of Deah Barakat, Yusor Mohammad and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha in my neighborhood last week. My deepest condolences go out to the families of the deceased.
Whether the motive behind this heinous act was hate for religion or a car-parking dispute, it is imperative for us, as peace-loving people, to refrain from inflaming the hate and religious bigotry in society that may have contributed to this attack.
One thing is certain, at least from the Islamic point of view: The killing of these innocent souls was like “the killing of the whole of mankind” (Quran 5:33)