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On February 19, the Muslim Student Association held an event in honor of Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha, victims of a hate crime that occurred on February 10 in their Chapel Hill, North Carolina home.
The event, titled “Our Three Winners: Remembering the Victims and Rejecting Hate and Islamophobia,” was open to the entire Saint Xavier community. Throughout the event, discussions were held that covered several topics, including the Chapel Hill shooting, Islamophobia, and mainstream media’s representation of Muslim people.
Hadeel Abderrhaman, Secretary for the MSA, said, “We honored Deah, Yusor, and Razan by sharing their story…We honored them by shedding light on all the good they did. Deah was involved with Syrian Dental Relief, where he raised thousands to help Syrian refugee students in Turkey. All three were involved in their local community, feeding the homeless, [and] constantly giving back, all while having strong dedication to their studies.”
By discussing the lives of the three victims, all of those in attendance recognized the myriad of accomplishments Deah, Yusor, and Razan had achieved in their lifetimes. Additionally, the three victims were humanized rather than remaining nameless.
As both Ahmad and Abderrhaman said, the true image of Islam is often skewed by the media. Both women stress the importance of educating yourself, rather than simply depending upon the media to do it for you.
“It’s important as a community because we need to discuss these issues. If mainstream media gives little or no attention to something we feel is important, it’s our duty as a community to inform others and ourselves about what’s going on. We can’t change what people do, but we [can] change our response and hopefully prevent more hate from forming by educating the community through events such as this,” Abderrhaman said.
This event, intended to inform others and encourage conversation, is not only important to the SXU community, but to the general public as well. Mariam Ahmad, President of the MSA, explained that, only by educating our peers, can Islamophobia end.
“These events are extremely important because they encourage dialogue between people of different backgrounds. At these types of events, people can truly discuss issues that aren’t spoken about in the media and enlighten one another on various issues that are happening in one another’s communities,” Ahmad said. “Also, it promotes unity between one another and breaks down the barriers that the media tries to put between us.”
The “Our Three Winners” event isn’t the only way that these goals can be accomplished. Ahmad encourages people to ask questions, speak to Muslims, and educate yourself on Islam.
“When you are educated about a topic [and] the media starts discussing things that aren’t true, you will have the confidence to call shenanigans.
If you call them out on their false statements, you can make a difference,” Ahmad said. “Also, when you see Islamophobic Facebook statuses or tweets, don’t just scroll past them; comment and shed some light on other people’s ignorance.”
In addition to the February 19 event, the MSA also sponsors many events throughout the year, including Islamic Awareness Week, with the goal of further teaching Islam and spreading awareness.
“As the Muslim Student Association, it’s our duty to educate the SXU community about how Islam, despite how the media [negatively] portrays it, is a peaceful religion. So, if anyone does have any questions, get in touch with the MSA because the Muslim community welcomes all,” Abderrhaman said.
Ahmad said, “We are a group of Muslim students that love our religion and want to spread awareness and break the myths about Islam.” The MSA is also sponsoring the upcoming Second Annual Muslim Student Association Basketball Tournament on Sunday, April 19 at 9am in the Shannon Center. The proceeds from the tournament will go to the Cure It Foundation, an Oak Lawn charity that helps treat children with cancer.
The MSA meets regularly and is open to the whole SXU community. For more information on the organization and their future events, please contact Mariam Ahmad at ahmad.m01@mymail.sxu.edu.
Katharine Arvia
Senior News Editor