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Florida State students hold vigil for three young Muslims murdered in Chapel Hill, NC

By Avinash Ram

Tallahassee, FL – 50 students at Florida State University (FSU) held a candlelight vigil, Feb. 13, to commemorate the three young Muslim victims of the Chapel Hill, North Carolina shooting.

“This could have been me,” said Mariam Aboulela from the Muslim Student Association. FSU students of all different nationalities and religions on campus joined her. After the vigil the Muslim students hosted a prayer for the victims.

Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were shot and killed by an anti-Muslim bigot in their apartment complex in Chapel Hill. Barakat was a dental student; all three were Arab Americans.

The attack prompted vigils and actions all over the country to speak out against the islamophobia fueling the murder. The Muslim Student Association, Students for Justice in Palestine, Dream Defenders and Students for a Democratic Society gathered at FSU.

With attacks on Muslims and Arab-Americans occurring on a daily basis, students across the country are speaking out against islamophobia as well as the negative stereotypes of Muslims portrayed in the U.S. media.

#TallahasseeFL #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #Islamophobia #DreamDefenders #Antiracism #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #DeahShaddyBarakat #RazanMohammadAbuSalha #MuslimStudentAssociation #YusorMohammadAbuSalha