By In the middle of a memorial illuminated by flickering candlelight, a placard displayed the names and hand-drawn silhouettes of three friends who were murdered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
The CSULB Muslim Student Association arranged roses and candles in concentric hearts on Maxson Plaza late Thursday afternoon for a candlelit vigil in honor of Deah Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, the three victims of last week’s shooting.
“It is an injustice upon us if we do not reflect upon what we were taught to reflect upon,” Bilal Zaheen, the MSA president, said. “As Muslims we always engage in the fact that before we’re Muslim we’re human. Muslim and human go hand in hand, just as human and Christian go hand in hand, just as human and Jew go hand in hand.”
When those in attendance observed the moment of silence, a poignant mood cast over the crowd. Only the dribbling sound of the fountain could be heard in the background. Then, when vigil attendees chanted a Muslim prayer, open hands rose to chest level in the soft candlelight.
“Even though the tragedy occurred 2,520 miles away, students on campus felt compelled to speak out,” Fatima Abdelhafeez, the vice president of MSA said. “I relate to them as a female Muslim wearing a scarf, on a college campus, commuting. It’s emotionally traumatizing in certain ways.”
MSA opened the floor for mourners to express their personal feelings about the events. The prevailing sentiment was one of tolerance and harmony.
The CSULB alumni and Communications Coordinator from the Council of American-Islamic Relations, Ojaala Ahmad, also spoke to the crowd of mostly students.
“Unfortunately a lot of the times Muslims in general are painted with the paintbrush that we are all extremists, we are all terrorists, we hate America, and the rhetoric just goes on,” Ahmad said.
A poll conducted by ABC news showed that in the month following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 47 percent of Americans had a favorable view of Muslims. By 2010, that number had dropped to 37 percent.
“Even though it’s been almost 15 years since 9/11, these things are still happening to us,” Abdelhafeez said in reference to violence against Muslims.
During the vigil, Zaheen asked the crowd to gather and try to understand the victims’ perspective.
“[The shooting victims’] situation was not so different than ours,” Zaheen said. “Their lives were not so much different than the lives we live here today.”
