Thousands come out to mourn slain Muslim students

Published February 12, 2015
Namee Barakat, right, wipes away tears as he and his wife, Layla, left, watch photos projected on a screen during a vigil for his son, daughter-in-law and her sister. — AP
Namee Barakat, right, wipes away tears as he and his wife, Layla, left, watch photos projected on a screen during a vigil for his son, daughter-in-law and her sister. — AP
Dentistry students and others huddle together during the vigil. — AFP
Dentistry students and others huddle together during the vigil. — AFP
Women mourn during the vigil. — AP
Women mourn during the vigil. — AP
A woman cries during a vigil as she watches photos projected on a screen of the three people who were killed at a condominium near UNC-Chapel Hill. — AP
A woman cries during a vigil as she watches photos projected on a screen of the three people who were killed at a condominium near UNC-Chapel Hill. — AP
Suzanne Askar, right, rests her head on the shoulder of Safam Mahate, a student at North Carolina State University, as they stand next to Nida Allam, far left, during the vigil. — AP
Suzanne Askar, right, rests her head on the shoulder of Safam Mahate, a student at North Carolina State University, as they stand next to Nida Allam, far left, during the vigil. — AP
University of Michigan-Flint freshman Lina Eltahir, 17, right, stands with others at a candlelight vigil at UM-Flint on Wednesday. — AP
University of Michigan-Flint freshman Lina Eltahir, 17, right, stands with others at a candlelight vigil at UM-Flint on Wednesday. — AP
University of Michigan-Flint students, from left to right, Bilal Ali, Michael Puro, Mohamed Samman and Zafir Abutalih attend a vigil at the school. — AP
University of Michigan-Flint students, from left to right, Bilal Ali, Michael Puro, Mohamed Samman and Zafir Abutalih attend a vigil at the school. — AP
University of Michigan-Flint freshmen Noor Abdalla, Shurooq Zaki and Deema Almansour, center left to right, attend a candlelight vigil at the school on Wednesday. — AP
University of Michigan-Flint freshmen Noor Abdalla, Shurooq Zaki and Deema Almansour, center left to right, attend a candlelight vigil at the school on Wednesday. — AP
Pasco, Wash., residents, from left foreground to right,  Angel Morgan, 5, and his brother Jose Morgan, 6, as well as Alex Gonzalez, 4, and his brother Angel Gonzalez, 8, gather around a candlelit vigil. — AP
Pasco, Wash., residents, from left foreground to right, Angel Morgan, 5, and his brother Jose Morgan, 6, as well as Alex Gonzalez, 4, and his brother Angel Gonzalez, 8, gather around a candlelit vigil. — AP
A woman holds a candle during a vigil at the University of North Carolina. — AFP
A woman holds a candle during a vigil at the University of North Carolina. — AFP
People stand by as a makeshift memorial is made after the vigil at the University of North Carolina. — AFP
People stand by as a makeshift memorial is made after the vigil at the University of North Carolina. — AFP
Loved ones speak during a vigil at the University of North Carolina. — AFP
Loved ones speak during a vigil at the University of North Carolina. — AFP
People listen during a vigil at the University of North Carolina. — AFP
People listen during a vigil at the University of North Carolina. — AFP

Thousands of people gathered in Chapel Hill to mourn three Muslim students killed by an anti-religion gunman who shot them in the head, rocking the tight-knit university town.

Friends and family poured onto the University of North Carolina campus to remember Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his new wife Yusor Mohammad, 21 and her 19-year-old sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha.

The three were allegedly killed by neighbour Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, whose Facebook page espoused his anti-religious views.

Opinion

Editorial

Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...
By-election trends
Updated 23 Apr, 2024

By-election trends

Unless the culture of violence and rigging is rooted out, the credibility of the electoral process in Pakistan will continue to remain under a cloud.
Privatising PIA
23 Apr, 2024

Privatising PIA

FINANCE Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s reaffirmation that the process of disinvestment of the loss-making national...
Suffering in captivity
23 Apr, 2024

Suffering in captivity

YET another animal — a lioness — is critically ill at the Karachi Zoo. The feline, emaciated and barely able to...