Muslims express doubt that religion was not a factor in N.C. shootings

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. , Feb. 12 (NsNewsWire) —  The shooting deaths of three Muslims near the campus of the University of North Carolina here were followed Wednesday by alarm and debate about why a neighbor allegedly gunned them down and what role, if any, religion may have played.

Police said that initial indications suggested the shooting stemmed from “an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking,” an assertion that was echoed by the suspected shooter’s wife. But relatives of the victims insisted that the incident should be viewed as a hate crime, reports The Washington Post .

As word of the shooting spread, so did unease at the possibility that the three were targeted for their religion. The hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter became a common refrain on Twitter as users expressed sorrow and anger at the possibility that the crime was religiously motivated as well as frustrations with what they saw as the media’s failure to initially or thoroughly report what had happened.