US media shows limited interest in North Carolina murders

The killing of three young Muslims in North Carolina in the U.S. has sparked outrage among Muslims while authorities are investigating it for possible religious bias and as a hate crime. As the investigations continues over whether hate played a role in the killing, the wife of the man suspected of the killings denied the charge, saying that the attacks were not motivated by religion, but only a parking and noise issue. The U.S. media outlets have refused to cover the case as a possible act of terrorism or hate crime, and many social media users have put forward blaming anti-Muslim rhetoric for hate crimes. Hate crimes are defined by the FBI as "a criminal offense committed against a person or property which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender's bias against the victim's race, religion, disability, ethnic origin, national origin, or sexual-orientation." The preliminary investigation conducted by police indicated that a parking dispute triggered the shooting. Regarding the nature of the crime, many Muslim organizations have called for a hate-crime inquiry from both federal and local law enforcement.

"We understand the concerns about the possibility that this was hate-motivated, and we will exhaust every lead to determine if that is the case," Chapel Hill police Chief Chris Blue said in an email, as reported by the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, thousands of people attended a candlelight vigil to mourn three Muslim students killed by a gunman, who was a self-described "anti-theist," on Wednesday in Chapel Hill.

The man appeared in court on Wednesday on charges of three counts of first degree murder, which carries a minimum sentence of life in prison and a possible death penalty. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for March 4 as the police said that the suspect was cooperating. During the first court appearance, no decision was made on whether to seek the death penalty. More than 1,000 prisoners have been sentenced to death, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. The last execution order was given in 2006. Since then, no people have been executed due to declining public support for the death penalty.

A family of three young Muslims was shot dead on February 11 by an American man in North Carolina. A 46-year-old American named Craig Stephen Hicks, who described himself as an "anti-theist" on social media and has posted images condemning all religions, gunned down the three victims. The victims were students in the college town of Chapel Hill and were related to each other. They were Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad, 21, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19.

The fatal shooting of the three Muslims could be an instance of Islamophobia in the United States as has been seen in Europe. Intolerance, hatred and discrimination toward religious and ethnic minorities are not a new issue in the country. Since the aftermath of 9/11, hate crimes and hatred toward people of Middle-Eastern descent or Muslim communities has been on the rise.