Social media activists criticise Western media’s ‘silence’ over Chapel Hill shooting

AMMAN — Jordanian and Arab tweeps on Saturday slammed what they said was Western media bias in covering the killing of three Muslims, including two Jordanians, in the US.

The Twitter users, who said terrorism has no religion, said the triple murder is a “hate crime”.

Jordanians Yusur Abu Salha, 21, and her sister Razan Abu Salha, 19, in addition to Syrian-American Deah Barakat, Yusur’s husband, were found shot in the head at the couple’s home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Tuesday and pronounced dead at the scene. 

Their neighbour, Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, was charged with three counts of murder after turning himself in and claiming he shot the three in a “dispute for parking space”.

Social media users shared cartoons depicting the killer as a terrorist, while many others compared him to the terrorists of the Daesh group.

“If someone killed three pets in the US, it would make headlines in major newspapers and [President Barack] Obama might condemn the act. But when it comes to the killing of three Muslims in the US there is a total media blackout,” Hawary (@Shreif_alhawary) tweeted.

Several social media activists also accused the West and Arabs of hypocrisy, citing the killing of 10 journalists at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris in January, when most of the world joined in condemnation and demonstrations.

“Those Muslims were killed in cold blood. How many Arab ambassadors and officials took part in their funeral?” Hossam Elsiwisy (@hossamelsiwisy) asked.

Sliman Alhammary (@sliman90) agreed.

“Media in Europe ignored the crime [because] the victims are Muslims,” he tweeted.

Many tweeps, including Omran Alsharif (@alsharifomran), said terrorism has no religion.