Three Muslim University of North Carolina students were shot dead near the Chapel Hill campus Tuesday night.
The three victims, Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad, 21, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, were shot in the head by Craig Stephen Hicks who identified as an atheist according to his Facebook page.
The hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter began trending nationally on Twitter early Wednesday as people discussed the fatal shootings in context of the victims' religion.
The hashtag, like the #BlackLivesMatter movement, was started to express solidarity with the Muslim victims of the crime, but later expanded to include broader issues faced by minorities in the U.S. specifically the lack of mainstream media coverage and the racial and religious implications of the shooting,
Muslims on Twitter began using the hashtag to commemorate the victims; two of whom had recently gotten married to each other.
Remember them like this. Deah and Yusor had names, dreams and families. #MuslimLivesMatter
May Allah rest their souls in peace and reward them the highest levels of paradise. #ChapelHill #MuslimLivesMatter
Others pointed to the rise of Islamophobia in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.
In the wake of the #CharlieHebdo attack, Muslims were the targets of bigotry and violence across Europe. Over 50+. #MuslimLivesMatter
Islamophobia has no place in our society. #MuslimLivesMatter
The hashtag also sparked a conversation surrounding the racial and ethnic implications of the shootings.
White terrorists are never called “white.” But other terrorists are given ethnic affiliations. #ChapelHill #MuslimLivesMatter
3 Victims = Arab & Muslim Killer = White If Identities Reversed, this would be global news. #ChapelHillShooting
Others discussed the characterization and portrayal of the gunman by the media.
We will learn killer's employment struggles, medical records. He had issues. Not inherently evil. Not a terrorist #MuslimLivesMatter
I dont blame atheism for murder of 3 Muslim Amer students. My focus is the GOP officials+professional anti-Muslim bigots #MuslimLivesMatter
Many also questioned what they said was an early lack of mainstream media coverage in the immediate aftermath of the shootings.
Where is the media when it matters most? #ChapelHill shootings not getting any mass media coverage. WHY? #MuslimLivesMatter
People empathized with the experience and persecution of minorities in the wake of the attack.
We cannot live in our country and not feel safe. This is the experience of many communities. #BlackLivesMatter #MuslimLivesMatter
I just feel for the Muslim individuals that are part of a social minority in their area. Victimised, afraid, threatened. #MuslimLivesMatter