Iran

Rouhani condemns killing of 3 Muslim students in North Carolina

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Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has condemned the “brutal” killing of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, the US State of North Carolina, warning against the spread of terrorism.

“The brutal crime of the killing of three young Muslim students in the United States of America is a deplorable act and another manifestation of the serious danger of the spread of violence and extremism in our time,” Rouhani said on Sunday.

“Authorities (in the US) are expected to do their best to protect the rights of all citizens including Muslims,” the Iranian president added.

He stated that initial reports were very alarming as they showed that the murder could have been motivated by religious hatred and Islamophobia.

President Rouhani added that those who are sowing the seeds of Islamophobia and religious hatred, either intentionally or unconsciously, would encourage violence in society.

The time is ripe to begin a global fight against violence and cultural roots of religious hatred in cooperation with all thinkers and religious intellectuals in the world as well as governments to free the international community of this shame in the 21st century, the president stated.

In Chapel Hill, Muslims are murdered

A hateful middle-aged white man shot dead Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus on February 10.

Local police have launched a homicide investigation focusing on a dispute over a parking space, but the families of the victims have rejected that narrative, describing the killing an “execution-style murder” and a “hate crime.”

The FBI’s main North Carolina office said in a statement two days later that it would continue to help local law enforcement agencies with their ongoing investigation, adding that the agency “has also opened a parallel preliminary inquiry,” which is short of a full-fledged investigation.

Iran Foreign Ministry’s stance

On Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham also condemned the killing of the Muslim students by an “extremist American” and called on the US administration to implement justice.

The Iranian official expressed regret about the spread of Islamophobia and urged the international community to respect human and religious values.

Afkham said media can play a more effective role in clarifying the human ideals of Islam.

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