CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Today marks 10 years since 23-year-old Deah Barakat, his wife, 21-year-old Yusor Abu-Salha, and her 19-year-old sister, Razan Abu-Salha, were killed by their neighbor.
On Feb. 10, 2015, the three young Muslims were killed in their Chapel Hill home in what many believe was a hate crime, although their killer argued their deaths were over a parking dispute.
What You Need To Know
- Deah Barakat, his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, were shot to death by their neighbor
- Many consider the killings a hate crime against the three young Muslim students, but authorities at the time didn't pursue hate crime charges
- Organizations including the Our Three Winners Foundation and The Light House Project were started in their honor
- The Light House Project is conducting its annual Interfaith Food Drive and is hoping to raise enough to provide 100,000 meals this year
“It was an evening, and I remember walking down the hallway and just hearing my sister call out that Deah, Razan and Yusor had been shot,” said Ali Hida, a friend of the three. “And it was true. I froze in my tracks. I was speechless. I couldn't move for almost a minute or two.”
“It was a real shock,” he said.
Although relatives said at the time that the three were targeted because of their religious identity as Muslims, authorities said they did not have evidence to pursue hate-crime charges against the killer.
The nightmare that unfolded in 36 seconds has left a lifetime of anguish, but the three students' family, friends and community have continued their legacies even 10 years later.
“They were people who truly lived a life of service and a life of care and everything that they did,” Hida said.
Barakat was a second-year dental student at the UNC School of Dentistry, raising money for dental kits for Syrian refugees.
“There was this certain aura that he had… I remember seeing him every single Friday sitting outside of the mosque selling dental kits,” Hida said.
Barakat and Yusor Abu-Salha were married just weeks before their murders. Yusor Abu-Salha was a graduate of N.C. State University and was planning to begin her studies at the UNC Dentistry School in the upcoming fall. Her younger sister, Razan Abu-Salha, was an architecture and environmental design student at N.C. State.
Barakat’s brother, Farris, started The Light House Project after their deaths, as Deah’s name means light.
“He showed gratitude by giving back. He showed gratitude by service,” Hida said. “He showed gratitude by the way that he smiled and the way that he greeted people.”
The organization was inspired by their work, providing a safe and open space for young Muslims in the community and other service work, including a food drive, providing meals to those in need as the trio would often do.
“There are some people who walk in these rooms and walk in these halls that actually don't even know the story, but yet they're moved by the work that The Lighthouse Project does, and they're moved by that legacy of service, and they continue honoring their legacy despite that,” Hida said.
To date, The Light House Project, located in Cary, has provided close to 400,000 meals through its annual Interfaith Food Drive. This year, the group hopes to raise enough for 100,000 meals in honor of the 10-year anniversary.
“They'd be very proud of the kind of life that they lived for someone or a group of people 10 years later to be continuing their legacy,” Hida said.
Hida, program manager of The Light House Project, says he volunteered at the center for years. When he left the corporate world, he came to the The Light House Project not only because it was personal to him, but he says it was making the biggest impact in his community.
“Whether it's through the food drive, the service that we're doing or the educational workshops or just that mission of community and faith, it's exactly where I wanted to be in terms of empowering people to feel their true selves, and just to make sure anyone from any faith is welcome here at any time,” he said.
The Light House Project hosts other events such as educational workshops, career help and weekly discussions about world events. Hida says it is open to everyone.
“I don't have to imagine how they [Deah, Yusor, and Razan] would feel, because I know that at this moment, they're reaping and they're sowing the rewards of their work and the work that we do,” Hida said.
Donations for the food drive, which supports the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, are being accepted through Feb. 23.
The Light House Project is hosting a Day of Light: Annual Ceremony at 6 p.m. Feb. 10.
The Our Three Winners Foundation was also created in their honor.
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