More than 1,000 in Qatar march to show support for murdered US students

All photos by Chantelle D’mello

At least 1,000 people, including US Ambassador to Qatar Dana Shell Smith, gathered in Education City this afternoon to march in solidarity with three Muslim American students who were killed near a college campus in the US last week.

The walk, which was organized by Qatar Foundation, marked a rare moment of political activism in a country where protests and demonstrations are largely discouraged, if not prohibited.

Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21; and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19.
Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21; and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19.

On Twitter over the weekend, QF urged all residents to take part in the event, calling the murder of the three young people “not a hate crime but a terrorist act,” and saying “we all have the right to live free from hate.”

The three students — Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21; her husband, Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19 — were shot and killed on Tuesday at their home near the University of North Carolina.

Neighbor Craig Hicks, 46, has been charged with three counts of murder and remains in jail as a federal investigation continues into the deaths.

The march

Today’s walk began at the HBKU student center, and was headed by Smith, Sheikha Hind, the secretary-general of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, as well as several Qatari officials.

Participants waved banners of the three victims and signs calling for peace as they walked around campus, eventually heading to the Ceremonial Court.

https://twitter.com/theFahad/status/566941138020352001

There, a pre-recorded video from Barakat’s siblings was aired, urging people not to perpetuate hate in their name, and saying that love overcomes hate.

QF and Qatar University students also spoke at the gathering, expressing their grief over the killings and support for the families of the deceased.

Afterwards, some participants wrote messages on three giant wall set up for the occasion, next to a donation box for Barakat’s dental charity for Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Criticism

Online, some residents have questioned why QF has singled out last week’s tragedy as the subject of its march.

Others took issue with QF’s classification of the crime as a terrorist act, saying enough information was not yet available to draw that conclusion.

Sign taken down for offensive content.
Sign taken down for offensive content.

When asked about the criticism, a QF press officer told Doha News that the organization had no comment, and the event was a student-led initiative.

However, some students took issue with that classification, saying much of the march was organized by QF.

The community was also heavily involved in the walk. Early on in the event for example, a participant was asked by a fellow marcher to take down a sign that was deemed offensive.

Did you attend the march? Thoughts?

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