On February 10th, NPR ran a piece about the murders of three people — all Muslims — in Chapel Hill, North Carolina exactly one year before. The murderer was Craig Hicks, who lived in the same apartment complex as the victims. Investigation of his Facebook page showed conclusively that Hicks leaned to the left in his political views, being especially fond of the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Huffington Post. He “liked” a group calling itself “Obama Backs Mosque Near Ground Zero: This Is America,” which naturally suggests he favored “a mosque near Ground Zero.” Hardly the sign of someone who is “anti-Islam.” And indeed, there is no record anywhere of Hicks ever mocking Islam on social media or making an anti-Islam remark anywhere else. But among the groups that he did like at Facebook were several dozen that were militantly anti-Christian: Jesus McChrist, Scary Bible Quotes of the Day, Silly Christians, Not Wasting My Sundays At Church, Arrest the Pope and Tax Religion, and a few dozen others of that ilk. He was obsessed with one religion, all right, and virulently hostile towards it, but that religion wasn’t Islam – it was Christianity. He even wrote: “Knowing several dozen Muslims…I’d prefer them to most Christians.”
But because the three people Craig Hicks killed were Muslims, at the time of the murders Muslims immediately swung into action, declaring that of course Hicks’s motive could only have been a deep-seated hatred of Muslims. Nihad Awad of CAIR was quick off the mark: “Based on the brutal nature of the crime, the past anti-religion [but they were all anti-Christian!] statements of the alleged perpetrator, the religious attire of two of the victims, and the rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in American society, we urge state and federal law enforcement authorities to quickly address speculation of a possible bias motive in this case.” Linda Sarsour, a well-known Muslim activist, insisted that the murders sent “a message to other young people in the Muslim community that the fear [of anti-Muslim hate crime] is valid.” There was much more in this vein from various Muslim activists, not one of whom could point to a single anti-Muslim statement or act by Craig Hicks. But if Muslims were killed, who cared if it was all about a parking space? It was about a parking space for Muslims. And that made it about Islam.
What everyone who came into contact with Craig Hicks knew was that he was very angry, but what he was very angry about was not Islam but the quality of life at his apartment house. And what enraged him – the neighbor from hell – were such commonplace problems as too much noise coming from other apartments. One of the Muslim survivors said that the first complaint they ever had from Hicks was over the level of noise he and his friends made while they were playing “Risk”: “You were too loud, you woke up my wife.” But what really exercised Hicks were disputes over parking. Sometimes other residents would have more visitors than they had visitors’ permits for; sometimes those visitors, or the residents themselves, parked in places not designated for them. All of this was fodder for the lunatic Hicks. But he was as incensed with non-Muslims over parking problems as he was with Muslims.
Hicks’ wife of seven years testified: “I can say with absolute belief that this incident had nothing to do with religion of the victims, but it was related to a longstanding parking dispute that my husband had with the neighbors.” Not once in their seven years of marriage had Hicks ever mentioned any hatred of Muslims. But about parking spaces, he had plenty to say. And U.S. Attorney Ripley Rand was equally certain: “The events of yesterday are not part of a targeting campaign against Muslims in North Carolina…..there was no information this is part of an organized event against Muslims.”
None of this testimony has had the slightest dampening affect on the campaign not against but by Muslims to turn the Chapel Hill killings into a “hate crime.” And it is startling how many people – including those who work at NPR – still stubbornly insist on parroting the claims made by Muslim activists about a soi-disant “hate crime” a full year after the event, when not a shred of evidence to support this claim has been found.
The NPR story is focused on what, in the face of this “hate crime,” proud Muslims are doing, such as becoming “visible and vocal” – wearing hijabs as an act of defiance (against all those presumed craigs-hicks emulaters): “This [the murders] happened, but it [this “hate-crime”] can’t stop us from being who we are, from practicing our faith – because it [Islam] is beautiful, it’s [Islam] peaceful.” Thus Summer Hamad, who now finds it important to bravely become “noticeably Muslim around her community…If I was doing something good like volunteering, which we do a lot, I “wanted people to know that we’re also Muslim” [and thus see how peaceful, giving, wonderful we are].
“In the year since the shootings,” notes NPR, “many local Muslims…have chosen to be more visible in their communities. They’ve become more proactive about sharing their faith [I have myself endured more than one Muslim Outreach Night at the Mosque, with lamb and chicken and pita bread], engaging with their communities, and trying to create a collective embrace.” Omid Safi, a Duke professor of Islamic Studies, says “We’ve opened our homes, we’ve opened our hearts, we’ve stood out: proud as Americans, proud as human beings, proud as Muslims.”
NPR offered an advertisement for Muslims bravely looking beyond “the hate-crime,” but taking it as a reason for coming together, creating a community center, conducting outreach so that the Infidels around them will see Muslims engaged in good works, and not be tempted to do what Muslims claim (wrongly) Hicks did to them. The NPR report scants the evidence offered a year ago that there never was a “hate-crime” here.
Instead, the report is full of news about what Muslims in North Carolina are now doing to:
1) “show that they are proud Muslims by wearing the hijab” (Summer and Marjad Hamad)
2) “promote and project the true image of Islam” (Mohammad Moussa)
3) “show people we are not different and that we have a lot in common” (Amena Saad)
NPR is all for this. What NPR is not all for is stating truthfully what the crime was about: a lunatic neighbor, a parking dispute, a sudden murderous explosion.
After giving glowing accounts of the three victims (Deah Barakat, a dental student; Yusor Abu-Salha, about to become a dental student, and betrothed to Barakat; and her sister Razan Abu-Salha) meeting for dinner, the one that Craig Hicks would murderously interrupt, NPR sums up the matter:
“Chapel Hill police initially said the shootings were triggered by a parking dispute, but to many people around the world and in the community, it felt and looked like a hate crime. Hicks, who openly bashed religion on social media, confessed shortly after the act…”
Notice the meretriciousness in this two-sentence paragraph. By writing that “Chapel Hill police initially said the shootings were triggered by a parking dispute,” NPR implies that they have since had reason to reconsider. But they haven’t. All the evidence, whether gathered initially or later, including the testimony of Hicks’ neighbors and his wife, and all the social media evidence subsequently turned up, support and reinforce the notion that the murders were indeed “triggered by a parking dispute.” Chapel Hill police believed this not just “initially.” They believe it right now.
Note, too, how NPR cavalierly claims that Hicks “openly bashed religion on social media….” without specifying whether he bashed religion in general, or a particular one, and if a particular one, which one. An innocent reader would assume, given all that “hate-crime” talk, that it was Islam that Hicks “openly bashed.” But when his Facebook page is studied, it is clear that when Hicks “bashed religion,” it was always Christianity, never Islam, that sent him over the edge.
Here is a different sentence to sum up where things stand with the Chapel Hill murders one year later, a sentence which I have just composed and offer as a contribution for the betterment of NPR:
“Chapel Hill police continue to believe that the shootings were triggered by a parking dispute, although many Muslims around the world and in Chapel Hill persist, for obvious reasons, in claiming it was a hate crime. Hicks, who openly bashed Christianity on social media, confessed shortly after the act…”
Isn’t that a more accurate statement of the truth than NPR’s version? But I don’t think NPR’s reporters will be in a mood to accept my offer. And that’s a pity.

jihad3tracker says
I realize that many readers of my comment will think I am naïve or dense, but in 40 years or so of listening to NPR from time to time, I have concluded that although its pool of correspondents are predominantly left-of-center in political orientation, the MANAGING EDITORS DO TRY TO BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR BIAS WITHIN NPR JOURNALISM.
My point ? If a good percentage of us take a bit of time this weekend to contact one of those higher-ups, giving them a lead to Hugh Fitzgerald’s item here, plus our own experience with media ALWAYS BENDING OVER BACKWARDS IN PRIVILEGE-GUILT FOR MUSLIMS, there might be a conference or whatever they do with legit assessments of non-neutral reporters.
Northern Virginiastan says
NPR is good at responding to listener feedback, but their responses are unsatisfactory. I wrote to NPR asking them to stop using CAIR as a valid source. I posted NPR’s replies on northernvirginiastan.blogspot.com..
Public Radio Exchange’s The Moth (themoth.org) featured Suzanne Barakat, the sister of one of the murder victims, who regarded the murder as a hate crime.
Worst of all, however, is PRi’s The World (http://www.pri.org/programs/the-world). There is a pro-refugee story almost every day.
mortimer says
Hugh Fitzgerald was a powder keg waiting for a match. Parking was the match.
CAIR dishonestly exploited the murders as they must, but Fitzgerald’s motive was parking, rather than religion.
mortimer says
Hugh Fitzgerald hated Christianity which promotes the Golden Rule as its main moral teaching.
I presume Hugh Fitzgerald would have enjoyed killing Christians. My supposition is that the Christians observed the Golden Rule in the matter of parking, thus depriving him of an excuse for his rage to boil over.
Islam does not have a Golden Rule, so Muslims don’t think much about helping the kafirs.
mortimer says
Oops, apologies to Hugh Fitzgerald. I meant to write ‘CRAIG HICKS’.
Where’s the ‘edit’ feature on this page?
Westman says
An edit function is seriously needed.
Shane says
Yes, an edit function is needed. This case is just another attempt by the traitorous left to concoct hate crimes against Muslims. This guy is another angry and violent left winger who happened to take his anger out at Muslim neighbors. If it had been a Muslim killing his neighbors the liberal MSM would have left out his religion and not labeled it as a hate crime – I guarantee you that would have happened (except on Fox News).
Hope says
True to form, the liberal leftist media never allow the facts to get in the way of their pro-Islamic agenda.
Angemon says
What were they doing, shouting “allahu akbar” and firing AK-47s into the air every time they conquered a country?
More Ham Ed says
You’re correct, “National Propoganda [sic] Radio” – I was going to say that, but indeed I get to spell-check you:
National Propaganda Radio.
Touga says
“promote and project the true image of Islam” (Mohammad Moussa). Really?! The true image of Islam… but in a free society created by Christianity! What is “the true image” of Islam in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and other Islamic countries? Lies and deception as always.
Stephen says
The whole book of Coran is Full of Satan (Allah) Lies & Frauds, which only one author (Malik) wrote the whole book of Coran.
The Coran was Never inspired by the Spirit of God at all.
.
baucent says
Hicks is an obsessive nutcase in who trivial issues like someone parking in the wrong place explode into violence. His madness is religion neutral, but for the media it’s a gift to push the muslim victim narrative.
red rose says
No one can believe a Muslim or their motivate. Let’s hope and pray this country doesn’t allow more of them in the US. It will be huge mistake if they grow to 20% of the population.
Keys says
Thank you, Hugh Fitzgerald.
Jack Holan says
I remember at the time it was reported that the woman had several postings denigrating Americans, Whites and Jews. After the release of this information her Website was taken down so I wasn’t able to verify this information.
If any of you or Robert have more information on this, I think it’s a story worth telling.
Shmooviyet says
Can’t prove it with links but agree you are correct. I clearly recall reading somewhere of virulent anti-Semitism on one of the victims’ Facebook accounts.
Megyn Kelly wailed about these “wonderful beautiful happy young people living the American Dream”, as if she knew them personally. ( Paraphrasing but it’s awfully close.)
I don’t wish to sound as though I’m bashing the victims— but they were not the Martyrs for islam as painted, and media knew it.
WorkingClassPost says
Reading this post with a TV on in the background, I turned to listen as George Clooney spoke about meeting Angela Merk to talk about migrants etc.
Now I’m not one to bother about looks, but, as he’s moved over to the lying side of life, he’s also changed from a distinguished and intelligent looking media person, to one that more resembles Pinocchio, not quite the lengthening nose, but the bright-red make-up cheeks from artist’s brush, and deeply artificial skin color, foundation or whatever it is they wear.
My point is that somewhere deep inside, he knows he’s lying. I understand the good intentions of he and his wife, their wish to do the ‘right thing’, but not every lost cause is a just cause, and some of the causes they fight for are truly lost to reason.
Back to this story, though, and with media darlings like the Clooneys on their side, it becomes ever more difficult to see why muzzies need to take each and every opportunity to spread their biased, self-victimized view of life, except of course, because lies are only believed while they are repeated loud and often.
And there is another great truth following from this.
While it takes all the myriad of media darlings on earth to sustain their illusion, it may only take one such person to stand up and say ‘I have read their book, and I denounce their lies’, for the whole façade to come a-tumbling down.
Such is the power of Truth.
jewdog says
The only hate crime here is NPR’s implied indictment of America as a racist, bigoted society. They are scurrilous liars from the hate-America Left, displaying the utter degeneracy of much of what passes for elite Western culture.
We have a mentally ill man in our neighborhood who attacked us in an attempted home invasion. At the court hearing he called us “subversives”; not that he has ever spoken to us or knows the slightest thing about us. Good thing we aren’t Muslim, because CAIR and NPR would be exploiting the situation for sure.
davej says
They have set the stage so that every untoward incident involving a Muslim or a Mosque is assumed to be the result of Islamophobia, even if the facts must be bent to suit that conclusion.
Even when an incident is fabricated or the perpetrator is later shown to be Muslim. The lack of corrections or revisions testifies to the mindset of the MSM. It would interfere with the same wishful thinking that made the clock boy a brilliant inventor.
Ami Tzedek says
Npr and apr do not give their trademark context to stories about Islam or Moslems. They are psa’s for a fantasy world where these reporter live and where their obedient listeners visit It is as if Islam and Moslems present no danger at all.