In Indiana, 'Execution-Style' Killings Stir Fears Among Muslim-Americans

The Takeaway

Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.

Last week, police in Fort Wayne, Indiana found three young men—Mohamedtaha Omar, Adam Mekki and Muhannad Tairab—shot dead in a home. The house was apparently known to police as a party hangout with no permanent residents. The young men were 23, 20, and 17-years-old, respectively, and were all from African immigrant families and two of them were Muslim. 

Police say they are not investigating the "execution-style" murders as a hate crime, but have released few other details about the case so far. But a hashtag on Twitter—#OurThreeBoys—has started as Muslims from across the country call for a full investigation. A similar hashtag #OurThreeWinners started after the killing of three Muslim students in North Carolina in February last year. 

Since the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino and Paris, many Muslim-Americans fear being targeted in reprisal for their religion, a feeling that has been fueled by statements from presidential candidates like Donald Trump and Ben Carson. 

In December, Trump said he supported a total ban on Muslims entering the United States, and in September 2015, Carson explained he was against a Muslim being president because he thought the tenants of Islam would make it difficult for a Muslim to follow the constitution. 

Gohar Salam is a surgeon and the president of Universal Education Foundation, a Islamic school in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He said that while it seemed unlikely that the young men were targeted for their religion, this is one of the most fearful times for Muslims in America.

What you'll learn from this segment:

  • What the authorities know about the deaths of these three young men.
  • How the Muslims in Indiana and across the U.S. are reacting.
  • How Muslims are discussing the rhetoric of the 2016 presidential election.
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