International reactions to the 2015 Chapel Hill shootings

This page lists the international reactions to the 2015 Chapel Hill shooting.

Reactions

•  Indonesia – The Indonesian government condemned the fatal shootings and expressed hope the U.S. government would uphold justice for the victims. "We strongly condemn violence against any group in society. Violence is not a solution to anything," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said during a press conference in Jakarta.^[1]
•  Iran – Marja' Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, condemned a perceived Western propaganda campaign against Islam and, following the shootings, questioned the safety of Muslims in Europe and the United States. "You can see today what propaganda campaign is underway in Europe and the US against Muslims. The issue is not why Muslims do not have the required freedom in many of these (Western) countries; the issue is why they (Muslims) do not have life safety. What is seen in the world today is that the powers and government which claim to advocate fairness and justice, do not observe any fairness and justice except within the circle of their own narrow, limited and cruel policies." ^[2] On his Twitter account, the Supreme Leader used the hashtags "#ChapelHillShooting" and "#MuslimLivesMatter," tweeting "Arrogants who claim justice don’t respect any fairness towards Muslim minorities living in Western countries. #ChapelHillShooting," and "This isn’t abt why Muslims don’t have basic freedom in some parts of West; it is abt why they don't have physical safety! #MuslimLivesMatter"^[3] Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, condemned the killings and deplored perceived Western double-standards. "The killing of a number of young Muslims in the U.S. once again outraged Muslims all over the world. What is deplorable is the double standards of Western officials and media on the killing of Muslims and non-Muslims," Larijani said at the Sunday session of parliament.^[4][5]
•  Jordan – Queen Rania expressed her condolences through Twitter, saying: "More innocent lives lost... RIP Deah, Yusur and Razan, my thoughts and prayers are with your families #muslimlivesmatter"^[6] The Abu-Salha sisters held both Jordanian and American citizenship. On February 13, Dr. Alia Bouran, the Jordanian ambassador to the United States, traveled to North Carolina and met with the Barakat and Abu-Salha families. She expressed her sympathies and conveyed those of the Jordanian king, government and people. In a statement issued by the Jordanian embassy in Washington, the embassy said it was closely following the investigation and had established contacts with United States law enforcement officials.^[7]
•  Lebanon – The Lebanese government termed the murders a "crime against humanity" and "terrorism".^[8]
•  Morocco – Abdelilah Benkirane, the Head of Government of Morocco, denounced "a savage campaign" against Muslims in Western nations. At a press conference, Mustapha El Khalfi, the Minister of Communications and Spokesperson for the Government, said Benkirane had "dwelt on the savage campaign of victimisation against Moroccans and others of the Muslim faith, that has lately exceeded reasonable limits in certain Western nations." Khalfi said the Head of Government had specifically mentioned "the violence inflicted on a Moroccan child by the Swedish police, the stabbing murder of a Moroccan in France and also the shooting deaths of three Muslim students in the United States." The Head of Government also said, "These crimes must elicit firm and collective denunciation, especially on the part of those who condemn all terrorist acts."^[9]
•  State of Palestine – The Palestinian government condemned the killings as "terrorism", and termed Hicks "an American extremist and hateful racist", saying the incident suggested a rise in dangerous discrimination against American Muslims. In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said they considered the incident "a serious indication of the growth of racism and religious extremism which is a direct threat to the lives of hundreds of thousands of American citizens who follow the Islamic faith." The ministry called for "a serious investigation and the involvement of Palestinian investigators to clarify the circumstances of these assassinations and premeditated murders."^[10][11]
•  Qatar – Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, mother of the Qatari Emir, accused the West of double standards in the value it places on Muslim lives— "I believe this dehumanisation is cultivated through a process of Muslim-phobia. [...] Why is it that world leaders gathered to march in defence of Charlie Hebdo, while the Chapel Hill murders were shrugged off as a parking dispute?"^[12][13]
•  Saudi Arabia – The Saudi Arabian government offered its condolences to the families of "the victims of terrorism and their relatives", stating it "has followed up with great sorrow the heinous terrorist and criminal incidents [that] recently occurred in the Danish capital of Copenhagen and the US State of North Carolina and resulted in [the] killing and injuring [of] innocent people. As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reaffirms its position calling for the need for respecting religions, human beliefs, not prejudicing [against] religious symbols and not inciting against Muslims, it simultaneously stresses its rejection of all heinous terrorist and criminal acts in all their forms and manifestations, and any source or belief that stands behind them."^[14]
•  Turkey – President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized U.S. President Obama for not making a public statement in respect of the shooting. During a press conference in Mexico, Erdogan said, "These three were killed in their own home and the leader responsible for the country has said nothing. I say to Mr Obama, where are you Mr President? I say to Biden, where are you?....As leaders, we are responsible for the murders in our own country and people vote for us to police. If we keep quiet, they will always keep quiet....If you stay silent when faced with an incident like this, and don't make a statement, the world will stay silent towards you."^{[15][16][17][18]} In response to Erdogan's comment, U.S. Department of State spokesperson Jen Psaki said the Obama administration is saddened by the senseless killing of three Muslim Americans in North Carolina but rejected Erdoğan's questioning of U.S. officials' reaction to the killings.^[19] Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said he hoped "there is no racist act behind these murders. But it is too early to say so. When it is clarified, all administrations in the EU and the U.S. will be able to show the common attitude....[ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant], is a terrorist organization, you can define it, you can limit it or react against it. But what kind of precautions are we able to take against racist moves that have ISIS mentality in the EU and U.S.?"^[20]
•  United Nations – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was deeply moved by scenes of thousands of people mourning their deaths. "At a time of troubling tensions stoked by those who seek to twist the teachings of faith and sow division, these three young people represented the best values of global citizenship and active community compassion to build a better world for all," he added.^[21] He urged United States authorities to investigate the shooting as a possible hate crime.^[22]

References

1. "RI condemns Chapel Hill shootings". thejakartapost.com. February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
2. "Ayatollah Khamenei Raps Lack of Security for Muslims in West". tasnimnews.com. February 17, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
3. "Supreme Leader Uses "American Sniper" and Chapel Hill Shootings in Latest PR Campaign". eaworldview.com. February 17, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
4. "Iranian Speaker Condemns Murder of 3 US Muslims". tasnimnews.com. February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
5. "Iran speaker slams West over double standards". worldbulletin.net. February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
6. "Two of the Chapel Hill shooting victims were Jordanian citizens". albawaba.com. February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
7. "Jordanian Ambassador Visits the Victims’ Families of Chapel Hill Shooting in North Carolina". jordanembassyus.org. February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
8. "Middle East Reacts to Murder of 3 Muslim-American Students in North Carolina". truthdig.com. February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
9. "Maroc: le premier ministre dénonce une "campagne sauvage" contre des musulmans en Occident (fr)". rtbf.be. February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
10. "Palestinians want role in probing 'terrorist' killings of Chapel Hill Muslims". Reuters. February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
11. "Palestinian government wants to investigate Chapel Hill shootings". WNCN. February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
12. Black, Ian (26 May 2015). "Qatar emir's mother speaks out over treatment of Muslims by the west". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
13. Trenwith, Courtney (27 May 2015). "Qatari Emir's mother publicly condemns West". Arabian Business. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
14. "Official Source: Kingdom condemns terrorist and criminal incidents in Copenhagen and North Carolina State". spa.gov.sa. February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
15. "Turkey's Erdogan chides Obama for silence on Chapel Hill Muslim murders". Reuters.
16. "Turkey's Erdogan says not bothered by 'isolation' on world stage". Yahoo News. February 15, 2015.
17. "Chapel Hill shootings: Turkey's president criticises Barack Obama's silence on killings". Telegraph.co.uk. February 13, 2015.
18. "Chapel Hill shooting: Obama criticised by Turkish President after 'telling' silence on Muslim deaths". The Independent.
19. "US rejects Erdoğan's criticism over Muslim killings in US". TodaysZaman. February 15, 2015.
20. "PM calls for common attitude against Islamophobia after murder of three Muslims in US". dailysabah.com. February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
21. "U.N. chief praises three young Muslims killed in North Carolina". reuters.com. February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
22. "US President condemns Chapel Hill shooting as UN chief calls for probe". middleeasteye.net. February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.