Honoring the Legacies of Deah, Yusor and Razan

We have all been shocked by the killing of brother Deah Barakat and sisters Yusor and Razan Abu-Salha. Allah tells us in the Qur’an, “Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds – indeed, We will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds.” (Qur’an, 18:30) Deah, Yusor and Razan were known for their work both in the community and internationally. In order to honor and continue with their good work, “Feed Their Legacy”, a united movement by American Muslim leaders has been launched to collect and distribute food to the hungry. Please visit the website to find out more:

www.FeedTheirLegacy.Com

In order to help people who wish to honor the legacy of Deah, Yusor and Razan to coordinate, we have compiled resources to help people with organizing:

Our Three Winners: Stay updated via the official facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ourthreewinners

Global Events Map: See where vigils and prayers are taking place near you http://www.atlantamuslim.com/2015/feb/13/global-events-map-ourthreewinners/

Resource Center: MSA National has a page dedicated to the Chapel Hill Shooting. Visit for updates, national initiatives and more http://msanational.org/old/updates-and-initiatives/

If you are organizing a vigil, please make use of these resources:

– Please make sure to coordinate with CAIR and add your event to this database using this form: http://bit.ly/UNCVigilForm

1- Spiritual: Advice from Imam Joe Bradford:

Joe Bradford

‪#‎OurThreeWinners‬ ‪#‎ChapelHillShooting‬
Talk to the vigil organizers and tell them that in addition to having a candlelight vigil they should make Janaza ala alghaaib (Funeral Prayer for the Absent) there as well. It does not make sense for Muslims to come together for something this symbolic and not to do something from our tradition.
Janaza in absentia is done for two reasons:
1- The deceased was inaccessible and so the prayer is held without the body.
2- The deceased was a persona exemplified Muslim faith and was symbolic of Muslim struggle, and/or were leaders in their field.
Coincidentally, all textual evidence points to #2 above (like Najashi or the woman that cleaned the Prophet’s mosque), not #1 although most only apply it to that.

2- Media:

– Media Spokeperson – Control the messaging. Utilize one person to speak to the media from your group. Be consistent in your messaging so that it echoes the same sentiments as the 100’s of other vigils happening across the country.

– Talking Points have been graciously drafted by reThink Media. We highly encourage utilizing the resources provided:

https://rethinkmedia.org/staff-pick/chapel-hill-shooting-updated-details-and-talking-points

– Messaging – reThink Media has the following image for use across all community events/vigils/prayers (also attached):

https://rethinkmedia.org/staff-pick/end-hate-language-end-hate-crimes-vigil-sign-north-carolinians

– Share your pics / videos directly to the main facebook page for #OurThreeWinners here. This page will allow your event and images to have the widest possible audience and also the page where media is engaged with the most.

– Social Media Hashtags: Use BOTH hashtags: #ourthreewinners and #chapelhillshooting

3- Safety:

– Make sure you have the following items secured:

Permits

Limits of people allowed

Parking (correctly)

Aware of Fire Hazards

Notifying Authorities of event

– Counseling / Therapy – for any counseling or therapy resources to help community members cope with grief, anxiety or stress please refer them to the Muslim Wellness Foundation via info@muslimwellness.com

– Utilize Muslim Advocates guidelines on how to deal with hate crimes (we need to educate our community iA)

– http://www.muslimadvocates.org/hate/reporting-hate-crimes-in-your-state/

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The above information was collected from SMILE organization, MSA National, and CAIR.