Denial in Muslim students' deaths: Column The shootings in N.C. are about more than parking dispute. Anti-Muslim attitudes are rife.

Qasim Rashid | USATODAY

Three college students killed on Tuesday in Chapel Hill, N.C., were proud Muslims and proud Americans. Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, were dedicated to serving humanity, the down trodden, and the suffering. Abu-Salha's sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, was a gifted artist at North Carolina State University.

In my mind, it's hard to believe that these Muslim students were not in some way targeted and murdered because of their faith.

A neighbor, Craig Stephen Hicks, has been charged with first-degree murder in the students' deaths. While Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue has suggested that Hicks' motive was based on a "dispute over parking," he also acknowledged "concerns about the possibility that this was hate-motivated."

Like this column? Get more in your e-mail inbox

Let's face it, if Hicks was Muslim, and the victims were white like Hicks, we would be hard pressed to find a headline without the word terrorist. In fact, on social media, #ChapelHillShooting trended as number one, with many raising this same question. Yet, there has been an apathetic approach to Muslim victims over the past decade that is reflective of a double standard.

Take the alleged gunman:

Hicks describes himself "anti-theist" and praised the likes of author Richard Dawkins. But don't expect anti-theists to take responsibility for Hicks' alleged actions. While anti-theists blame Islam because Islamic terrorists merely claim to practice Islam, such an argument apparently doesn't apply to anti-theist terrorists.

Hicks is a white male. The government reports that 70% of mass shootings in America over the past 30 years have been by white males. But don't expect any government hearings on why white men are being radicalized, or how to curb their radicalization.

The alleged gunman is from North Carolina, a state that has passed a nonsensical and Islamophobic "anti-sharia law." Such a law, aside from being meaningless and unconstitutional, promotes hatred of Muslims, intolerance of Islam, and fear of anyone who doesn't fit into the xenophobic mold of what an American "should" look like.

Most recently, Duke University was forced to cancel its planned Muslim call to prayer after receiving "security threats." But don't expect any public recognition that North Carolina is fostering anti-Muslim bigotry.

Evidence of the rising levels of Islamophobia is demonstrated by, for example, the increasing number of anti-sharia laws around the country. Similarly objectionable is the rising levels of anti-Muslim discrimination and anti-Muslim violence. The Justice Department has investigated over 800 cases of violence against Americans of Muslim, Arab, or South Asian background since 9/11.

Likewise, Pew reports that while fewer than half of Americans have ever met a Muslim, Muslim Americans have the lowest approval rating out of any other faith demographic. A recent survey discovered that, "83% of Americans say people who commit violence and claim to be Christians are not really Christian, while less than half of Americans (48%), think that self-proclaimed Muslims who commit violence in the name of Islam aren't truly Muslims."

This bias has far reaching ramifications as even Muslim job-seekers are being advised to remove anything that indicates their faith on job applications. Indeed, the New York Times reports data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission show that at 2% of the population, Muslim Americans account for nearly 25% of religious discrimination claims.

As these three innocent students are soon laid to rest, I'm reminded of the comforting words of His Holiness the Khalifa of Islam after the horrific Peshawar school attack in Pakistan last December, in which more than 140 people, mostly children, were murdered: "May Allah the Exalted cover all of the victims and those left bereaved with His mantle of Mercy and Love, and grant their parents patience and steadfastness."

And as the Peshawar attack was a watershed moment for Pakistanis, the Chapel Hill attack should be a watershed moment for Americans. Americans must see categorical bipartisan condemnation of this horrific attack and of all anti-Muslim bigotry and violence. This means no more "no go zone" myths, no more anti-sharia fear mongering, and no more media double standards.

Enough is enough. After these senseless killings, the only question media, politicians and every American should be asking is, "How can we stand with our fellow Muslim Americans now and stop this from happening again?"

Qasim Rashid is an attorney, author, and national spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA.

In addition to its own editorials, USA TODAY publishes diverse opinions from outside writers, including our Board of Contributors. To read more columns like this, go to the Opinion front page or sign up for the daily Opinion e-mail newsletter.