Documentary screened on one-year anniversary of hate crimes against three Muslim students

February 19, 2016

A panel discussion followed the recent Gillings School screening of the documentary Salam Neighbor. Panelists, left to right, included Dr. Dilshad Jaff, research adviser for conflict and disaster prevention research at the Gillings Global Gateway, and filmmakers Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci.

A Feb. 4 screening of the documentary film Salam Neighbor, hosted by the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s Student Global Health Committee, proved to be particularly timely and poignant.

Released in 2015 by producer-directors Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci, Salam Neighbor catalyzes an important conversation about solidarity with and advocacy and tolerance for Muslims, especially Muslim refugees. The film was screened at the Gillings School almost one year to the day after the murders of UNC School of Dentistry student Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and his sister-in-law Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha.

In the final scenes of Salam Neighbor, filmmakers Temple and Ingrasci, who had been living in the Syrian refugee camp Zaatari, located in Jordan, spoke with their neighbors about perceptions of Muslims in the U.S. They concluded that all people are connected and need to support one another, particularly in time of crisis.

The three students killed in February 2015 were (l-r) Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and Yusor’s sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha.

Ferris Barakat, brother of the slain Deah Barakat, attended the screening. In harmony with the conclusions of the Syrian refugees, Barakat commented that people in the United States have the privilege and obligation to combat intolerance toward Muslims.

“When we were reflecting on what to do about Deah’s death — how to honor him — we knew we wanted to open a dialogue for people to get to know us – us, as in Muslims,” Barakat had told CNN earlier.

Barakat and his family and friends plan this month to open The Light House, a community center in Raleigh, N.C. Students and community members interested in supporting tolerance and welcoming refugees in the area are welcome at The Light House and are encouraged to participate in the Refugee Health Alliance, a student group at the Gillings School.

-Michela Garrison

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Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu