--- description: Twitter users expressed their outrage over the death of three Muslim students in North Carolina title: #MuslimLivesMatter Goes Viral in Aftermath of Triple Homicide image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt379bbebb20a5d2c3/69877e9dcd684832d3099a0c/chapel-hill.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # #MuslimLivesMatter Goes Viral in Aftermath of Triple Homicide by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 11, 2015 5:32 PM CUT  Chapel Hill police officers investigate the scene of three murders near Summerwalk Circle in Chapel Hill, N.C., Feb. 10, 2015. Chapel Hill police officers investigate the scene of three murders near Summerwalk Circle in Chapel Hill, N.C., Feb. 10, 2015.Al Drago—AP by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 11, 2015 5:32 PM CUT The hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter went viral Wednesday after the Tuesday [murder of three Muslims students](http://time.com/3704759/muslim-students-murdered-chapel-hill/ "undefined") in North Carolina. Thousands of people used the hashtag on social media platforms, with many speculating that the shooting was the result of anti-Muslim sentiment. The alleged shooter, Craig Hicks, 46, is a professed “anti-theist,” according to his Facebook page. Local police said Wednesday they are still investigating a motive for the killings, but that a preliminary investigation indicates an ongoing parking dispute may be at least partially the cause. Some Twitter users complained about the relative lack of media coverage Tuesday night, saying it indicated a double-standard in the way the American public values Islam compared with other religions. #MuslimLivesMatter, which has been used in reference to deadly conflicts in the Middle East, is an outgrowth of #blacklivesmatter, the hashtag that erupted on social media after the grand jury decisions in the police killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in New York City. > [](https://twitter.com/RajaOmarFarooq/status/565521997804105728) > [](https://twitter.com/TheMcBang/status/565494961152724992) > [](https://twitter.com/YasirQadhi/status/565522820415766529) Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison tweeted his condolences. > [](https://twitter.com/keithellison/status/565528688654315520) A cousin of murder victim Deah Shaddy Barakat took to Twitter, too. > [](https://twitter.com/HayaBarakat/status/565481129088937986) Others simply mourned the couple. > [](https://twitter.com/Bea4Palestine/status/565482740297240576) > [](https://twitter.com/Muhanad97/status/565548561455382528) > [](https://twitter.com/iShewaani/status/565517128988508161) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3704968/muslimlivesmatter-viral/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3704968/muslimlivesmatter-viral/"},"headline":"#MuslimLivesMatter Goes Viral in Aftermath of Triple Homicide","datePublished":"2015-02-11T17:32:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:19:58.151Z","description":"Twitter users expressed their outrage over the death of three Muslim students in North Carolina","url":"https://time.com/3704968/muslimlivesmatter-viral/","keywords":["Crime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt379bbebb20a5d2c3/69877e9dcd684832d3099a0c/chapel-hill.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt379bbebb20a5d2c3/69877e9dcd684832d3099a0c/chapel-hill.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"APTOPIX Three Killed North Carolina","caption":"Chapel Hill police officers investigate the scene of three murders near Summerwalk Circle in Chapel Hill, N.C., Feb. 10, 2015.","creditText":"Al Drago—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3704968/muslimlivesmatter-viral/","name":"#MuslimLivesMatter Goes Viral in Aftermath of Triple Homicide"}}]}] ```