North Carolina man charged in shooting death of 3 Muslim students - Polidicks

[QUOTE] A man who portrayed himself as an avowed atheist on social media was in custody early Wednesday after allegedly gunning down three Muslim students in a condominium complex near the University of North Carolina hours earlier. Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder after turning himself in to police in Chapel Hill overnight. Police have not given a motive for the triple homicide, although a Facebook page in Hicks' name described him as a supporter of “Atheists for Equality” and in a recent post he asked “why radical Christians and radical Muslims are so opposed to each others’ influence when they agree about so many ideological issues.” The victims' religion and Hicks' outspoken beliefs fueled broad online speculation that the murders were a hate crime. Those killed were Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21; and her sister, Raleigh, N.C. resident Razan Abu-Salha, Chapel Hill Police said in a statement. Barakat was studying dentistry at the University of North Carolina, while his wife and sister-in-law were attending North Carolina State University, according to the Raleigh News-Observer. Chapel Hill police found the victims dead at the scene after responding to a report of gunshots at a condominium complex at 5:11 p.m. Tuesday. Hicks is being held at Durham County Jail without bond. All three were shot in the head, authorities said. Barakat and Abu-Salha were married Dec. 27, according to the Raleigh News-Observer. She had attended high school in Raleigh, and was on track to graduate from college in December with a degree in biological sciences, according to a North Carolina State University news release. Her sister was studying architecture and environmental design at North Carolina State. [/QUOTE] [url]http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/02/11/north-carolina-man-charged-in-shooting-death-three-people/[/url]

I give this 7/10 on the allahu akbar scale, will make many people protest [highlight](User was permabanned for this post ("Can't function here/multiple past bans for racism" - NiandraLades))[/highlight]

[QUOTE=rewkasu;47119284]I give this 7/10 on the allahu akbar scale, will make many people protest[/QUOTE] Wtf? This guy killed 3 innocent people over religion and you make a stupid lefunnymaymay joke? What is wrong with you?

[QUOTE=Squad1993;47119294]Wtf?[/QUOTE] A 10/10 will make the whole middle east go in to civil unrest, this is a 7/10 meaning it will cause angry protests

[QUOTE]A man who portrayed himself as an avowed atheist on social media[/QUOTE] And no different from other religious extremist.

[QUOTE=rewkasu;47119284]I give this 7/10 on the allahu akbar scale, will make many people protest[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=rewkasu;47119315]A 10/10 will make the whole middle east go in to civil unrest, this is a 7/10 meaning it will cause angry protests[/QUOTE] holy shit what are you doing

[QUOTE=Frosty701;47119355]holy shit what are you doing[/QUOTE] Fuck. You are right, that was stupid

[QUOTE=rewkasu;47119369]Fuck you are right that was stupid[/QUOTE] From the context of your statement, you should add a couple of commas. [editline]11th February 2015[/editline] Just to prevent some misreads.

The accusation of hate crime is "online speculation". I know some people are retarded, but nothing is confirmed here. Fox is very quick to link it to atheism (first sentence even) and I don't trust that one bit. Even the quote, while not the most intelligent one, is not one that would make one think him capable and willing of such crime. [editline]11th February 2015[/editline] Of course that doesn't mean that it can't be hate crime. It could very well be, and that would be retarded.

[QUOTE=FPtje;47119485]The accusation of hate crime is "online speculation". I know some people are retarded, but nothing is confirmed here. Fox is very quick to link it to atheism (first sentence even) and I don't trust that one bit. Even the quote, while not the most intelligent one, is not one that would make one think him capable and willing of such crime. [editline]11th February 2015[/editline] Of course that doesn't mean that it can't be hate crime. It could very well be, and that would be retarded.[/QUOTE] It's Fox News, what do you expect?

An email from our Chancellor [QUOTE] NC State Students, Faculty and Staff: It is with great sadness I share with you the news that the three victims of a shooting yesterday evening near the UNC Chapel Hill campus include a current and two former NC State students. Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, a sophomore at N.C. State, her sister Yusor Mohammad, a Dec. 2014 graduate who went by the name Yusor Abu-Salha while at NC State, and Yusor's husband Deah Shaddy Barakat, a May 2013 NC State graduate and second-year student in the School of Dentistry at Chapel Hill, were all killed in this tragic shooting. The Chapel Hill Police Department has arrested Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, of Chapel Hill on three counts of 1st Degree Murder. Chapel Hill police will release additional information as it becomes available. The NC State Counseling Center has counselors available to assist the NC State Community. They can be reached at 919-515-2423. Please do not hesitate to take advantage of their services. On behalf of the entire NC State community, I'd like to extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad and Razan Abu-Salha. Randy Woodson, Chancellor[/QUOTE]

This has nothing to do with Atheism, atheism is a religion of peace

[QUOTE=proch;47119930]This has nothing to do with Atheism, atheism is a religion of peace[/QUOTE] He wasn't a [I]real[/I] atheist. Remember, the real victims here are the atheists who are going to be further persecuted by the racists.

Atheism is not a religion, it's a lack of a belief in a god or gods. You can't do something in the name of Atheism, this guy is just racist. Unlike Atheism, religions do actually have their own ideologies. So you can do something in the name of Christianity, Islam, Judaism etc, but not Atheism. Just saying this is incredibly stupid.

[QUOTE=Muskof;47119976]Atheism is not a religion, it's a lack of a belief in a god or gods. You can't do something in the name of Atheism, this guy is just racist. Unlike Atheism, religions do actually have their own ideologies. So you can do something in the name of Christianity, Islam, Judaism etc, but not Atheism. Just saying this is incredibly stupid.[/QUOTE] How can you not do something in the name of Atheism? It may not be a religion, but it is still a person's religious beliefs. An ideal can be represented through a person's actions, good or bad.

[QUOTE=Muskof;47119976]Atheism is not a religion, it's a lack of a belief in a god or gods. You can't do something in the name of Atheism, this guy is just racist. Unlike Atheism, religions do actually have their own ideologies. So you can do something in the name of Christianity, Islam, Judaism etc, but not Atheism. Just saying this is incredibly stupid.[/QUOTE] Firstly i'd like to say that i'm pretty sure those above us are just being sarcastic. They don't actually believe atheism is a religion lol The fact that atheism is the disbelief of religions makes that in it's self a[I]belief[/I]. There is no reason why this man allegedly would not be killing in the name of atheism. I only say this because it seems these days that when it comes to racism towards middle eastern people, it's not so much about the fact that they are middle eastern than it is that they are Muslim. I think the Charlie Hebdo controversies is a prime example of how the hate has spread over to the western world. Considering that the conflicts that afflict so much chaos over the world through the media is over a religious matter, and not racial, I'd say the media does a fairly good job at drumming up not only racism but also hate towards Muslims in general. I wouldn't even go so far to say that the media is exacerbating the situation for the western world, they are just reporting the fucked up shit that happens regardless. The thing with atheism is that the people who are atheists try to hide behind the fact that atheists can "do no harm" because they have no motives backed by fanatic religious beliefs. But let me say this, a belief in anything is subject to fanaticism. Atheism is no exception.

[QUOTE=Explosions;47119964]He wasn't a [I]real[/I] atheist. Remember, the real victims here are the atheists who are going to be further persecuted by the racists.[/QUOTE] Easy there, let's all remember that most victims from Atheist attacks are also fellow Atheists.

this is straight up domestic terrorism brewing in our country, and yet the main media will never portray it as such i really would like to know the extrenuating circumstances that led up to this shooting though, id be shocked if it was this guy just walking up to three students and killing them for literally no reason other than their religion

[QUOTE=Cuon Alpinus;47120109]How can you not do something in the name of Atheism? It may not be a religion, but it is still a person's religious beliefs. An ideal can be represented through a person's actions, good or bad.[/QUOTE] Atheism isn't a belief. It's specifically a lack of a belief. It is a position on a single issue: do you believe in god. No? You're an atheist. There is no belief set, no dogma, no ideology. There is nothing to do anything "in the name of." [QUOTE=DiBBs27;47120136]Firstly i'd like to say that i'm pretty sure those above us are just being sarcastic. They don't actually believe atheism is a religion lol The fact that atheism is the disbelief of religions makes that in it's self a[I]belief[/I]. There is no reason why this man allegedly would not be killing in the name of atheism.[/quote] No, a lack of a belief is not a belief. There is no content in atheism. [quote]I only say this because it seems these days that when it comes to racism towards middle eastern people, it's not so much about the fact that they are middle eastern than it is that they are Muslim. I think the Charlie Hebdo controversies is a prime example of how the hate has spread over to the western world.[/quote] Wow, so you hear about a Muslim terrorist attack and the first thing you think of is how the West hates Muslims? My above joke-post was just supposed to be a stupid parody but you just stepped right in and filled the position lol. [quote]Considering that the conflicts that afflict so much chaos over the world through the media is over a religious matter, and not racial, I'd say the media does a fairly good job at drumming up not only racism but also hate towards Muslims in general. I wouldn't even go so far to say that the media is exacerbating the situation for the western world, they are just reporting the fucked up shit that happens regardless.[/quote] So in the same sentence, you differentiate between religion and race but then mention "racism against Muslims." [quote]The thing with atheism is that the people who are atheists try to hide behind the fact that atheists can "do no harm" because they have no motives backed by fanatic religious beliefs. But let me say this, a belief in anything is subject to fanaticism. Atheism is no exception.[/QUOTE] Obviously atheists can harm people. Nobody can stupidly try to say "they weren't [I]real[/I] atheists," which is what happens every time there is an instance of religious violence. However, there isn't a way to move from 1. I lack a belief in a god or gods to 2. I will commit violent acts. There is no connection between those two thoughts. "Fanatical atheism" would mean what, [B]really really really[/B] not believing in god? You're attempting to pair more than disbelief to atheism, which simply isn't true. Hating religions is not an "atheist belief" because there is no such things. Believing in evolution isn't an "atheist belief." You can believe the world was created in 5 days by a magic fairy who blew himself up and still be an atheist.

[QUOTE=Muskof;47119976]You can't do something in the name of Atheism[/QUOTE] You can do anything in the name of something. You just have to state it. This guy is most likely a Atheist extremist as a counter response to various religious extremists, while failing to realize there's a civil middle ground that doesn't involve being equally retarded.

[highlight] IMPORTANT RECTIFICATION[/highlight] [url]http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/02/11/north-carolina-man-charged-in-shooting-death-three-people/[/url] A fucking parking dispute. That will save us a lot of discussion won't it? Of course his atheism might still be involved, but the attention given to it, even in the rectification, is way beyond proportion.

[QUOTE=Van-man;47120278]You can do anything in the name of something. You just have to state it. This guy is most likely a Atheist extremist as a counter response to various religious extremists, while failing to realize there's a civil middle ground that doesn't involve being equally retarded.[/QUOTE] You can't do something in the name of something that doesn't involve an ideology/dogma. I really don't understand why this is so hard to understand... Explosions did a really good job explaining why so if you're still not understanding I suggest you read this as well. [url]http://atheism.about.com/od/mythdefiningatheism/a/LackBelief.htm[/url]

[QUOTE=Explosions;47120244]Atheism isn't a belief. It's specifically a lack of a belief. It is a position on a single issue: do you believe in god. No? You're an atheist. There is no belief set, no dogma, no ideology. There is nothing to do anything "in the name of." No, a lack of a belief is not a belief. There is no content in atheism. Wow, so you hear about a Muslim terrorist attack and the first thing you think of is how the West hates Muslims? My above joke-post was just supposed to be a stupid parody but you just stepped right in and filled the position lol. So in the same sentence, you differentiate between religion and race but then mention "racism against Muslims." Obviously atheists can harm people. Nobody can stupidly try to say "they weren't [I]real[/I] atheists," which is what happens every time there is an instance of religious violence. However, there isn't a way to move from 1. I lack a belief in a god or gods to 2. I will commit violent acts. There is no connection between those two thoughts. "Fanatical atheism" would mean what, [B]really really really[/B] not believing in god? You're attempting to pair more than disbelief to atheism, which simply isn't true. Hating religions is not an "atheist belief" because there is no such things. Believing in evolution isn't an "atheist belief." You can believe the world was created in 5 days by a magic fairy who blew himself up and still be an atheist.[/QUOTE] Wow. All of this is bullshit. So if I ask you "do you believe in god?" You say no. you are saying you believe there is no god. It's still a belief. Also your jokes were a sweeping statement of the generalization between race and religion that the average person consumes through general perception of the media. I wasn't "stepping into" a category, I was explaining that there are people like that who exist. Listen, if you want to be hostile because you're atheist want to defend you 'non-beliefs' that's fine. But realize the fact that you have to defend what you think makes exactly what you think a belief. This shit isn't hard. A lack of belief is still a belief.

Does it really matter for what belief or lack thereof he was eligible or not to use as a reason for killing those people? Does it make any difference?

[QUOTE=Smallheart;47120493]Does it really matter for what belief or lack thereof he was eligible or not to use as a reason for killing those people? Does it make any difference?[/QUOTE] “why radical Christians and radical Muslims are so opposed to each others’ influence when they agree about so many ideological issues.” It looks like the killer agrees with you in some way :v: Also, I noticed that the original article was replaced with its rectification. What is this silent editing bullshit?

[QUOTE=DiBBs27;47120477]Wow. All of this is bullshit. So if I ask you "do you believe in god?" You say no. you are saying you believe there is no god. It's still a belief.[/quote] Nope, this is not the case. There are two claims: 1. there is a god 2. there is no god. Atheists simply do not accept the first claim. That does not necessitate belief in the second. All of the atheists I know conform to this mindset (at least when you define knowledge as having absolute certainty) and there are centuries of philosophy to back this up. [quote]Listen, if you want to be hostile because you're atheist want to defend you 'non-beliefs' that's fine. But realize the fact that you have to defend what you think makes exactly what you think a belief.[/quote] Sorry, I wasn't trying to be hostile. But still, I am not actually defending anything, I'm just trying to be clear on definitions. [quote]A lack of belief is still a belief.[/QUOTE] Is bald a hair color? Is off a T.V. station? Is "not skiing" a hobby?

[QUOTE=Explosions;47120556]Nope, this is not the case. There are two claims: 1. there is a god 2. there is no god. [b]Atheists simply do not accept the first claim. That does not necessitate belief in the second.[/b] All of the atheists I know conform to this mindset (at least when you define knowledge as having absolute certainty) and there are centuries of philosophy to back this up. [/QUOTE] You have atheist confused with agnostic. Atheism affirms a disbelief in god, ie accepts the second claim.

[QUOTE=Explosions;47120556]Is bald a hair color? Is off a T.V. station? Is "not skiing" a hobby?[/QUOTE] This is a bit irrelevant. Not believing in something is choosing to believe in the absence of said belief. its the same thing with choice. Not choosing anything is still a choice to not choose.

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;47120587]You have atheist confused with agnostic. Atheism affirms a disbelief in god, ie accepts the second claim.[/QUOTE] Also false. Atheism and agnosticism answer different questions. Atheism deals with belief, agnosticism with knowledge. If you simply say "I am agnostic about god," that does not tell me whether or not you believe in him. It simply says "I do not know if god exists." Atheism and agnosticism are not mutually exclusive. Most atheists are agnostic atheists, who do not claim to know that god doesn't exist, but they don't believe in him. [img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S43W4wbm0VE/T8baNr81WUI/AAAAAAAAAc8/jWSDLOSkDbg/s400/chart.png[/img] This is a pretty useful chart that explains this. Obviously this depends on what definitions you are using and these are just the ones I find most useful and common. But perhaps you define atheism and agnosticism differently, and that's fine because it's basically completely arbitrary.

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;47120587]You have atheist confused with agnostic. Atheism affirms a disbelief in god, ie accepts the second claim.[/QUOTE] Agnosticism = "I don't know" Atheism = "I do not believe in the claim that god exists" [t]https://ntrygg.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/dawkins-scale.jpg[/t] [quote]Agnosticism is the view that the truth values of certain claims – especially metaphysical and religious claims such as whether or not God, the divine or the supernatural exist – are unknown and perhaps unknowable.[/quote] [quote]Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Most inclusively, atheism is the absence of belief that any deities exist.[/quote] [url]http://atheism.about.com/od/aboutagnosticism/a/Atheist-vs-Agnostic-Difference.htm[/url] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic_atheism[/url] [url]http://grammarist.com/usage/agnostic-atheist/[/url] [url]http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=agnostic+atheist[/url] [url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/isaac-saul/youre-not-agnostic-youre-an-atheist_b_4675638.html[/url] Here's one example claiming the opposite, feeding the misconception: [url]http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/is-there-a-difference-between-atheists-and-agnostics[/url] Clue that this is bullshit: "An atheist [...] believes that there is no God.". Not even Dawkins is a 7 on his own scale. [editline]11th February 2015[/editline] This is really useful too: [t]http://skepticinkcom.c.presscdn.com/incredulous/files/2013/08/nb2mO.jpg[/t]