Funeral, vigil reveal depth of sorrow at Muslim girl’s death

Police have consistently said the incident was a case of road rage, but many activists have said they believe Hassanen was targeted because of her Muslim faith.

Roessler expressed some frustration that the hate crime rumours have persisted despite police efforts to explain what precipitated the incident and what he says a lack of any evidence pointing to a hate crime.

He called the notion that her death is a hate crime “a myth on social media.”

Outside ADAMS Center, people attending the funeral said that regardless of the specific circumstances of Hassanen’s case, it has left them fearful for their families’ safety.

Lamia Sarver of McLean said the tragedy hits home because she has a daughter Hassanen’s age. She’s warned her not to attend late-night Ramadan prayers and services with friends, so she won’t be a target.

“‘Pray at home,’ I tell her,” she said.

Others expressed similar sentiments.

“I have two daughters. He has two sisters,” said Zahid Hassan of Fairfax, who attended services with his son Yasin, and choked back tears as he spoke. “It could have been anybody.”

Shahnaz Aurazaki of Sterling said she lived in the area for 32 years and it was always safe, but “now every day you see something on the news. It’s scary.”

“We came because something very bad happened. We are upset. Our children are not safe,” she said.

Later Wednesday evening, after Hassanen’s burial, a crowd of several thousand gathered at a plaza few blocks from her home for a vigil.

ADAMS Center Imam Mohamed Magid noted the diversity of the crowd Wednesday evening and expressed gratitude “to see we are part of the larger community to stand against bigotry, stand against hate.”

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., who counted Hassanen among his constituents, was one of many political figures who attended. He said the teen’s death has prompted the entire community to rally and that the Muslim community is not alone in its grief.

___

Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer and Sarah Rankin contributed to this report from Richmond, Virginia.

Matthew Barakat, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Funeral, vigil reveal depth of sorrow at Muslim girl’s death

What's Trending