Murder of Khalid Jabara: Deadly Spread of US Islamophobia Led by Politicians

Radio Sputnik’s Brian Becker sat down with Veronica Laizure and Robert McCaw, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, to discuss the case of Khalid Jabara, a 37-year old US citizen of Lebanese origin, who was shot dead in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Stanley Vernon Majors, a 61-year-old white man who allegedly called Jabara’s family “dirty Arabs.

News of the murder broke on Friday: Jabara, killed by a man who terrorized his family "for years," according to the victim's family and police records. Majors had a lengthy record of violations against Jabara's family at the time of the attack, which had led to a protective order against Majors, which he reportedly violated on multiple occasions. 

In September 2015, Majors hit Jabara's mother with a vehicle. He left the scene "without seeing to the welfare" of the victim, who was transported for emergency care by medical personnel who arrived at the scene, according to police reports. When police came to Major's house, he was "extremely unsteady on his feet as he was stumbling around and falling." He also reportedly had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and was "actively urinating, without the use of his hands, through his open pants."

Did police inaction and pinkwashing contribute to killing of Khalid Jabara? https://t.co/9AvXvubZAZ pic.twitter.com/9ZNivYfeEc

— Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) 16 августа 2016 г.

37-year-old Tulsa man named Khalid Jabara shot and killed in a "neighbor dispute."https://t.co/YXdD6wpNtS pic.twitter.com/iRIyPwwycZ

— Imraan Siddiqi (@imraansiddiqi) 15 августа 2016 г.

​The incident led to Majors being put in jail, after which he was released on bail.

"He was released from jail with no conditions on his bond — no ankle monitor, no drug/alcohol testing, nothing," said Victoria Jabara Williams, Khalid's sister.

Then, on August 12, Majors walked into the Jabara family home and shot Khalid.

Local police were well aware of "neighborly disturbances" between Majors and the Jabara family, as disclosed by prosecutors in the wake of shooting.

Since the beginning of 2015, police had responded to more than 50 calls to Majors' residence, and, in the same timeframe, police received 20 calls from the Jabara residence; "several of those refer to Majors," according to a local police representative.

"This man was a known danger," said Jabara Williams, "Our brother's death could have been prevented."

Major's precise motives for shooting Khalid are not known, as the shooter ended up in the hospital and police could not interrogate him. But Majors is documented as having repeatedly insulted members of Jabara family with comments including "dirty Arabs," "filthy Lebanese," "Aye-rabs," and "Mooslems," according to the family.

Many believe that state-driven Islamophobic propaganda, including rhetoric spouted by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, has led to a spike of anti-Muslim violence in the country.

"If crazy people keep hearing that Mexicans are rapists and Arabs are terrorists, well then who are crazy people going to take their craziness out on?" asked Abou-Chedid, a Jabara family friend.

"Trump and the Republicans have been mainstreaming Islamophobia," Robert McCaw, Director of Government Affairs at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told Loud & Clear host Brian Becker. "They are heightening tensions in the communities and it is definitely related to this recent uptick in violence against Muslims."

Comparing anti-islamic hatred to the racial tensions between blacks and whites in the US, McCaw commented, "It's the same hate, Muslims are the new target. If we look at [2016] elections, we see candidates go after immigrants, Hispanic, Muslim or other ethnic communities. They are targeted because they are perceived as ‘others.'"

"Individuals don't see if a person is Muslim, they just see that they're brown. And that's enough for them to focus their hate," McCaw added. "And yes, the nation is crippled in dealing with issues of racial profiling and hatred, and it takes many different forms."