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Saying Goodbye To 'Three Angels'

In North Carolina, three Muslim students who were shot in their home have been buried.

The sky was gray over North Carolina State University as more than 5,000 people prayed for Deah Barakat, his wife Youser Abu-Salha and Youser's sister Razan.

Usman Rahim attended the service. He says that the victims touched people far beyond the Muslim community.

"The wide variety of people that these three angels touched, it's just such a meaningful, deep and sorrow - yet joyful - day for the three of them," Rahim said.

Osama Abu Irshaid is the national coordinator for American Muslims for Palestine. He and other members of national advocacy groups spoke before the funeral Thursday.

"It's unfortunate that it takes a crime to bring to the center the national debate about Islam and Muslims in this country," Irshaid said.

Nihad Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations attended the funeral with other Muslim leaders. He said they wouldn't fight fire with fire.

Local authorities have arrested the student's neighbor for the crime. The FBI has opened a preliminary inquiry.

Jorge Valencia has been with North Carolina Public Radio since 2012. A native of Bogotá, Colombia, Jorge studied journalism at the University of Maryland and reported for four years for the Roanoke Times in Virginia before joining the station. His reporting has also been published in the Wall Street Journal, the Miami Herald, and the Baltimore Sun.
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