The killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque between November 2021 and last week (August 5, 2022) is a reprehensible act of racial and religious violence and should be condemned in the loudest, most collective manner possible. At a time like this it is important to keep in mind the systems of oppression that lead to these acts of violence. On the heels of the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, in October of that year the American Public Health Association issued a policy statement: Structural Racism is a Public Health Crisis: Impact on the Black Community. While the policy highlights (necessarily) the relationship between structural racism and record high poor health outcomes in the Black population, the policy's Problem Statement drives home the role of racism among all communities of color:
Racism is a pervasive system of power based on the social construction of race, that is, ideological notions of the inherent superiority of non-Hispanic “Whites” and inherent inferiority of people of color (i.e., Native Americans or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, Latinx/Hispanic Americans, Blacks and African Americans [hereafter referred to as Black], and Asian Americans) that operate across multiple levels (internal, interpersonal, institutional) to unjustly advantage Whites and unjustly disadvantage persons of color.
The UNM Health Sciences Library and Informatics Stands with the Albuquerque Muslim community in condemning these hateful acts of violence on members of our community. We support the families of those we have lost:
We would also like to share the message from the UNM Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center (AAPIRC):
Dear AAPIRC Community,
We were unable to send out weekly newsletter last week due to receiving grave news and working with the UNM and the wider Albuquerque community on this situation. I am sending out a special message today.
Last week began with the heartbreaking news that one of our UNM alumni, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, was killed by gun shots near his home close to campus on Monday night. During his tenure, Muhammad Afzaal was very active at UNM and held the position as the president of GPSA.
Soon after, we learned the disturbing news that the killing was connected to a pattern of killings of Muslim men from South Asia. Following Muhammad Afzaal’s funeral services on Friday, there was yet another Muslim man found killed with gun shots – totaling 4 murders. Statements have been issued by Mayor Tim Keller, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and President Biden.
We are grateful for the leadership and work by UNM international students from South Asia. We also appreciate the response, concern, allyship and solidarity of the UNM leadership and community.
Some ways to be involved:
We will continue to keep you posted. We will send out our regular newsletter with our Fall programs in the next day or two.
Sincerely in gratitude,
Farah
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