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Suzanne Barakats TedTalk

In the TedTalk Islamophobia Killed My Brother: Lets Stop the Hate, presented by

Suzanne Barakat in October of 2016, the speaker identifies Islamophobia as a major problem in

America and then goes on to insists the audience to take a stand against acts of hatred towards

people of the religion of Islam.

Throughout the talk Suzanne tells of hate crimes that have been kept in silence by the

American people. She begins by recounting the gruesome deaths of her own brother and sister-in

law. The newlyweds were murdered horrifically by their neighbor who had been harassing them

for months (Barakat). Images of Suzannes brother playing basketball, sitting with his wife, and

showing his acceptance into UNC Dental School were displayed for the audience to see. After

displaying these pictures, she highlights how their aspirations and good times were put to an end

because of what religion they chose to practice (Barakat). Another story was that of a muslim

man named Khalid Jabara. He was killed by his neighbor not so long ago for being Muslim. It

went untold in the American media. It is this reason that Suzanne emphasizes the importance of,

firstly, recognizing these events and then taking action against them. She reiterates that the

actions that one takes do not have to be grand.

She brings up the allyship shown by her neighbor Neal during her brothers murder. Neal

was instrumental in getting the story out to the media and Suzanne says that others have done the

same in response to hate crimes. Larycia Hawkins, Alexis Ohanian, are among some of the

people mentioned by Suzanne who used their platforms and resources to stand up against

prejudice. Suzanne then boldly asks the audience, Will you be Neal? (Barakat). She believes
that the smallest thing, such as letting a Muslim neighbor be aware of your support, can make a

big difference. Everyone can do something about Islamophobia and Suzanne believes that this

hate can only, truly, be stopped when people collectively raise their voices against hate.
 Works Cited

Barakat, Suzanne. Islamophobia Killed My Brother. Lets End the Hate. TED, TED

Conferences, LLC, Oct. 2016,

https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_barakat_islamophobia_killed_my_brother_let

_s_end_the_hate. Accessed 29 August 2017