![]() But he also saw hope in a city that was proud of its diversity and in people struggling to heal. He saw the consequences of hatred haunt his Muslim neighbors. He allowed The Light House to consume him.Īll around him, Farris saw his community shattered by the tragedy. He needed to see a sapling sprout from fire-scorched earth. ![]() Strangers probably would never sit and listen to Farris talk about Islam, but they were willing to pay attention in the context of tragedy.įarris focused on turning his grief and anger into something positive. Farris feels his brother’s presence most strongly in The Light House – not through things Deah left behind or memories they shared, but through the ideals espoused here.įarris was certain Deah would be alive today had it not been for his faith, and he felt a religious duty to parlay his brother’s story into easing the nation’s fears. Mike Belleme for CNNįarris and Deah, sons of Syrian immigrants, were only 18 months apart in age, a grade apart in school and an inch apart in height. to serve as hope for a more tolerant America. Here, at this house, Farris hopes to find the light that was so cruelly snuffed out.įarris named The Light House for his brother and inscribed the words of Martin Luther King Jr. Deah means “light” in Arabic, and The Light House now serves as a center for youth, a gathering place Farris hopes will further Deah’s dreams for a more tolerant America. He devoted much of his time to renovating a 105-year-old rental house his brother had owned in a rundown neighborhood east of downtown Raleigh.įarris named it for his brother. The deaths yanked Farris from his life’s trajectory and set him on one he had not anticipated.Īt 24, he abandoned his courier business and everything else to speak out against hate. A neighbor was charged with three counts of murder but not a hate crime – sparking further outrage. News of the triple slaying at a Chapel Hill apartment complex reverberated here and around the world as another instance of hatred toward Muslims. ![]() In February 2015, Deah Barakat was gunned down along with his wife of six weeks, Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan. It took his brother’s death for Farris to fully embrace those words. Hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that.” wrap around the porch overhang, as though they were protection from the outside world: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that. On the house that Farris Barakat built, the words of Martin Luther King Jr. ![]()
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