A Bay Area doctor is sharing her painful story in hopes of stopping "Islamophobia."
Dr. Suzanne Barakat's story made national headlines earlier this year when her 23-year-old brother and two other people were gunned down in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She believes they were killed because they are Muslims.
On Monday, Barakat told her fellow doctors she sees signs of hate, even from patients, every day.
"My hope is this kind of thing never happens again to anyone and we can realize at the end of the day we're all human with the same ambitions, dreams and goals," Barakat said of her brother's death.
Deah Barakat, a dental student at the University of North Carolina, his wife, Yusor Muhammad, and his wife's sister were shot and killed allegedly by a neighbor back in February in what many consider a hate crime.
Dr. Barakat said racism and bias against Muslims, called Islamophobia, takes place even at an institution like San Francisco General.
"It is time you realize this is not acceptable," she said. "It's time people stand up for me."
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The doctor said she's determined to change stereotypes in honor of her loved ones.
"I didn't feel they really left me a choice but to stand up and make voices heard and make sure their deaths didn't go in vain," Barakat said.
