According to the United Nations conventions, there is no distinction between the term racial discrimination and ethnicity discrimination. However recently, there has been two discriminatory murder cases, the Trayvon Martin and Shaima Alawadi case. They have rocked the nation and have even had President Barack Obama commenting on the situation.

Trayvon was a 17 year old teenager from Sanford Fl. who was gunned down by a appointed neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman while walking home from a 7-Eleven with a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona ice tea.

In Zimmerman’s version he stated that Martin was wearing a hoddie and looked like he was on drugs. He told the 911 operator that Martin looked suspicious. He said that Martin approached him and they exchanged words and afterwards Martin punched him in the nose and began beating him. Zimmerman pursued the teenager and shot and killed him with what he said was “self-defense.” Unfortunately, the Sanford police department did not arrest Zimmerman.

There has been a national outrage about this; there have been protest in Sanford, Miami, New York and all over the nation. The outrage about this case is not just from that fact that Trayvon was unarmed but the fact that Zimmerman was not arrested. Another thing to keep in mind, was that the Sanford police department didn’t keep in contact with witnesses.

Trayvon’s case is tragic but it is nothing we have not seen or heard about before. America’s police departments are riddled with cases where racial profiling plays a part in crimes.

“I was shocked that he still is out and he needs to go to jail,” Tyishla Anderson, 21, psychology major said.

In a similar case, an Iraqi women named Shaima Alawadi was found unconscious in her home in El Cajon, CA.  The 32 year old mother of 5 was beaten and left drowning in her blood, who was then found by her 17 year old daughter in their dining room. The killer also left a note near Alawadi’s body saying “This is our country not yours you terrorist”.

Three days later, Alawadi was taken off of life support and died later that day. Her body will be flown back to Iraq were she will be buried.

Sadly, like Martin’s case, American Muslims demand justice for this heinous crime.

“We were very upset about this, she is an innocent woman,” Raissa Khalil 19, nursing major said.

Many people in both cases feel like they deal with racism. Either way, two innocent people are dead for ignorant reasons. Both Martin and Alawadi were both victims of racial bigotry.

“Both cases were due to hate crimes, its 2012 and I cant believe this is still happening” Steve Calise, 22, history major said.