Asid Khan still remembers those late nights in Palestinian territory with his friend and roommate, Deah Barakat. While Khan lifted weights in their bedroom, Barakat dribbled a basketball as the two talked about their faith and the good they would do for children the next morning as volunteer dentists.
But now his friend is dead, and Khan, 35, said he’s not sure how to process the loss of someone he considered a little brother.
“I’m still trying to get my head around it,” Khan told The Huffington Post from his home in Scotland. “It’s hard not to think about it and not get emotional. I cried when I heard the news.”
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“There’s enough hate in the world without introducing more in the name of my little brother,” Khan said.
Two weeks before he was killed, Barakat posted a status on Facebook discussing how he had passed out toothbrushes and toothpaste to the homeless around the Chapel Hill area. Khan responded to the post in what would be his last communication with his friend.
It read, simply: “May Allah reward you and your team Bro Deah Barakat.”
