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Read the press release here.

Downtown Vigil Planned For Slain Muslim Girl Nabra Hassanen

 A vigil will be held Thursday at Federal Plaza for slain teen Nabra Hassanen.
A vigil will be held Thursday at Federal Plaza for slain teen Nabra Hassanen.
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DOWNTOWN — A vigil will be held Downtown to honor a Muslim teen whose slaying has sparked national outrage.

Officials said a man hit Nabra Hassanen with a baseball bat while she walked to a mosque with friends in Virginia over the weekend. The man then took her to his car, drove away, killed her and left her body in a pond, officials said.

The teen's death is being investigated as a road rage incident, but it comes amid a national rise in hate crimes against Muslims. A Washington, D.C., memorial for Hassanen was set on fire Wednesday.

In response, a group called Take on Hate Chicago will host a candlelight vigil for the teen. The group hopes the vigil will show there are people who "stand in solidarity with [Hassanen's] family and community against hate," according to a news release.

Anti-Muslim rhetoric from President Donald Trump has "emboldened" people to attack Muslims, said the group, which is working to end bigotry against Muslims, back Americans and other minorities.

"She is dead because she was black, Arab and Muslim, and her killing is the responsibility not only of the man who killed her, but of politicians, law enforcement agencies, and media that continue to devalue the lives of people like her and us,” Take on Hate Chicago said in a news release.

The vigil will be held 6 p.m. Thursday at Federal Plaza, 50 W. Adams St.

Earlier this month, a man told a group of Muslim girls — including one raised in Hyde Park — to "leave" the country in an obscenity- and slur-laced rant in suburban Hickory Hills.

Just days later, a group described by experts as "anti-Muslim" and "extremist" attempted to host a rally Downtown. In response, Chicagoans organized counter-protests.