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Tulsa man charged with murder, hate crime in slaying of Lebanese neighbor

A memorial display was set up on the lawn of the Jabara family in Tulsa, Okla.Sue Ogrocki/associated press

TULSA, Okla. — Prosecutors charged a Tulsa man on Tuesday with first-degree murder and committing a hate crime in the killing of his Lebanese neighbor — a culmination of what authorities said was the man’s violent feud with the family that spanned several years.

Stanley Majors, 61, was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and threatening a violent act in the Aug. 12 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Khalid Jabara.

Majors spent years in conflict with the Jabara family, often hurling epithets such as ‘‘filthy Lebanese,’’ “dirty Arabs,’’ and ‘‘Moo-slems’’ at his next-door neighbors, authorities said. The Jabaras are Christian.

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The hate crime charge, a misdemeanor under Oklahoma law, accuses Majors of intimidating and harassing Jabara and his mother, Haifa Jabara, ‘‘because of race, color, religion, ancestry, and national origin,’’ according to court papers filed Tuesday by prosecutors.

Lebanese immigrants have long been a visible part of the Oklahoma population, with many making their living as merchants, restaurateurs, and grocers.

‘‘Our parents raised us to be patriotic Americans, proud of our Lebanese heritage and our community’s contributions to our country,’’ said Jabara family spokeswoman Rebecca Abou-Chedid.

‘‘In charging Majors with a hate crime in addition to first-degree murder, the district attorney’s office is making a much-needed and powerful statement that hatred and violence based on race, color, religion, ancestry, and national origin has no place in our society,’’ she said.

The alleged abuse between the neighbors escalated to the point where Haifa Jabara obtained a protective order in 2013 that required Majors to stay 300 yards away and prohibited him from possessing any firearms until 2018.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee said that Khalid Jabara was clearly targeted because of his ethnicity.

“The unfortunate murder of Jabara is a reflection of the impact and power of hateful rhetoric in politics and the society at large,” the group said.

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