In the wake of a hate crime that left 2 dead and 1 seriously injured in Portland on Friday, Muslim communities launched a fundraising campaign to honor and support the families of those affected. 

Details of the horrific attack had quickly emerged online following the incident on Friday, and it was revealed that the victims, identified as 53-year-old Ricky John Best and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, 23, were fatally stabbed by suspect Jeremy C. after they had stood up for two Muslim women Jeremy was verbally abusing on a train. 

Soon after news of the crime began circulating online, thousands of American Muslims launched a campaign in support of the victims' families and widely shared it via the hashtag #Muslims4Portland. 

The campaign, led by the Muslim Educational Trust and Celebrate Mercy, has already raised over $300,000. 

"We wish to respond to hate with love, to evil with good, as our faith instructs us, and send a powerful message of compassion through action," its official page read.

A third victim, 21-year-old Micah David-Cole Fletcher, was also stabbed in the attack and is in serious condition at a hospital in Portland, Oregon. 

Speaking of the attack Portland's Mayor Ted Wheeler said, “two men lost their lives and another was injured for doing the right thing, standing up for people they didn’t know against hatred." 

“Their actions were brave and selfless, and should serve as an example and inspiration to us all. They are heroes," he added. 

People are hailing the victims as heroes on social media

Others are expressing their outrage

"Hate has no religion."

Hate crimes on the rise in the U.S.

The incident in Portland is certainly not the first of its kind in the U.S. 

In recent months, the country has seen a rise in the number of hate crimes and acts of violence against Muslims, people of color and immigrants. 

According to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the number of hate groups specifically targeting Muslims in the U.S. has nearly tripled in the past year.

Researchers at SPLC attributed the spike to Donald Trump's Presidential campaign, saying that his success “energized” the radical right.