No Hate Crime- Shaima Alawadi's Husband Goes On Trial For

Remember Shaima Alawadi? She was the 32-year-old Iraqi immigrant woman who was beaten to death in El Cajon, Califronia in March, 2012.  Everyone was convinced it was because she was a hijab-wearing Muslim woman. "Hate crime!" was the rallying cry from clueless liberals, after all there was a note left by her badly beaten body that said: Go back to your country, you terrorist. People were blaming right-wing Islamophobes in this country for inspiring some nut job to murder an innocent Muslim woman simply because she wore a hijab. Someone even created a Facebook page- One Million Hijabs For Shaima. But there were too many oddities surrounding the case, and it seemed to me more like an honor killing by a husband who Shaima was planning on divorcing. Or perhaps murder- Shaima's young daughter was terribly upset over an impending arranged marriage to a cousin.

About 8 months later, surprise, surprise, Shaima's 48-year-old husband Kassim Alhimidi was arrested for the murder. They didn't call it an honor killing, though- not the politically correct thing to do- no, they called it domestic violence.

Anyway, Kassim's day in court has arrived.

An Iraqi man wailed Tuesday during opening statements of his U.S. trial on a charge of murdering his wife, prompting the judge to halt proceedings briefly.

Two years after the Shaima Alawadi’s fatal beating in her California home drew international attention, the weapon remains missing but prosecutors said other evidence proves her husband, Kassim Alhimidi, killed her.

Prosecutor Kurt Mechals told jurors that local and federal police investigated the March 21 death initially as a hate crime because of a note found near her body, but street camera footage and the information from the couple’s eldest daughter about a troubled marriage led police to Alhimidi.

Defense attorney Douglas Gilliland said no blood was found on Alhimidi, who has cooperated with authorities.

I still wonder if the daughter had anything to do with the murder, but not surprised at all that it was a family member.

And that Facebook page no longer exists. It was gone after the arrest of Kassim.

Afghan Father Honor Kills Daughter For Running Away From Husband

Another honor killing, in Afghanistan this time, to finish off April.

Halima, a young mother of two, ran away with her cousin, and for that her father gunned her down in front of 300 people. The exact age of the girl is unknown, but she was between 18 and 20 years old.

She had eloped with a male cousin while her husband was in Iran. But ten days later he returned her to her family in Kookchaheel, in the Aabkamari district of the north-western Badghis province.

Her father sought the advice of village elders and three of them issued a fatwa ordering that Halima be publicly executed.

She was shot dead on April 22. It is not known what has happened to her cousin, who has not been identified.

Her father and the three elders, who are all allegedly linked to the Taliban, have gone into hiding.

Amnesty International’s Afghanistan researcher Horia Mosadiq said: ‘The deeply shocking practice of women being subjected to violent “punishments”, including killing, publicly or privately, must end.

‘The authorities across Afghanistan must ensure that perpetrators of violence against women are brought to justice.

‘Violence against women continues to be endemic in Afghanistan and those responsible very rarely face justice.

More on UK Daily Mail

Jordan Man Honor Kills Sister Because She Was Seldom Home

And one more honor killing to add to April's list.

From Jordan:

A Jordanian has confessed to slitting his sister's throat and stabbing her 20 times in the face and chest because she was rarely home, apparently “to cleanse the family honor,” police said Tuesday.

“People last night found the body of a girl in her twenties. She had been stabbed 20 times in face and chest before she had her throat slit,” a police spokesman said.

“Police arrested her brother, who confessed to committing the crime because his sister spent so little time at the family home. His confession indicates that he sought to cleanse the family honor.”

[snip]

Murder is punishable by death in Jordan, but in “honor killings” courts can commute or reduce sentences, particularly if the victim's family asks for leniency.

Unbelievable.

Pakistan Honor Killing of Young Couple and Their Baby

In the West, the worst thing that can happen to a couple that marries without the approval of their families is being disowned. It does happen, someone marries outside their religion or class and the family breaks ties with that person.  It's sad, but there is always the hope that eventually they will patch things up when the kids start arriving.  But in Pakistan, the couple runs the risk of being killed. This is what happened to a young couple in Fauji Colony in Rawalpindi. A man, 27,  and his young wife, 24, were allegedly strangled by the woman's family because they had eloped 18 months ago.  Both  families were against the marriage, but the bride's family was exceedingly so. What's particularly heinous about this honor killing was that they also strangled the couple's 7-month-old daughter. According to Inspector Malik Arshad,

“It is suspected the couple was sedated and then strangulated. However, the real circumstances would be determined by postmortem and forensic tests.” 
[snip]
The woman’s parents lodged a case with Miana Gondal police station of Mandi Bahauddin against the man. But the case was withdrawn as settled after the couple stated to the area magistrate that they had a legal marriage and presented the nikahnama.

Apparently one of the brothers had tracked them down about 6 weeks ago to their new house, and pretended he wanted to reconcile, but all the while was plotting his revenge, along with several uncles. Allah Ditta, the brother of the murdered husband, was the one who found the family when he went to visit them on Sunday afternoon.  Apparently, the woman's brother had actually been staying with the family for a few days before he killed them.

“Tea cups and other pots lay scattered around the bodies as if the victims had taken tea sitting on the floor. Some pieces of rope, papers – one of which was nikahnama – also were found at the crime scene when the police arrived there,” investigating officer Malik Arshad said.

There were no signs of any struggle or resistance by the victims, he said.

In his view, the tea might have contained sedatives and the victims strangulated later.

“Laboratory tests would determine the facts, however. Police collected forensic evidence like the tea cups, the pieces of rope and the nikahnama from the crime scene as case property.” 

According to Allah Ditta:

 “Accompanied by my brother-in-law, I had visited his (brother’s) house only the previous evening. Everything looked normal. The woman’s brother was there and chatted with me, without betraying any evil intentions."

“My brother had been facing life threats from the uncles of his wife. Although the case had been settled by the court of magistrate, they used to threaten him.”

No mention of whether they were both Muslim or the wife was Hindu or Christian, and why the families were so against the marriage. But if they eloped, it was a love marriage and not arranged, so that could have fueled the anger.

Unfathomable how honor can trump humanity.

Afghan Rapist And Victim Both Killed In Honor Killing

An Afghan man tries to rape a married woman while the husband is gone, and what do her family do? They kill both the man and the woman, because of course she sullied their good name by almost being raped. Only in Afghanistan- where a woman is victimized twice. Where a rape victim has three choices: jail, marry the rapist or death.

According to local authorities in eastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan, an Afghan man was killed in a failed rape attempt along with the victim in Deh-Yak district on Tuesday.

District attorney general chief for Deh-Yak Mohammad confirming the report said the incident took place late Tuesday night in Shaadi Qala village.

He said, “A man was trying to rape a woman while her husband was away from home but the relatives of the woman kill her along with the man after they were informed of the incident.”

Sadly, it will never get better. And once we leave that country, it will only get worse, if that's at all possible.

No Hate Crime- Shaima Alwadi's Husband Kassim Alhimidi Arrested

Remember Shaima Alawadi, the 32-year-old Iraqi-American woman who was found beaten to death in San Diego 8 months ago that liberals were convinced was a hate crime? They even created a Facebook page One Million Hijabs For Shaima Alawadi, because Shaima wore an Islamic head scarf and the perp who bashed her head in obviously had to be some right-wing Islamophobe. Granted a note was found beside Shaima's body by her 17-year-old daughter Fatima that said: "Go back to your country, you terrorist", but the story had way too many holes for it to be believable. I figured it had to be either the husband or the daughter, and guess what- 48-year-old Kassim Alhimidi, Shaima's husband, has been arrested in connection with the crime.

Police are calling it domestic violence, but considering Shaima wanted a divorce and to move to Texas, it sounds more like an honor killing.

I still wonder whether the daughter had something to do with the murder, after all she was very distraught about an impending arranged marriage to a cousin, and there's that strange text message found on her cell:

“The detective will find out tell them (can’t) talk.”

Plus there's a question of how fluent Alhimidi is in English, since their 15-year-old son had to translate for him after six days of silence when, finally, at a news conference he wanted to know why the killer murdered his wife:

"The main question we would like to ask is what are you getting out of this and why did you do it?" Alhimidi said in Arabic as his 15-year-old son translated.

Ironic if he indeed killed her.

And could he have written that note, if he doesn't speak English? Did he kill his wife with the help of his kids, or is he protecting his daughter?

If either of them is guilty they're certainly good actors. Apparently, both Alhimidi and Fatima fainted back in Iraq when the body was being buried.

And that Facebook Page, where so many people were outraged and indignant about someone targeting a woman for wearing a hijab?  Gone!

Pakistani Parents Pour Acid On Their Teen For Talking To Boy

Here's a good one from a religion which inspires parents to think it's justifiable to torture their children because they dare talk to someone of the opposite sex. I realize that ignorance and religious fundamentalism is a recipe for disaster, but what happened to this young Pakistani teen is beyond the pale.

According to police officer Tahir Ayub, Mohammed Zafar and his wife beat their 15-year-old daughter Anvu Shah after they caught her talking to a boy in front of their home. Not satisfied with that, they then proceeded to pour acid over her face and body and left her in agonizing pain until the next morning when they finally took her to the hospital, where she later died.

The incident happened in Kotli, a small town in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The parents allegedly confessed to the attack after she spoke with a boy outside their house.

[snip]

Local media reports, citing hospital officials, say her death was slow and excruciatingly painful. The girl was brought to hospital with third degree burns all over her body, including her face, arms, and chest. Police were reportedly alerted to the attack by one of Shah's female relatives.

Her parents have now been charged with murder.

Why is acid so readily available in places like Pakistan, where acid attacks are so prevalent? Who needs acid? Do people just buy a gallon or so to have handy just in case someone upsets them.

Shameful.

Source: ABC

Pakistani Lawyer "Honor Kills" Sister In Court Because He Disapproved Of Her Marriage

Another honor killing in Pakistan, because one's "honor" is valued more than the "life" of a woman.

"Love matches" are usually frowned upon in that region. A young woman is expected to marry the man her parents have chosen for her, whether she likes it or not; and often that person is a cousin.  22-year-old Raheela grew up with 30-year-old Zulfiqar Sehto. Since early childhood he was her neighbour. According to Sehto, they fell in love "more than 18 months ago" , but when his family asked Raheela's parents for her hand in marriage, they refused. And kept refusing. So they eventually eloped, after a courtship that was almost exclusively via cell phone. Instead of being happy that their daughter and sister had found love and someone who adored her, the family told the police that she had been kidnapped, something that happens all the time in Pakistan.
In July the young couple attempted to have the kidnapping charges dismissed, and asked the court for protection. In spite of the fact that Raheela's uncle tried to choke her with a scarf at their last court appearance in July, this day Sehto made a fatal mistake by not telling the court that he felt they were in danger.
After a break, in front of the two judges and a full courtroom, Raheela's brother - Javed Iqbal Shaikh - a lawyer, pulled out a gun and shot his sister in the head. He was about to aim at Sehto when police tackled him. Somehow he had managed to smuggle in the gun because he was a lawyer.

"The lawyers, they don't like to be searched," said Amjad Shaikh, a police superintendent in Hyderabad, the main city in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh. "Security is a little bit of a problem there."

Any remorse? No. Shaikh said, "I did that in rage because she had dishonoured the family." "I lost my mind."

Four other family members who were present at the proceedings were also charged. Sehto wants the death penalty. Since they are an educated, wealthy family, that probably won't happen.

"Everyone is very shocked by this because it happened in an educated family," said the police officer. "Normally, honour killings happen in the rural areas where people are not educated."

Although this is apparently an unusual case, in as much as it occurred in front of so many witnesses, honor killings in Pakistan are not.

According to the latest survey of violence against women by the Aurat Foundation, a rights group, there were 2,341 honour killings in 2011 in Pakistan – a 27% jump on the year before. The report also said there were more than 8,000 abductions and 3,461 rapes and gang rapes.

But the figures were just "the tip of the iceberg", it warned, saying researchers relied on those cases that were reported in the media only.

Women's rights activist Amar Sindhu, who teaches philosophy at Sindh University, said honor killings have:

...less to do with "cultural and social practices" and more to do with "the complete absence of the rule of law".

"Even in the 19th-century, the colonial authorities were able to reduce these crimes by enforcing laws when social, cultural and religious practices were just as male dominated and anti-woman as they are today," she said.

I would say it's a little of both.

Source: GuardianUK

'Honor Killing' Gets Couple 25 Years In British Prison

25 years in prison doesn't seem much for parents who killed and dismembered their own daughter simply because she wanted to integrate into Western society, but that's what Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed got for murdering 17-year-old Shafilea. Sentenced to at least 25 years by British Court Judge Roderick Evans, they will be eligible for parole at that time.

Shafilea, who had wanted to be an attorney, had been reported missing by her Pakistani parents.

The girl's dismembered body was found on a riverbank in February 2004, months after she disappeared in 2003.

The death was the final act in a long-running effort by the couple to get their daughter to conform to their beliefs, Detective Superintendent Geraint Jones told reporters.

"When this failed, they murdered her, a vile and disgraceful act," he said.

In sentencing the couple, Evans said they had used "intimidation, bullying and ... physical violence" in an effort to force her to adopt ways they viewed as more culturally appropriate.

"Your problem was that, in what you referred to as your 'community,' Shafilea's conduct was bringing shame upon you and your concern about being shamed in your community was greater than your love of your child," Evans told the couple, according to a transcript provided by court officials. "In order to rid yourselves of that problem, you killed Shafilea by suffocating her in the presence of your other four children."

Melissa Powner, a friend of the slain girl, told reporters the conviction "brought our friend the justice she deserves." "If there is one thing that we pray will come from this, it is that her beautiful face and tragic story will inspire others to seek help and make them realize that this kind of vile treatment, no matter what culture or background they are from, is not acceptable and there is a way out," Powner said in a statement to reporters.

Both had categorically denied involvement in their daughter's death until the mother pointed the finger at her husband.

On Monday, Farzana Ahmed testified that she had tried to intervene to protect the girl, but her husband pushed her away and punched her, according to CNN affiliate ITV. She said she was "extremely scared" when she fled the room and stayed in a bedroom with other children until she heard a car leaving 20 minutes later.

When her husband returned alone, she said, she asked where her daughter was.

"If you care for your dear life and that of your children, don't ever ask me this question again," he told her, ITV reported.

Farzana Ahmed testified Monday that only one of their children, Mevish, was present when she saw her husband attacking Shafilea.

She probably did that to save her own hide, since another daughter, Alesha, testified that her mother was just as guilty; and from her testimony, it seems as if Farzana was the instigator.

Alesha said her parents were angry that Shafilea was wearing a short-sleeved, V-neck top, and no sweater, on the night she was killed.

"Just end it here," Farzana said to Iftikhar, according to their daughter.

They pushed Shafilea onto a sofa and suffocated the struggling girl, Alesha testified.

Prosecutor Andrew Edis called it "an act of suffocation by both parents acting together."

Police will review evidence that came out during trial and could decide to seek additional charges, Detective Chief Inspector Chris Ankers said.

They should have stayed in Pakistan if they had no intention of integrating, or at least allowing their children to do so. Now they get to spend a good chunk of their lives behind bars. I'm sure Allah would be so proud of them.

Shafilea can finally rest in peace. Some justice has been done.

Honor Killings, the latest rash of Muslim Misogyny

Al Arabiya reported that a 33-year-old woman was murdered in an alleged "honor" crime. Although it later claimed she was only 22, the Jordanian woman, who apparently had been divorced about a year, was stabbed by her older brother in the chest. Brother wasn't too happy about his sister's new found freedom:

“It seems that the suspect was constantly arguing with his sister about her movements and was attempting to restrict her mobility because she was a divorced woman,” a source told The Jordan Times.

Police official Col. Khatib An, however, claims the "honor motive is ruled out" and it was just plain old domestic violence. Because brothers always get so pissed off at their divorced sisters for disobeying them, they plunge knives into their chests. Al Arabiya goes on to say that the brother is being held for 15 days until the case is investigated, which means brother will more than likely walk free. They always do. Because, dang, that hussy should have just stayed home.

Al Arabiya goes on to say:

“Honor killings” occasionally happen in some parts of the Middle East.

Occasionally? Really?

The article goes on to describe the murder of another Jordanian woman who was stabbed to death by her brother in October 2011 after he saw her photo on a friend's cell phone. I would venture to say the friend was not harmed.

Then it mentions the recent murder of a Palestinian woman, Nancy Zaboun, whose husband slit her throat after her divorce hearing. The woman had been abused for the 10 years of her marriage.

But no mention of three honor killings, in a matter of a week, back in Jordon in mid July:

Police on Wednesday were questioning a man who reportedly killed his divorced sister in Jerash in a so-called honour murder earlier in the day.

The suspect, who was not identified by officials, reportedly stabbed his sister then threw her in the street and ran over her with his vehicle until he made sure she was dead.

“The suspect then headed to the nearest police station and turned himself in to the police and informed them that he had murdered his sister to cleanse his family’s honour,” a senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

The suspect claimed that he had murdered his sister after learning that she had delivered a child out of wedlock, according to the source.

The victim was the third woman in Jordan to be murdered in the name of “family honour” this week and the second in less than 48 hours.

On Monday, a 28-year-old man in Zarqa reportedly murdered his divorced sister with a brick and a knife at their home in Zarqa for reasons related to family honour.

On July 18, a 60-year-old man allegedly stabbed his 25-year-old divorced daughter seven times at his home in an Amman suburb, claiming family honour as a motive because she had delivered a baby girl out of wedlock.

Wednesday’s victim was the seventh woman to be murdered in the Kingdom for reasons related to family honour this year.

Or the mother who murdered her three-year-old child because she had been born out of wedlock, and the family who she had been given to didn't want her. The woman supposedly murdered her own flesh and blood because she feared a scandal- read, she wanted to spare her own hide.  We all know (including the woman) that someone in her family would have snuffed her out. That's how it works.

Oh, and what about this Jordanian brother who killed his sister after her husband accused her of adultery.  Who knows if that was even true. He killed her in 2010 and was just sentenced to life this year.

And how about the Egyptian brothers,  Ahmed Mukhtar, 35, and Abd al-Basit, 24,who "slaughtered" their sister along with their mother and aunt, in June,

after discovering their sister's actions were contrary to morality."

After chaos erupted in the house, including gunfire, local police surrounded and broke into the home, only to find the aunt, Saida Muhammad Mukhtar, 55-years-old and a housewife, "with her head sliced off"; the mother, Amina Ahmed Muhammad, also 55 and a housewife, found "drowned in blood by the entrance of the house"; and the sister, Sana Mukhtar, 39-years-old and a widow, found butchered in a room.

Of course no mention  of the rash of honor killings in that other region, Afghanistan, including the woman and her two children who were beheaded. She too had divorced her husband after being battered during their 10 years of marriage.

And that's just a very, very small sampling of Muslim misogyny. The bulk of honor killings are female, and the few males that might happen to be the subject of an honor killing are usually gay.

So, occasionally, Al Arabiya?  Wishful thinking and the typical denial.

In fact, Chechnya's leader Kadyrov actually condones honor killings.

Honor killings are a major problem not only in the Middle East, but anywhere in the world where Muslim immigrants congregate with no desire to integrate and evolve.

Afghan Woman Shot 9 Times By Taliban For Adultery- Video UPDATE

More from the barbaric Taliban in Afghanistan where a woman is simply another piece of property to be disposed of at will. The only way women will be treated as humans rather than animals is if the Taliban and all of their ilk are wiped off the face of this earth, which sadly will never happen.

The story: One woman, two Taliban commanders fighting over her, so they kill her instead claiming adultery. She had allegedly been involved with both the men, either romantically or through rape. She was shot nine times while the 150 or so men watching the execution cheered on saying it was the will of Allah .

Sickening.

A shot rings out, but the burqa-clad woman sitting on the rocky ground does not respond.

The man pointing a rifle at her from a few feet away lets loose another round, but still there is no reaction.

He fires a third shot, and finally the woman slumps backwards.

But the man fires another shot.

And another. And another.

Nine shots in all.

Around him, dozens of men on a hillside cheer: "God is great!"

Officials in Afghanistan, where the amateur video was filmed, believe the woman was executed because two Taliban commanders had a dispute over her, according to the governor of the province where the killing took place.

Both apparently had some kind of relationship with the woman, said Parwan province governor Abdul Basir Salangi.

"In order to save face," they accused her of adultery, Salangi said.

Then they "faked a court to decide about the fate of this woman and in one hour, they executed the woman," he added.

Both Taliban commanders were subsequently killed by a third Taliban commander, Salangi said.

"We went there to investigate and we are still looking for people who were involved in this brutal act," he said.

It is not clear from the video when it was filmed.

The killing took place in the village of Qimchok, not far north of the capital Kabul.

Lawmaker Fawzia Koofi called it a huge backward step for women's issues in Afghanistan.

"I think we will have to do something serious about this, we will have to do something as women, but also as human beings," she said. "She didn't even say one word to defend herself."

Koofi wept on Saturday as she watched the video of the execution.

There were the usual obligatory condemnations, including  NATO and the U.S., but the world is still willing to pledge money to a country that has seen a tremendous increase in violence against women and does absolutely nothing about it.

Read the rest here.

See the news video report here.

UPDATE:
The victim was 22-year-old Najiba, and Afghans are now calling the extra-judicial execution "Un-Islamic", and that the trial and execution were not per Shariah law guidelines.

In a case of adultery, there must be four witnesses, and these witnesses must testify that they actually saw the woman and a man together engaged in sexual intercourse," he said. "The judge should take all of this testimony to another judge and put all the evidence on the table. It is the second judge who checks that all of these procedures were done properly. "The second judge must then take all of the evidence to the higher Shari'a Supreme Court. The accused has the right to appeal against the verdicts issued by the lower courts. It is the Shari'a Supreme Court that makes the decision on the punishment."

Read more here.

Afghan Woman and Her Two Kids Beheaded In Honor Killing

There has been a tremendous increase in domestic violence against women in Afghanistan recently, and rights activists claim much of that has to do with Hamid Karzai's pathetic interest in women's rights in the run up to the foreign troops withdrawal in 2014 and the government's attempt to negotiate with the anti-female Taliban.  As a result women (and children) are losing their heads, and no-one is doing a damn thing about it.

30-year-old Serata was beheaded (in an honor killing) by her ex-husband 38-year-old Mohammad Arif, and because her 8-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter witnessed the murder, he chopped off their heads too. He left their 2-year-old daughter unharmed.

Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has reported that 16 other "honor killings" occurred in March and April alone, of this Afghan year, as opposed to no more than 20 cases per year since 2001 when AIHRC began keeping records of this kind of violence. And that's just those that are reported.

According to commissioner Ms. Suraya Subhrang,

"And there are many that go unreported. Men make a quick decision in their own courts to kill a girl and hold a prayer for her the next day."

Serata was the victim of domestic violence for 10 years of her marriage and it was the reason she divorced her husband a year ago.  In the end he got her anyway, and as with most cases of honor killings in that region, Arif fled the area and police have yet to find him. Even if they do eventually find him, it's doubtful much - if anything- will be done, because of

 police carelessness, corruption and a growing atmosphere of impunity.

I'm not sure why anyone would find it surprising in a chauvinistic, male-centric religious society. And all the minor gains women have made over the past 10 years since the Taliban were ousted will be lost once the troops are withdrawn and the Taliban takes control either through violence or negotiations.

Source: ABC News Australia

Shaima Alawadi- Hate Crime, Honor Killing Or Just Plain Murder?

Shaima Alawadi is the 32-year-old Iraqi immigrant mother of five who was found beaten to a pulp in her home in El Cajon, along with a note that said  ‘Go back to your country, you terrorist.’ She died a few days later, and most everyone immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was a hate crime- that she was targeted because she was a hijab-wearing Muslim. Outraged people even created a Facebook page 'One Million Hijabs For Shaima Alawadi.

Well, it's now looking more like it was an honor killing or just plain murder, with several possible scenarios. Was it the 17-year-old daughter Fatima who was the one who found her bleeding, dying mother and called 911; the daughter who was caught 'possibly' having sex in a car with a 21-year-old male, and was very upset about a pending forced marriage to her cousin? Or was it Shaima's husband,  Kassim Alhimidi, who she was apparently planning to divorce and then getting the heck out of dodge by moving to Texas? 

Then there's the fact the note was a copy, not the original, and a witness who claims they saw

a skinny dark-skinned male running west from the area of Alawadi’s house. He was described as being in his late teens to early 20s, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 150 pounds, wearing a dark blue or black hooded sweatshirt and carrying a brown doughnut-shaped cardboard box.

And Fatima's story doesn't quite add up:

Fatima and her mother were the only ones at their El Cajon home on Skyview Street when the attack occurred about 11 a.m. on March 21.

Alawadi’s husband, Kassim Alhimidi, had reportedly left to take the couple’s other younger children to school, although police state in the March 27 affidavit that his whereabouts had not yet been confirmed.

Fatima told El Cajon police that she heard her mother squeal, and 10 seconds later heard the sound of glass breaking, the affidavit said. She told police she thought her mother had dropped a plate. Ten minutes later, the daughter discovered her mother lying unconscious on the ground, near a computer, and called 911.

She didn't hear her mother's screams? According to the autopsy, the attack was "extremely violent”. Alawadi had four fractures to the skull, and she was hit in the head at least six times.  If I had my head bashed in with a tire iron, or whatever weapon was used, they'd hear me down the street.

Then there's that odd text message:

A search of Fatima’s cellphone records shows that while she was being interviewed by investigators hours after the attack, While she was being interviewed by police hours after the attack, a text was sent on Fatima's cellphone, “The detective will find out tell them (can’t) talk,” the affidavit states.

If it was indeed an honor killing, planting that note was a clever way to hide the fact by diverting attention from honor to hate crime.

Too bad they don't create a Facebook page One Million Hijabs For Honor Killings.

Young Afghan Boy and Girl Killed After Acid Attack, No-One Claims Bodies

Here's another example of how religion and a twisted sense of honor is more important than the value of a life, or in this case, the lives of two young children. Dumped in the middle of nowhere, after being burned by acid, for unknown reasons.

Two children, unceremoniously dumped in the middle of nowhere.

GHAZNI: A 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy have been killed in an acid attack in Afghanistan, an official said on Saturday, with witnesses claiming it was because of their friendship in what is an ultra-conservative country.


The bodies were discovered on Friday in wasteland in the Esfandi area of Ghazni province in south central Afghanistan, provincial police chief Zorawar Zahid told AFP.


“Their bodies and faces were burnt by acid,” he said.


The police chief said officers were investigating the motive for the attack, but witnesses who found the bodies told AFP the two were probably killed because of their friendship.


No one has claimed the bodies, which are still in Ghazni hospital, police said.

What kind of parents would do this to their own children?

18% of Young Asian Brits Support 'Honor' Based Violence

A poll sponsored by the BBC found that of the 500 young Asian Brits surveyed, 18% (1 in 5) think it's okay to beat the heck out of women if they've 'dishonored' their families. Killing them, not so much. Only 3% justified 'honor killings' for either

disobeying a father, rejecting a prearranged marriage, or marrying someone unacceptable by the family.

Not surprisingly, 6 percent of those were men as opposed to 1 percent of women.

A great majority of the 16 to 34-year-olds polled believe that 'honor' (as if violence is honorable) is a very important element in family life.  75% of those were men versus 63% of women. 

Violence against women is a huge global problem, but in a culture that devalues women and places more importance on 'honor' it becomes monumental.  And although Muslims aren't the only ones who participate in 'honor killings' and violence against women, it doesn't help matters that the Quran actually promotes wife beating for disobedience.

 Karma Nirvana,

...a charity that supports victims and survivors of honor based violence, reported on its Website that it receives “on average approximately 5,000 calls a year on our national helpline supporting all victims and survivors of forced marriage and honor based abuse.”

Jasvinder Sanghera, of the Karma Nirvana, fled her parent’s home when they attempted to force her into an arranged marriage at the age of 14.

She urged Asian community leaders in Britain to speak against the honor code, also known as “Izzat” in Urdu language.

“I’ve yet to see community leaders, religious leaders, politicians; Asian councilors give real leadership on this. They don’t because they know it makes them unpopular,” Sanghera told the BBC.

According to a spokesperson for the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organization (IKWRO), last year in the U.K. there were over 2,800  cases of  "‘honor’ based violence" reported to the police.

“These figures demonstrate that ‘honor’ based violence is not a minor problem but a very serious issue which affects thousands of people each year, many of whom will suffer high levels of abuse before they seek help,”

Many feel that 'forced marriage' is a major factor in honor based violence, so in an effort to thwart violence against young women who refuse to marry men that their families match them up with, Brit authorities are considering criminalizing it.

The Home Office has launched a campaign seeking public opinion on creating a specific criminal offence for forced marriages and how it should be formulated.

I sincerely doubt anything will come of it. Arranged marriages are a long standing tradition for many Asians, and laws won't prevent them from taking place, or the violence against a daughter/sister who refuses to comply.

London Man Gets 30 Years For Acid Attack On His Sister's Lover

Although 30 years doesn't seem in any way appropriate for a man who willfully, and brutally beat up and poured acid over the face of the 25-year-old lover of his married sister, at least it's a start; especially for England that has one of the wimpiest justice systems in the world. But the tougher the sentences for vicious, barbaric 'honor' killings (or 'attempted' killing, in this case) the better. It will hopefully send a message to those who feel they have every right to maim and kill to save their so-called honor that it will not be tolerated in a civilized, western society.

Apparently, Awais Akram (25) met Sadia Khatoon (24) on Facebook and they eventually started an affair. Trouble is she was married, and when her 32-year-old husband, Shakeel Abassi, and her brother, Mohammad Vakas (26),discovered that she was being unfaithful, they decided to avenge the family's honor. Akram was lured to his fate with a text message from Sadia.

There the victim was beaten and stabbed before Vakas poured concentrated sulphuric acid over his head, leaving him with 47 per cent burns and fighting for his life. Mr Akram survived but continues to undergo treatment for his injuries. He told the court that the attack was so painful he had wanted to die.


Fellow attackers Mohammed Adeel, 20, also of Walthamstow, and a 17-year-old youth, who can now be named as Fabion Kuci, of Harlesden, northwest London, were convicted of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. Adeel was jailed for 14 years and the youth was locked up for eight years.

Vakas received only 30 years. Sadia and her husband fled to Pakistan, although who knows if she's till alive.

The Judge, Brian Barker stated that

“It was to punish and kill Mr Akram in the most cruel and sadistic way. " “This was a terrible crime and all right-thinking citizens reject the premise on which it was done. There is no honour, and plots and actions such as this have no place in our society.”

Describing the harrowing evidence given by Mr Akram in the trial, he said: “Few of us will have seen anything like that before and we must all hope we don’t see anything like that again.”

Mr Akram has had “innumerable” operations and has suffered permanent scarring as well as being “deeply affected psychologically”, the judge said. He continued to suffer from a fear which be believes “will be there for the rest of his life”, he added.

“He did not die but his suffering then and since is almost impossible to imagine and he is left in a living nightmare.”

Vakas was a “major and crucial part of the conspiracy” and was expecting the victim to suffer “an agonising death”, the judge said, while Khatoon and her husband “were central to this plan and should have been in the dock”.

Akram was basically ambushed, and initially had no clue what hit him until it was too late.

Mr Akram did not know his attackers but realised what it was about after he heard the name “Sadia”. He told how the attack began after he heard footsteps behind him.

“Somebody hit me on my leg first from behind and then I fell on the ground and then two, three or four people surrounded me and then they all started to assault me by beating, then they threw acid before they left.

“At that time I did not know that this was acid, when they were trying to push it into my mouth, but I knew that there was something very dangerous that they were trying to force into my mouth. This is why I tried to cover my mouth, but he did throw it on me.”

Mr Akram described the excruciating pain as the sulphuric acid — a drain clearer — was poured over his head and body.

“When I started feeling this, I did not know how to understand it. I started burning, my whole body started to burn. At that point I just felt that I would be dead. Death was, I felt, a better solution than to be burning like this...

“At that time I wasn’t conscious enough to understand but whenever I think of it now I really start shaking and shivering, and I can’t believe that someone can do this to another person.”

During the plot, the men received instructions from Khatoon’s husband, Abassi, who was in a hotel room near Heathrow with his wife. She was on the phone to the unsuspecting victim who was telling her his whereabouts.

Police hailed Mr Akram’s bravery in coming forward to give evidence against his attackers despite being deeply traumatised by what happened. One officer described him as an “incredible young man”.

There is nothing whatsoever honorable about honor killings and we must make sure that immigrants realize there will be zero tolerance for that kind of tradition, regardless of whether it's acceptable in their home countries.