Everybody has heard about the tragic Trayvon Martin murder. Far fewer, however, are aware of the brutal killing of Shaima Alawadi, an Iraqi-born American citizen and mother of five, in her home near San Diego. There are conflicting reports about the facts of the crime. In some accounts, a note was found at the scene, reading: "This is my country. Go back to yours, terrorist."
This is a very complicated homicide investigation. While some have labeled the killing a hate crime, others have speculated that it was merely made to look like one. None of that, of course, changes the devastating truth that a young woman and mother has been murdered.
In our video today, we discuss some of the specifics of the case with an eye towards probing deeper questions: What is it like for a Muslim-American woman to wear a hijab in public? Does this particular religious attire render its wearers vulnerable to verbal and physical violence? Or, is the United States living up to its ethos of tolerance for religious minorities?
Our guest, Dr. Jerusha Lamptey, addresses many of these questions as she reflects on her own experiences as a convert to Islam who now wears the hijab. She focuses on a paradox that confronts her on a quotidian basis: Even though she was born and raised in the United States, the donning of this piece of symbolic cloth indelibly marks her as foreign in the eyes of her compatriots.
Wearing the Muslim veil in America: What it's like - CSMonitor.com
How Muslim women decide to put on—and take off—hijab. - Slate ...
but we don't have to approve of it, and should feel free to criticize the religious culture which induces women to wear this regressive mode of dress.
Majority (over 65%) of religious hate crimes in U.S. are committed against Jewish people.
Therefore, according to FBI evidence it is 3 times more dangerous to be a Jew in U.S. than a Muslim.
To their credibility, it's fatal.
It's amusing, though, to see the lengths to which the story is being spun to conform to SOME teachable moment.
Why are people still conflating the Trayvon Martin case with the Shaima Alawadi case? Even the note said "terrorist," and I know the racist terms usually used for Arab//Muslms around San Diego, and that ain't one of them.
Even the author admits that the Alawadi case is "very complicated." The detectives assigned to the case probably haven't even had a chance to reinterview the victim's immediate family for leads to possible other suspects since they got back home from Iraq. Believe me, her kids do not consider Iraq home, they were born and raised in the US.
- A headscarf serves the same purpose as underwe@r does. Which is to cover nakedness and in this case the woman's hair and neck. Do you disagree? I have references if you like to further discuss this.
"here is nothing wrong with a woman’s choice to cover herself."
- There is no choice in this matter it is an obligation to cover up nakedness.. again do you still disagree?
"obedience for respectful religion."
- Bingo, you said it yourself. Thee is no free choice it has everything to do with obedience to a religion that oppresses women and turns them into s@x toys and second citizens. Do you disagree that women in religon are considered less than man in mind and spirit?
Bukhari (6:301) - "[Muhammad] said, 'Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?' They replied in the affirmative. He said, 'This is the deficiency in her intelligence.'"
Bukhari (6:301) - continued - "[Muhammad said] 'Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?' The women replied in the affirmative. He said, 'This is the deficiency in her religion.'" Allah has made women deficient in the practice of their religion as well, by giving them menstrual cycles.
of course it's safe. muslim women in america have the safest lives of muslim women in anywhere. why doesn't the author ask, is it safe being a woman in pakistan? or afghanistan? or saudi arabia? or somalia?
shaima alawadi was beaten to death by her husband for filing for divorce. that's why her daughter and husband (whom she married at 14, when he was 30, btw) fled to iraq as soon as they could.
this wasn't a hate crime. this was an honor killing. the FBI consistenly shows that muslims make up barely 6% of overall religiously motivated hate crimes. jews make up nearly 70%. muslims peaked at third in 2002, and the numbers have dropped every year.
the note was found to be a fake. nobody walks into a woman's house at 11 AM, beats somebody to death while a family member is feet away, and then walks away without a trace. neighbors saw glass broken from the inside out, with glass all over the patio. this was obviously set up.
it is dishonest and completely fraudulent for the author of this article to exploit shaima's life and death to play the victim game for muslims in america. the truth of this murder DOES change everything--because it is the life of a human being who was slaughtered for breaking free from an oppressive, woman-hating environment.
the fact that jacques can so easily dismiss that shows he's the one without much respect for shaima.
Anyway, in SD County, the most hate crimes are perpetrated against young black men.
i live in SD county. there isn't a rash of crazy people attacking muslims. that's a bunch of garbage.
The media makes far too much of isolated incidents to create news.
In this area, at least, the problem seems to be more plain, old racism, which is no more acceptable!
The author is spreading misinformation for an ideological agenda to support sartorial gender apartheid for some bizarre reason. He must see the idea that women should be covered in public with no similar onus on men as somehow very liberal.
Jacques Berlinerblau please come out of your ivory tower and publish all the facts that are known in the Shaima case and don't misuse her death for your ideology.
The author must be so ideological as he fails to post any of the relevant evidence that has come forward in the news that points to an honor killing by the family.
What about the text message to Shaima's daughter telling her not to talk to police?
What about the fact that daughter was caught having sex with a man in a car just a few months ago and that the daughter jumped out of a car being driven by Shaima?
What about the fact that Shaima's relatives report that she was leaving her husband to move to Texas and that she had told him just days before she is found beaten to death?
What about the fact that her husband and daughter fled to Iraq and haven't returned?
Jacques Berlinerblau is just irresponsible and lying to attempt to still spin Shaima's murder as a hate crime at this point in time.
Within limits--no masks, no hiding gender and identity--dress as you please, which is the true American way.