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January 4, 2008
US: An American Muslim Honor Killing?
On New Year's Day, the bodies of two teenage girls were found in an abandoned taxi cab in Irving, Texas. They had been shot multiple times, and the vehicle dumped outside the Omni Mandalay Hotel. The girls were sisters Amina Yaser Said (aged 18) and Sarah Yaser Said (aged 17) who lived in Lewisville. They had been shot dead, according to police, by their father Yaser Abdel Said. This Egyptian-born immigrant had worked as a taxi driver, and had arrived in the United States in the 1980s. He has gone on the run, and is said to be armed and dangerous. A 911 call was made by one of the girls on a cellphone at 7.30 pm to Irving police to say that they were in danger, but the caller could not say where they were located.
The two girls were popular and intelligent, who had boyfriends. It appears that after the recent case of Toronto Muslim schoolgirl Aqsa Parvez who was apparently choked to death by her father for being too "Westernized", the killing of the two sisters in Lewisville is the second Muslim honor killing in North America in less than a month.
News on the murder of the two girls and the continuing hunt for their father (pictured right) can be found at the Washington Times, Dallas Morning News, ABC News, the Star-Telegram and Fox News.
It certainly seems from some accounts that this is a case of a so-called "honor killing". Relatives said: "Sarah and Amina dressed in Western clothes and listened to pop music." The father was said to be angry at them for "not acting like proper Muslim girls".
Having a boyfriend is frowned upon by most conservative Muslims, and both girls dated boys. One of these said: "She just wanted a normal life, like any American girl wanted." He added that Sarah "was always kind, gentle, always cheerful, always had a smile on her face."
Sarah had confided in a friend that if her father found out about her boyfriend, whom she had met at her job, he would kill her. Both boyfriends are said to be fearful as the girls' father is said to be "a dangerous man".
On Thursday, students at Lewisville High School where the girls had studied held a vigil from 6 pm. wearing pink, their favorite color. At school, they were both in Advanced Placement classes, and played soccer and tennis. They had attended Lewisville High School for two years.
Tributes to the girls from those who knew them can be found on Facebook, here and here (subscription required). One friend described Sarah as "silly, funny and just always happy". They made good grades at high school, and frequently returned to Egypt for visits with their family.
The girls lived in Lewisville with their father and mother, as well as their 19-year old brother.
On Wednesday, police SWAT teams staged a standoff for several hours outside the family home, eventually lobbing a tear gas grenade into the building. Mr Said was not inside the house.
Yaser Abdel Said had only been in trouble in Texas once before. In 2001 he had been arrested in Tarrant County for not paying traffic tickets. These had been gained in Euless, where the family had then lived. 50-year old Yaser Abdel Said is said to be six feet and two inches tall, weighing 180 pounds, and is thought to be carrying a handgun.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at January 4, 2008 1:26 AM
Comments
Another tragedy -- this one doubled in its heinous horror. Thank you for writing about these vengeance murders against young women, for using the term "honor killing."
We are our sisters' keepers. Murdering your daughter(s), wife, cousin, niece is never ok, anywhere. The male perpetrators must be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of our Western laws. Murdering our women is not our culture.
Karen Tintori, author
Unto the Daughters: The Legacy of an Honor Killing in a Sicilian-American Family
www.karentintori.com
Posted by: Karen Tintori ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.westernresistance.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at January 4, 2008 11:38 AM
Check out this interesting new study on how American's view muslims.
What a Difference a Shawl Makes
- Perceptions Differ of Woman With and Without a Shawl on her Head -
FLEMINGTON, N.J., Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- A new national study of more
than 600 Americans revealed that a woman wearing a shawl or hijab,
typically worn by Muslim women, is viewed significantly different than the
same woman without the traditional headwear.
The study was conducted by HCD Research, using its mediacurves.com web
site during January 2-3, to determine whether Americans possess different
views of a woman based on whether or not she wears traditional Muslim
headwear.
Participants were divided into two randomly assigned groups. Members of
each group were asked to view one of two separate photos of an attractive
young woman. Neither photo was identified in any way. Each sample was then
asked identical questions about the woman, her age, perceived personality,
activities, and how acceptable she might be as a neighbor.
One-third of participants indicated that they would rather have the
woman with the traditional headwear live in another place, another city,
and maybe out of the U.S., as opposed to living in their neighborhood.
However, a clear majority of participants (89%) reported that the woman
without the shawl would be welcome in their neighborhood.
The woman with the shawl on her head was perceived as somewhat older,
and somewhat better off financially than the woman without the shawl. While
the woman with the shawl was more likely to be a stay at home mother, the
woman without the shawl might be a working married woman.
The woman with the shawl on her head was also viewed as much more
traditional than the woman without the shawl. Participants also indicated
that the woman with the shawl was strict and rigid, a good wife and devoted
mother. She was also perceived as keeping to herself or a tight circle of
people. Conversely, the woman without the shawl was perceived to be lively,
friendly, and humorous. She was also viewed as a person who "always looks
at the bright side" and might even be the life of the party.
Overwhelmingly, both photos of the woman were viewed as being
attractive. However, more people thought the woman with the shawl was
beautiful, and both women were seen as trustworthy.
At the end of the questionnaire, the participants specifically
identified the woman with the shawl on her head as Middle-Eastern in origin
and a Muslim; the woman without the shawl was perceived as an American and
a Catholic (maybe Protestant or Jewish).
For detailed information on this study, please go to
http://www.mediacurves.com The Media Curves web site provides the media and
general public with a venue to view Americans' perceptions of popular and
controversial media events and advertisements.
Headquartered in Flemington, NJ, the company's services include
traditional and web-based communications research. For additional
information on HCD Research, access the company's web site at http://www.hcdi.net
or call HCD Research at 908-788-9393.
Posted by: Glowatz at January 4, 2008 1:35 PM
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