Video: Dallas station asks the “honor killing” question Update: The boyfriends also feared Said; Update: FNC reports
posted at 10:45 am on January 3, 2008 by Bryan
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Click the image to watch.
Kudos for their courage in even pursuing the possibility that Yaser Abdel Said may have killed his daughters out of “honor.” But pay close attention to one of the spokesmen that the station found to talk to. He belongs to the Islamic Society of North America. Yeah, the same ISNA that was an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial and has been identified as a front for the Muslim Brotherhood, an antecedent of al Qaeda. He’s the one making the argument that “honor killings” are cultural rather than based on anything in Islam.
The Chicago “honor killing” of an Indian immigrant family, which appears to have been based on the disparity in caste between the married couple, would back that up. But this editorial from Yemen cuts the other way.
Fathers are responsible for their daughters’ behavior, but human rights organizations deny this too. Brothers also should take action regarding their sisters’ behavior, especially if their parents are too old or dead. If a daughter or sister makes a mistake – especially a moral one – that negatively affects the entire family and its reputation, what’s the solution by such [human rights] organizations?
According to them, women should complain to the courts about any type of violence against them. Likewise, should fathers and brothers complain to police if their daughters or sisters violate moral, Islamic or social norms?
Fathers should handle their daughters via any means that suits their mistake; thus, is it better to use violence to a certain limit or complain to the police? Shall such women then complain to the police against their fathers or brothers? It’s really amazing to hear this.
That in mind, go back to the video. How free is the head scarfed girl to talk openly when her father is standing right there next to her? After the Said killings?
The story also points out that most honor killings take place…where?
Update: Thanks to commenters and an emailer, here’s last night’s story from NBC5i in DFW. Its angle is the girls’ boyfriends, one of whom followed the girls and their father for several miles on the day of the killings, until one of the girls called him and told him that everything was ok.
Update: Fox News Channel recycles the local Dallas story that’s linked above.
(h/t bWb)
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So…umm…what’s Rebecca Aguilar doing these days?
James on January 3, 2008 at 10:51 AM
Asking rape victims why they chose to be raped?
Asking car accident victims why they walked in front of a car?
Asking domestic violence victims what they did to be hit by their husbands?
Seriously, I’m glad the subject of honor killing is coming up at these news stations. Too bad it’s after some girls were murdered for family “honor” rather than before.
mjk on January 3, 2008 at 10:55 AM
The Muslim representative (not sure if he was an imam or not) speaking in the video says it’s wrong for family members to “take the law into their own hands”.
This is NOT the same as a guy who kills his daughter’s rapist. What law is he talking about? Sharia? Sorry…not applicable here.
flipflop on January 3, 2008 at 10:55 AM
Ft Worth here….
Last night, and I can’t recall the station here, a local news program had a report on the murders and manhunt. In that report they very much laid out the honor killing motive. In it they interviewed both of the girl’s boyfriends. Wish like hell I could tell you for sure which station the wife and I were watching.
Had to be NBC5 or WFAA8.
Limerick on January 3, 2008 at 11:02 AM
One day these people will advance into the 16th century.
amerpundit on January 3, 2008 at 11:05 AM
The whole video, IMO, was dedicated to essentially saying, “This has nothing to do with Islam.”, not reporting on it.
amerpundit on January 3, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Yup, this has nothing to do with ROP. Just coincidental, move on, MSM says there is nothing here for us. Just an angry father/teenager problem. It is a private matter, not for us to be involved in.
This cannot be tolerated in America. Muslims in the country are the only people who can stop it. Where are their voices?
d1carter on January 3, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Again, I have to ask why no one reported this situation, or even asked the question. People knew this man was violent, or capable of being violent; why was nothing done? Of course, I don’t blame the victims here; these young girls were completely innocent. It just seems like all the warning signs were there and they were either ignored or disregarded.
fourstringfuror on January 3, 2008 at 12:04 PM
Whatever happened to fathers loving their daughters enough to be able to hold onto them until they’re married? Works in our house.
Mommynator on January 3, 2008 at 12:04 PM
If the story’s presumptions are true, one of the reasons I want to see this guy get the death penalty is to watch the entire MSM go into apoplexy over the necessity to deal “sensitively” with “cultural differences”.
eeyore on January 3, 2008 at 12:08 PM
As soon as I saw the guy standing next to her, that’s exactly what I thought.
MadisonConservative on January 3, 2008 at 12:17 PM
We need the Bill O’Reilly “body language” person here. She got a nervous catch in her voice when she said “I…want to wear it”
eeyore on January 3, 2008 at 12:17 PM
A capability for violence isn’t enough. An investigation would have found no actual violence, and he would have been given some bogus warning and let go…whereupon he would have had a ‘look what shame you have brought to our family’ motivation to cross the line into real violence. Since it appears that his first actual offense was murder, it turned out to be best to postpone him crossing that line for as long as possible.
It’s not right…but it’s what people fearful for their lives do.
James on January 3, 2008 at 12:21 PM
In any sane society, the idea of a father killing his own daughters because of a perceived shame or honor issue is… um… just not there. It’s inconceivable.
Kai on January 3, 2008 at 12:23 PM
For some reason, I’m reminded of that silly Sting – Russians song.
For once, we now know the barbarians don’t love their own children.
It’s horrific and alien to our mindset.
Kai on January 3, 2008 at 12:28 PM
Did anyone else catch the reporter after the spokesman for the Islamic group talked was shown?
“…yeah, well..”
My initial translation of that was “yeah, we’re sure you don’t condone violence…” in a sarcastic sense.
otcconan on January 3, 2008 at 12:30 PM
I think this shows a need to establish something of an underground railroad for girls who could be targets of “honor killing”, some system where they would be taken in and protected by organizations themselves or volunteer families.
Bad Candy on January 3, 2008 at 12:37 PM
For some reason, whenever I hear someone say “honor killing”, I hear “pride killing”. Killing your own daughter has nothing to do with honor, it has only to do with that deadliest of the seven deadly sins…
People finally stopped using the term “suicide bomber” because it didn’t really describe what happened. The same should happen to the term “honor killing”.
And I like the way the newshead stated “honor” killings were condemned by local muslim leaders… leaving unasked the question about the opinion of non-local muslim leaders.
taznar on January 3, 2008 at 12:41 PM
I couldn’t watch to much of the first video but it seems like the same old tired white washing for the ROP , as far as giving this pos the death penalty “if he doesn’t end up getting shot before hand ” That might be far to kind to him. How about accidentally putting him with the general population of the prison with say the AB or NLR’s, I am pretty sure he would be a very popular man for about 30 minutes or so.
Mojack420 on January 3, 2008 at 12:59 PM
We need the Bill O’Reilly “body language” person here. She got a nervous catch in her voice when she said “I…want to wear it”
eeyore on January 3, 2008 at 12:17 PM
Her dad wants to know, “where is that…..what you Americans call…….The Woodshed?” “My daughter and I are on our way to that place right after this.”
DfDeportation on January 3, 2008 at 1:09 PM
“the violence that sometimes forms”Spoken like typical MSM air heads.
RobCon on January 3, 2008 at 1:12 PM
Another obvious angle to be investigated should be how ethnic hatreds factor into these murders. Although the cameras show neither of the murdered girls’ boyfriend’s faces, they do not have neutral American or even Texan speech patterns and accents. Both boys are dark haired and dark skinned. With that limited info, there’s a strong potential that both of those girls’ boyfriends could be sons of Middle Eastern immigrants, which means the girls’ father wasn’t upset that his Muslim virgin daughters would be violated by Anglo Christian crusaders with their evil iPhones and Tommy Hilfiger polo shirts.
So why is daddy upset his “daughters were dating outside their religion” if the boyfriends appear to be Middle Eastern? The local TV news says the boyfriends fear for their lives, but what is it about the boyfriends that drove the crazy father to murder his own daughters rather eliminating the threat of the boyfriends first?
We’re not getting all the info here…
ScottMcC on January 3, 2008 at 1:32 PM
So, ISNA tells me it’s not the Islamic religion that’s the problem, it’s Islamic culture.
Whatever, excuser.
And I feel extra sorry right now for the young man who stopped following them on the day of the murder because his girlfriend told him she was okay.
This is going to haunt him for the rest of his life.
Merovign on January 3, 2008 at 1:43 PM
That’s true. I don’t know which boy he was (I’d guess the taller one), but one of them was audibly crying about what happened. It’s a horrible thing.
Esthier on January 3, 2008 at 2:28 PM
If this guy killed his daughter, then fry him. Good thing he’s in Texas.
It could be more cultural than religious. I could also be more sociopath than cultural. Who knows. The Muslim guys I work with love their daughters.
dedalus on January 3, 2008 at 2:36 PM
Since the all consuming role of Islam is what dictates Muslim culture how can the two terms be considered separate at all?
When will honor killings stop? When Imams stop saying one thing to the camera and another to Muslims who pray 17 times a day for the destruction of the Americans who live all around them.
Speakup on January 3, 2008 at 3:16 PM
I’ve heard a number of people say that Islam will only change after they’ve gone through a reformation. The logic being, the reformation brought about reforms in European society.
Mooseman on January 3, 2008 at 4:17 PM
I’ll point out the obvious… the father appears to be a whabbist of some kind, it’s entirely possible that the boys were either on the wrong side of the sunni/shia divide, a “lesser” form of islam such as sufi, or christian/jewish even if they were from the same middle eastern area.
Canadian Imperialist Running Dog on January 3, 2008 at 4:21 PM
On 3 January 2008 at ~1:45 PM Pacific Time, Michael Medved took a call from Dallas named “Kay” that claimed she knew the Said family and said (in a wavering voice) “I found the bodies.”Powerful call.
Bryan, it could be worth updating this post with that audio. Medved’s producer is named Jeremy Steiner and I have his contact info if you want it.
ScottMcC on January 3, 2008 at 4:56 PM
That would be great, thanks!
Bryan on January 3, 2008 at 5:30 PM
just heard the same thing on Medved. I haven’t heard in the news that the young ladies were shot in the head but that’s what the lady kept saying and emphasizing she “found them.” She also kept saying that she knew the man and that people told her that Said was a “moderate.” Gave me the feeling that maybe she had questioned the fact people claimed he was a moderate.
Drtuddle on January 3, 2008 at 5:37 PM
Mooseman:
Islamic law specifically forbids reform.
Kinda makes it hard.
Ironically, a “world caliphate” (at least ruling the Islamic nations) may be the only way reform can happen, as a caliph can overrule Imams, and Imams primarily compete as to how literally they can interpret the texts.
That’s a big maybe, however. An awful big maybe.
Merovign on January 4, 2008 at 12:59 AM
All I can say it would be my honor to pull the switch on those who do not understand that their religious beliefs do not give them the authority or right to take the life of anyone who does not agree with their twisted view. Especially, the members of their own family.
These people demonstrate they have been had their brains washed with the wrong detergent (beliefs) that should have a warning label on it that states this subject matter may be hazardous to your mental health.
MSGTAS on January 4, 2008 at 9:15 AM
Good catch.
- The Cat
P.S.
Now that’s what I call a track back. Not sure what it says but you have to admire the fontitude.
MirCat on January 4, 2008 at 10:33 AM
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