While I still believe in a creator of the universe and see merit in the Gospel message of love of neighbor, I increasingly view most religions as an evil. Over the centuries, religion has caused - and continues to cause - so many countless needless deaths. Indeed, despite whatever good may spring from religion derived charities, in aggregate the evil seems to outweigh the good. Via Bob Felton's blog, Civil Commotion, I came across a truly disturbing story of a Muslim father who ran over his 20 year old daughter (pictured above) and killed her because he believed "she'd become too Americanized." Perhaps I found the story so upsetting because I have a daughter of my own who is 21 -and another who will soon be 28. Not in my wildest dreams can I imagine harming either of them because they may not accept me and/or my religious beliefs in every way. While this particular story involve murder and a Muslim parent, far too many self-professed Christian parents are only marginally better as they disown their own children because they are gay or they deprive them of life saving medical treatment all in the name of religion. Words do not adequately describe the prolonged and horrific torture that I believe this Muslim father should suffer for his sin against he deceased daughter and his sin against all that is decent and good. Here are brief highlights from the Phoenix New Times:*
Noor was thoroughly assimilated into American culture but kept in touch with her Iraqi roots (she was fluent in Arabic) and considered herself a Muslim, the same religion as her parents. But she had moved away from her parents in early 2009 (not for the first time) after another blowup over how she was living her life — tight jeans, makeup, boyfriends, modeling photos, and an attitude that screamed independence and self-determination. The clashes escalated in 2008 after Noor, then 18, left her marriage to an older cousin in Iraq — her father had "arranged" it — and returned to the Phoenix area.
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Riffat Hassan, a retired University of Louisville professor and expert on the Koran, writes, "Muslim culture has reduced many, if not most, women to the position of puppets on a string, to slave-like creatures whose only purpose in life is to cater to the needs and pleasures of men." The Almalekis were proud members of that "Muslim culture." By moving in with Marwan and Amal, Noor Almaleki had made it clear that she would not be her father's puppet, his "slave-like" creature. She was determined to live how, and with whom, she wished.
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No one can say exactly how many "honor killings" occur, but anecdotal evidence (from media accounts and government data) suggests that hundreds of Muslim women and girls die this way every year.
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Seemingly out of nowhere, Amal saw a vehicle coming right at them. She lifted her hands in defense, as if to stop the inevitable. In that moment, she could see Faleh Almaleki behind the wheel. The Jeep smashed into the women. It dragged Noor across a curbed median and left her splayed on the pavement, unconscious and bleeding. The impact hurled Amal Khalaf about 27 feet. She suffered a broken pelvis, broken femur, and myriad cuts and bruises, but she remained conscious.
Peoria police later estimated that the SUV was moving as fast as 30 miles per hour. Noor was barely alive, having suffered massive brain and spinal injuries, as well as many broken bones.
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Whether Faleh assaulted the women on the spur of the moment or premeditated his action, he had time to reflect on what he did: run over two defenseless women, one of whom was his firstborn child.
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Honestly, I could not read the entire story. If the child killing father gets a long prison sentence, it's difficult for me not to hope that he's sodomized and ultimately killed in prison. The man is a monster.
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Yes, this was a Muslim honor killing, but the difference between this sad story and Christianist mistreatment of their children is one of degree. The underlying religious based hate and insanity remains much the same.
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