Posted on 10/20/2006 1:21:59 AM PDT by World_Events
The bold daytime killing Thursday of a woman who was walking in a tranquil Fremont neighborhood to pick up her daughters from school has her family pleading to know why anyone would kill the mother of six.
Alia Ansari, 37, was gunned down in central Fremont at 2:40 p.m. by someone who pulled up in a car, fired, then drove away.
"She was a very diligent housewife. She lived a very simple life. She was not an extravagant person. She did not splurge," said a cousin who requested anonymity. "Whoever did this must have done this for no reason at all. He must have been insane, a psycho. She never did anything to hurt anyone. She didn't have enemies."
Some relatives, however, wonder whether Ansari was targeted because of her appearance.
Ansari, a native of Afghanistan, was Muslim and usually wore a head scarf, the cousin said.
Fremont police Sgt. Chris Mazzone said no motive for the slaying has been established and that all avenues are being investigated. Mazzone said he could not confirm initial police reports from witnesses that Ansari had been shot in the head.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
When in Rome do as the Romans do.
I suspect a family member - simply because most murders are family related, in all religious and ethnic groups. Always the most likely cause.
Not likely in Fremont.
Never mind, wrong Fremont.
A family member, or someone well-known to the family would be most likely, especially since it's happened in this family before:
She (a cousin) said this is the second time a family member has been shot and killed in Fremont. She wouldn't provide details, but Fazayun Ansari confirmed that a relative, Afghan community leader Rahim Ansari, 34, of Union City was shot and killed in January 2002 inside his business, Pamir Travel, in the heart of Fremont's close-knit Little Kabul neighborhood, the nation's largest Afghan community.
The suspected gunman, upset over a spurned romance, killed Ansari and wounded his brother-in-law, Zabiullah Ansari, 42, of Fremont, police said.
Well, well ... I had missed that detail. Very pertinent.
I hope the police catch this guy - I am sure it is a man.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
A senseless crime indeed, and a tragedy that a mother of 6 would be murdered.
The news (and print media) headlines have devoted a good chunk of space to the relatives' claim that this must have been a 'hate crime' because she was wearing an islamic headscarf (hijab).
I call 'bull' on these accusations. We certainly aren't immune to racially directed crimes in this country -- but the 'M.O.', in this country, for one of these crimes is that a man gets 'whacked' - never a woman. Usually its some poor Sikh guy (because he wears a turban, and the typical moron who commits these crimes doesn't quite grasp the fact that Sikhs and muslims aren't the same), or some 'swarthy' looking fellow who may, or may not be, muslim.
When a muslim woman gets inexplicably murdered -- I'd first suspect an 'honor killing' (e.g., was this woman talking to a priest/pastor? or other such infraction), and would closely look at the extended family...
I'm probably out of line for voicing these speculations -- but the family's accusation that this was murder was a hate crime committed by someone who singled out a mother (with a 3 year old in tow) because she was wearing a headscarf -- is a venomous insult on our society, and I'm not going to shrug it off unless there is proof to back it up.
MarMema - No, I think you got the right Fremont. Fremont California has a very large Middle Eastern population (Afghani, Pakistani, Indian, Sikh, etc).
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