Posted on 04/27/2008 10:59:23 AM PDT by camerakid400
A teenage Iraqi girl who fell in love with a British soldier when he was in Basra was murdered by her father in an "honour killing", it was revealed today. Rand Abdel-Qader, 17, was suffocated and then hacked at with a knife after her family discovered she was friends with the 22-year-old soldier who she knew only as Paul.
The pair first met when Rand was working on an aid project for displaced families but it is thought the soldier is unaware of the girl's fate.
She was stamped on, suffocated and stabbed - leaving her with puncture wounds all over her body, including her face.
Her own mother, Leila Hussein, has spoken out about the crime, revealing how her husband called out that he was cleansing "his honour" as he carried out the murder.
She told the Observer he was arrested after the brutal murder but was released without charge two hours later because it was an "honour killing".
"He was released two hours later because it was an 'honour killing'. And unfortunately that is something to be proud of for any Iraqi man," she told the paper.
Rand claimed she was in love from the first moment she met the soldier, who had been working alongside her on an aid project where she was volunteering.
She immediately told her best friend she was dreaming they could have a future together.
Five months on, she was brutally killed and buried without the traditional mourning ceremony in a mark of her "impurity".
Her uncles are also said to have spat on her body because of the shame they felt she had brought on the family.
The fact her relationship with the British soldier she knew as Paul was entirely innocent was not enough to save her.
According to the Observer, she was seen conversing intimately with him and because he was a British "invader" and the enemy, this could not be tolerated.
The pair last saw each other in January but her father, Abdel Qader Ali did not learn of their friendship until two months later on March 16.
He was told by a friend that his daughter had been seen with the soldier and stormed home to confront her.
Ms Hussein described to the paper how he was in a complete rage and trembled as he asked Rand if the story was true, before starting to hit her repeatedly.
She said: "She started to cry, she was nervous. He got hold of her hair and started thumping her again and again.
"I screamed and called out for her two brothers so they could get their father away from her. But when he told them the reason, instead of saving her they helped end her life."
Qader Ali had used his own feet to press down on Rand's throat until she stopped breathing before cutting at her body with a knife, she said.
Sgt Ali Jabbar of Basra police said: "Not much can be done when we have an 'honour killing'. You are in a Muslim society and women should live under religious laws."
Ms Hussein has now divorced her husband and is in hiding under the care of a charity for fear of reprisals from his family for speaking out.
A charity spokeswoman said: "She has been threatened by her husband's family and is very scared."
The Ministry of Defence is thought to be trying to track down the soldier, who is believed to have no idea his friendship with Rand might have put her at risk.
There is no official policy on advising troops how to behave with Iraqi women when they are deployed to the country.
An MoD spokeswoman said: "They are not told: don't go and fall in love."
The murder is believed to be the first "honour killing" in the war-torn country involving a British soldier.
But there were 47 such killing of young women in Basra alone last year and just three convictions, according to the city's Security Committee.
“What moron in the Bush Administration thought that these animals could be civilized?”
The dream began with one British elitist named Gertrude Bell in 1900. The UK & US have been trying to correct this mess ever since. At least McCain has the right idea: a pro-western regime, rather than a western-style regime.
The only difference is Bush’s course of action has cost us quite a bit in terms of blood and treasure. Stories such as this one cast serious doubt as to the wisdom of his policy of nation building in Islamo nut nations.
The islam-a-nazies are such good people who respect women. We should invite millions of them here so that we can good about our diverseness. Just like the euro-wiennies have.
A beautiful 17 year old young lady beaten to death by her own father. Where the hell is the honor in that??
Why don't we just cordon off the best oil fields, push these people out into the desert, and steal what we need.
Why don't we just cordon off the best oil fields, push these people out into the desert, and steal what we need.
Look at those eyes. This makes me weep.
What’s wrong with them?
No Jesus, No Peace
Know Jesus, Know Peace
simple but true.
It is amazing to me that America sends females into Iraq to protect and defend these evil scumbags.
What a great quote (and custom).
We Can Not ‘pull out.’ President Bush has said America’s duty is to bring Democracy to the world.
More than a hundred years ago, Rudyard Kipling spoke of ‘the white man’s burden.’ Today we know that was a rascist statement. We know that not only White Men can be civilized. Today, we should speak of the Burden of the West to civilize and democratize our brothers who suffer under superstition and tyranny.
Not only will we be doing good for them, but we will ensuring they will never again threaten us or our friends.
“I think we need to pull out and let them kill each other.”
OMG. I beseech you to learn about radical Islam and its “God-given mission”. It’s not about killing each other, that’s just distracting fallout, it’s about killing ALL non-Muslims (Israel AND the West being top priorities)and re-establishing Islam as the power dominating the planet. Read their teachings, listen to/read the experts and scholars on this, of which there are many (and a significant of former Muslims themselves).
Because we made the mistake of pulling out of Afghanistan immediately after defeating the Russions there, Bin Laden and Al Queda along with the Taliban, established a firm foothold and safe haven in our void. It haunts us to this day, but to make the same error this time quite possibly will be fatal.
Fact is that Islam was founded on murder, hatred, rape and violence. It has not changed one hair since its invention.
I find it depressing that the majority refuses to acknowledge this politically incorrect and HISTORICAL fact.
This is accordance with their Sharia law.
Every other deserving society in history would do the same, but we have somehow become a feminized society in which true progress will never allowed to be maintained at the expense of the political leverage given to the politicians of our p*ssy-whipped, balless, gutless geldings we call males.
and I just threaten to ground my teenager.
maybe take away her car for the afternoon.
Rest in Peace.
“The only difference is Bushs course of action has cost us quite a bit in terms of blood and treasure. Stories such as this one cast serious doubt as to the wisdom of his policy of nation building in Islamo nut nations.”
A) Pulling out now will cost us countless MORE blood and treasure, but B) GW has made some gross blunders in non-planning and misguided idealism. I agree with the above poster’s take - our goal should be to build pro-Western allies (highly attainable), NOT persistently attempt to westernize, democratize them which is almost always a losing proposition in that part of the world.
Its unlikely she had accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.
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