Brother of Slain Lewisville Girls Tries to Dispel Honor Killing Theory
—- (Deny, deny, deny… Throw out some “Islam means peace” crap… Yup, that should do it…) —
Except, no one in the family explains (as if one could) why Yaser Said killed his two daughters because they KNOW it was an honor killing, and are now doing their best to cover it up as such as it reflects badly on Islam…
Also, as a side note, check out the age of Patricia (15 yrs. old) when she was married to Yaser Said (30 yrs. old). Yup, that’s right, he’s a pedophile, just like Muhammad…
Is it just me, or is anyone else getting that sick feeling that these two girls might have also been sexually abused by daddy???
Slain sisters remembered at vigil
By DOMINGO RAMIREZ JR. and MELISSA VARGAS
Star-Telegram staff writers
LEWISVILLE — Patricia Said and her 19-year-old son have been in hiding since her teenage daughters were found shot to death Tuesday and her husband, Yaser Abdel Said, was accused of the crime.
With police watching over them, the mother and son emerged Thursday evening to attend a candlelight vigil in honor of the girls. Yaser Abdel Said, 50, has eluded police since the shooting.
The girls’ mother sobbed into the microphone at Lewisville High School, where Sarah Said, 17, and Amina Said, 18, were honor students.
“They will be missed,” Patricia Said told the crowd of about 100 students and teachers. “They were always happy, even when I was sad.”
Their brother, Islam Said, also addressed the crowd to dispel rumors that the family’s Muslim faith was a factor in their slayings.
“Religion has nothing to do with this, and it was very wrong,” Islam Said said. “Islam is not a bad religion.”
Details emerged Thursday about the days leading up to the fatal shootings of the Lewisville teens, who were found Tuesday evening in a taxi that police believe was driven by their father.
Patricia Said and her daughters quit their jobs at a Kroger grocery store in Lewisville just before Christmas, a company spokesman said.
Patricia and Yaser Said were wed in February 1987 when she was 15 and he was 30, Tarrant County marriage records show. The two have had addresses in Euless, Bedford, Grand Prairie and Arlington, public records indicate.
Yaser Abdel Said filed a missing-person report Dec. 26. He hoped police would help track down his wife, according to a report by KDFW/Channel 4.
The incident marked one of the domestic problems that investigators believe may have led to the killings of Sarah and Amina Said.
Friends of the girls have said their father didn’t approve of them dating.
Grief counselors were at the school Thursday and were expected again today, district spokesman Dean Tackett said. More events to honor the girls could take place next week, he said.
Police get the call
Irving police were alerted to the shooting about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when one of the girls used her cellphone to call 911, telling police that she was dying, according to a police report. The line remained open and sounds could be heard, but police could not determine her location, police said.
About an hour later, police received a call reporting two unconscious females inside a Jet Taxi cab in the service entrance of the Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas, in the 200 block of Las Colinas Boulevard in Irving.
According to the Dallas County medical examiner’s office, the girls died of multiple gunshot wounds.
The girls’ mother provided information naming the father a suspect, according to an Irving police report.
The taxicab
A Jet Taxi official has said Yaser Abdel Said did not work for the company, but police said Thursday that another driver sublet the cab to him.
“We have every reason to believe the shootings occurred in the taxi,” Irving police spokesman David Tull said Thursday.A capital murder arrest warrant has been issued for Yaser Abdel Said, and police say he is considered dangerous.
Tim Counts, a spokesman for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, said the federal agency is not involved in the investigation.
Yaser Abdel Said had been living in Lewisville with his wife, son and daughters, Lewisville police said Thursday.
Friends remember
Friends of the teens spread the word about the vigil Thursday evening through word-of-mouth and on the Facebook Web site. Pink was the girls’ favorite color. Some mourners wore pink clothes; others wrapped pink bands around their arms or wore pink ribbons in solidarity.
What began as sniffles from the chilly night air quickly turned into the sobs of dozens of people, many of whom shared classes, lunch hours and after-school activities with the sisters.
While huddled around a flagpole adorned with pictures of the girls, notes of sorrow and flower-filled containers, vigil participants held candles, shared their memories, listened to music and read from the Quran.
Teachers shared their memories of the intelligent girls, who liked to compete with each other but remained very close.
“I left my door open for her today,” Sarah’s chemistry teacher said. “I’m going to miss them probably for the rest of my life.”
The girls’ boyfriends spoke about their loving nature, and friends were visibly upset. Some simply broke down.
“Now that she’s gone, I don’t want to be here either,” said Sarah’s best friend, Kathleen Wong. “I’ll always regret not giving her a hug the last day that I saw her.”
Staff writers Patrick McGee and Mark Agee contributed to this report.
The suspect
Description: Police said Yaser Abdel Said is about 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs about 180 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black turtleneck shirt/sweater, a brown coat and tan pants.
He is believed to be armed with a handgun, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Irving police at 972-721-2518.
ramirez@star-telegram.com
mvargas@star-telegram.com
4 January, 2008 at 1:20 pm
«««Perhaps I’m wrong, but has anyone thought to look for him in a mosque?»»»»
http://pajamasmedia.com/xpress/phyllischesler/2008/01/03/dead_in_dallas_honor_killings.php
Honor killing , Theory and Practice :
1. http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003793.html
2. http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003795.html
3. http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003796.html
4 January, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Just speculation, but I’d be more inclined to believe the theory that the girls might have been molested and that the killing was a cover-up. Of course, we may never know.
I’m surprised to hear that as recently as ‘87, Tarrant Co. would allow a 15 year old to get married. Sorry, but that’s just wrong.
Question: If a Muslim commits a criminal act of violence, is it always right to blame it on Islam? I wonder how many “Christian” murderers have their crimes used to attack Christianity?
4 January, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Any Christian who commits murder is not a Christian. You can become a Christian if you repent of your murder in Christ’s name. Only G-d will know if you really mean it.
In Islam, it is OK to murder your female children in the name of honor. It is never OK in Christianity.
Get it stupid?
4 January, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Having been married to two Muslims 20 years apart (chalk it up to slow learning, wishful thinking and overactive hormones). The think that people dance around but can’t seem to grasp is that Islam IS the reason, whether or not you want to blame it per se. Islam is inherently comprised of a COMPLETELY different values set. The priorities are different, the morality is different — even the definition of morality is different.
Most people in a judeo-christian culture (whether or not they claim Christ) will NEVER be able to make sense of Islamic thought, because it is completely different than their own. Islamic thought is complely illogical from a christian point of view.
I personally love quite a few muslim people.. but becuase I know their background and what they are raised to believe, I know I cannot trust them past a certain point. I would certainly never marry another Muslim.
All it would take in that culture to justify this man’s actions would me a RUMOR of his daughters not being virgins. Just a rumor. Even les — an offhanded comment by one of his peers that his daughters dressed like sluts and would never be married to a good muslim man (who would take them?). THat right there would be enough.
If a woman (no matter how chaste and pure of heart) is raped in Egypt, do you know who is punished? The woman. They figure that she bewitched her assailant and made him do it with her feminine wiles.
Y’all are going to have to do some real research into this mindset if you’re ever going to be able to talk of world peace or even tolerance. Their values set will not permit them to be at peace with us. Islam and its culture flies in the face of jueo-christian values.
I weep for these girls — and for their mother. The son is so close to the situation (and has been raised by his father) so go figure why he’s going to say Islam had nothing to do with it. He’s too close to see that it’s EXACTLY the cause.
4 January, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Leatherneck: in your church, is calling people “stupid” an acceptable way testify of your beliefs? When you say “In Islam, it is OK…” are you talking about something you read in the Koran, or is this just something you heard about the culture on talk radio?
Elizabeth: What I’m trying to understand is the basis of the assertions that Islam itself - the actual religious dogma, and not the culture of the nations in which it has been practiced - is actually responsible.
If you look at the various beliefs that people who have claimed to be Christians have held over the past two millenniums, and couple that with certain parts of the Old Testament - even some of the New Testament, It’s easy to see how someone who was only peripherally familiar with Christianity could think that we are the “Religion of violence”.
My point is not that “we’re just as bad as them” but rather that “criminal bastards are criminal bastards”. The sweeping generalizations of Islam only serve to feed prejudice and xenophobia.
4 January, 2008 at 6:43 pm
BTW, there’s an interesting paper that discusses rape laws of Muslim countries such as Egypt here:
http://www.islam-democracy.org/documents/pdf/6th_Annual_Conference-JulieNorman.pdf
The author seems to conclude that their laws are more the result of a patriarchal society than the religion itself.
4 January, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Sweeping generalization my ass.
It took a few seconds to find this, Leatherneck is right you are stupid.
There can never be any moral equivalency between these two religions.
Christianity
Thou shalt not kill (murder).” (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17)
“…murders… they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:21)
“…no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” (1 John 3:15)
“…murderers… shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:
“For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters…” (Revelation 22:15)
Jesus and Paul both reiterated the Old Testament prohibition against murder:
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.” (Matthew 5:21)
“…Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill….” (Romans 13:9)
Murder is listed right alongside sins like sorcery, fornication, robbery.
“Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings…” (Galatians 5:21)
“Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” (Revelation 9:21)
“…murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars…” (Revelation 21:
Islam
“Make war on them until idolatry is no more and Allah’s religion reigns supreme.” (Koran 8:37)
The Koran instructs not to make friendship with Jews and Christians (Koran 5:51) but to war against them: “When the Sacred Months are over, kill those who ascribe partners to God wheresoever ye find them; seize them, encompass them, and ambush them; then if they repent and observe prayer and pay the alms, let them go their way (Koran 4:5). “Fight against those who believe not in God nor in the Last Day, who… refuse allegiance to the True Faith from among those who have received the Book, until they humbly pay tribute out of hand.” (Koran 9:29) Note: These verses distinguish between warfare against pagans, and against Jews and Christians.[17]
“…kill the disbelievers wherever we find them” (Koran 2:191); “fight and slay the Pagans, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem” (Koran 9:5); “murder them and treat them harshly” (Koran 9:123).
“Seize ye him, and bind ye him, And burn ye him in the Blazing Fire. Further, make him march in a chain, whereof the length is seventy cubits! This was he that would not believe in Allah Most High. And would not encourage the feeding of the indigent! So no friend hath he here this Day. Nor hath he any food except the corruption from the washing of wounds, Which none do eat but those in sin.” (Koran 69:30-37)
“Strike off the heads of the disbelievers”; and after making a “wide slaughter among them, carefully tie up the remaining captives” (Koran 47:4).
“Instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers”; “smite above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them” (Koran 8:12; cp. 8:60).
“O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern against them. Their abode is Hell - an evil refuge indeed” (Koran 9:73).
“slay or crucify or cut the hands and feet of the unbelievers, that they be expelled from the land with disgrace…” (Koran 5:34).
“for them (the unbelievers) garments of fire shall be cut and there shall be poured over their heads boiling water whereby whatever is in their bowels and skin shall be dissolved and they will be punished with hooked iron rods” (Koran 22:19-22)
4 January, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Just a quick usage note:
The King James version interprets “pharmakeia” as Sorcery and witchcraft, since sorcerers and witches use potions. But, it more accurately means “drug abusers.”
Anyway, just thought I’d chime in with that bit of useless trivia that I am waiting to put to use when the guys from Jeopardy come knocking at my door.
Carry on…
5 January, 2008 at 9:59 am
“We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
“Great peace have those which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them” Psalm 119:165
“and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20:6
5 January, 2008 at 11:36 am
If the shoe fits.
Note to self: Do not argue with Ronin.
5 January, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Always good advice leatherneck.
6 January, 2008 at 3:21 am
To anyone with an experienced eye, the murders of the beautiful Said sisters are quite obviously dishonor killings.
About the young age of Patricia, the mother, at the age of marriage. . .I don’t know what the legal marrying age is in Egypt, but throughout the Middle East it is surprisingly young. I doubt her marriage to a man twice her age was considered pedophilia in Egypt. Not that I think it’s wise to marry so young. . .or a man twice one’s age.
Ellen R. Sheeley, Author
“Reclaiming Honor in Jordan”
6 January, 2008 at 9:23 am
I thought honor killings were more of a cultural thing rather than anything having to do with religion. None of your quotations had anything to do with honor killings. You can also go into the Bible and find citations instructing believers to kill others (see below for a few examples).
Leviticus 24:16 (New International Version)
16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.
Leviticus 20:27 (New International Version)
27 ” ‘A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.’ ”
Numbers 15:32-36
32 While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35 Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses.
6 January, 2008 at 9:47 am
Games that muslims or muslim apologists play (see above post). When will they ever learn that there are some of us who know what they are doing, what they are up to, etc. Probably never! That’s unless the One and True God intervenes and opens their eyes to who He is and what He wants to do for them.
6 January, 2008 at 10:14 am
Ammani,
You have to understand that we use terms such as pedophilia as we would use them in daily conversation. They do not necessarily match the legal or dictionary definition exactly. At least my friends if I asked them what they thought of a man in his 30’s dating or marring a girl of 15 that term would come up.
I strongly feel although most Muslims claim these type of marriages are cultural and not Islamic that is just noise. Reality is Islam is used to justify the behavior and there is no pressure from the larger Muslim community to stop pedophilia, dis-honor killing or the selling of children to pay debts (or profit). In short what Muslims say or claim rarely matches their actions.
Regards,
Ronin
6 January, 2008 at 10:23 am
What about these?
My answer is similar to the one I gave Ammani,
I strongly feel although most Muslims claim these type of actions are cultural and not Islamic that is just noise. Reality is Islam is used to justify the behavior and there is no pressure from the larger Muslim community to stop them. In the case of dis-honor killing many Muslim also look favorable on the murderer for being so devout.
I will not bother to defend against your silly attempt to start a moral equivalency comparison between Islam and Christianity. The simple truth is main stream Muslim clerics from all denominations are routinely calling for all sorts of evil acts and do it in the name of Islam. A few off shoots of Christianity have used violence to justify their individual actions but the larger Christian community has never done so.
It was nice or you to stop by but you need work, your attempts to defend Islam are at best ill thought out and just sad.
6 January, 2008 at 10:46 am
I didn’t try to start a moral equivalency argument. You did by cherrypicking parts of the Koran and Bible. I was just pointing out that if you want to argue from the point of view “look what the book says”, Christianity doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on.
Now, your argument about mainstream clergy and their interpretation of the “book”, whichever book that is, is much more interesting. Certainly, Christianity has been used, in the past, to justify violent actions (Inquisition, Salem witch trials, etc. etc.). So, another argument might be that Christianity has moved beyond that point, and Islam is currently *at * that point of development. In any case I wouldn’t agree that the “larger Christian community has never done so.”
Having said that, I’m not an expert in either religion. I just came across your blog when reading about the tragic story of these two girls. I will refrain from calling anyone “stupid” or “sad” because I don’t think that it adds to the discourse in any meaningful way. I’m happy to discuss, but less interested in name-calling.
For interested readers, it sounds like the mother was Christian and native-born American. I’m not sure how she ended up marrying a 30 year old Egyptian man when she was a teenager?
6 January, 2008 at 11:12 am
What About These,
1) The book Leviticus concerns itself mainly with judicial legislation. The examples you cite are the punishments AFTER a hearing by the elders or Levi’s (think of them as judges).
The U.S. and other nations also have the death penalty for certain crimes such as murder and rape. So, as long as there has been a legal process followed, the punishments are legally allowed.
2) Concerning Numbers 15:32-36: Moses was the leader of the Israelites. They came to him with a problem. He solved the problem. Case closed.
3) But, aside from all that, the examples you cite are no longer applicable in Jewish law.
Seriously, when is the last time you heard of a Jewish assembly stoning someone for blaspheme, sorcery, or breaking the sabbath?
However, modern day Islamic scholars and clerics routinely use verses cited in the Qur’an and the Hadiths to justify their holy war and senseless killings.
Therein lies the problem. Judaism and Christianity have progressed beyond those archaic laws, while Islam is stuck in the mud with its Sharia laws - based on the Qur’an and Hadiths…
So, in the end, your examples pulled from the Old Testament have no bearing on anything, as they are no longer followed, while the examples Ronin cited from the Qur’an are still being used to justify senseless killings and have a direct bearing on this case.
Which, leads us to the killing of two young girls who just wanted to embrace western culture, while their dad is still embracing his old ways learned in a country whose laws are heavily influenced by Sharia…
Cheers
6 January, 2008 at 11:37 am
What About These,
Ah… I see that you and Ronin have already hit upon my point while I was taking so long to type it and also taking care of “Our Little Princess” at the same time…
Hmmm…. One more point needs to be mentioned. According to my 2008 World Almanac (thank you, “Santa”), under Major Non-Christian World Religions (page 719):
“…[Allah] revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad to guide humanity to truth and justice. THOSE WHO SINCERELY “SUBMIT” (literal meaning of “islam”
to [Allah] ATTAIN SALVATION…”
(emphasis added)
There’s the problem. In order to be saved and go to heaven, Muslims believe that they must submit to the will of Allah. And, since they believe that the will of Allah was revealed to Muhammad as written in the Qur’an, then they MUST follow the commandments as is - including those verses cited by Ronin.
It’s a matter of salvation to them, unlike the Christians who believe that Jesus (and, NOT the law) is their salvation…
Cheers
6 January, 2008 at 11:41 am
Thanks Doc for chiming in. The status of the mother is unimportant to this case. What is important is how many Muslims chose to point out this was not an (dis) honor crime or not sanctioned by Islam instead of publicly condemning the crime. They are far more worried about the image of US Muslims and Islam than the safety of their own children. Family members have even fallen into that trap, some claim this was an (dis) honor crime and some do not. The real dialogue should have at least considered the possibility based on a pattern seen globally and how to protect other children in Islamic families, not on blame setting, image building or protecting the name of Islam.
These girls were intelligent young ladies living in a free country. A country, which would have allowed them to chart there own, courses and not be limited by seventh century ideology. For all Dad knew one or both might have reimbursed Islam. They will never have that chance and no amount of spin will change the fact that all Muslim families could and probably will find themselves facing battles between American Freedoms and Islamic intolerance.
If you want to discuss that feel free, I could careless about attempting to prove or disprove any other culture, religion or individual could possibly, one day commit a similar crime.
6 January, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Same “nothing to do with Islam” pattern in Australia two days ago:
Girl, 13, strangled by her dad
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23004868-5006301,00.html?from=mostpop
http://sheikyermami.com/2008/01/04/honor-killing-comes-to-sydney/