Apparent “Honor Killing” in NY
18 February 2009 by Stardust
A Muslim television executive beheaded his wife a few days after she served him with divorce papers.
Muslim TV exec accused of beheading wife in NY
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – The crime drips with brutal irony: a woman decapitated, allegedly by her estranged husband, in the offices of the television network the couple founded with the hope of countering Muslim stereotypes.
Muzzammil “Mo” Hassan is accused of beheading his wife last week, days after she filed for divorce. Authorities have not discussed the role religion or culture might have played, but the slaying gave rise to speculation that it was the sort of “honor killing” more common in countries half a world away, including the couple’s native Pakistan.
While investigators are still trying to figure out if this horrific incident was just an act of “domestic violence”, those who work for women’s rights see this crime as something more:
The New York president of the National Organization for Women, Marcia Pappas, condemned prosecutors for referring to the death as an apparent case of domestic violence.
“This was, apparently, a terroristic version of ‘honor killing,’” a statement from NOW said.
Nadia Shahram, who teaches family law and Islam at the University at Buffalo Law School, explained honor killing as a practice still accepted among fanatical Muslim men who feel betrayed by their wives.
“If a woman breaks the law which the husband or father has placed for the wife or daughter, honor killing has been justified,” said Shahram, who was a regular panelist on a law show produced by Bridges TV. “It happens all the time. It’s been practiced in countries such as Pakistan and in India.”
Call it what you want, but it’s an act of gruesome murder. This is not Pakistan or India, and allowances and excuses are not given to those who break the law, period. Many who murder believe they are justified in the killing and that their immoral god is pleased. Most Christians here have learned that they cannot murder in the name of their sky boss or “tradition” and get away with it. Their god cannot save them from human justice.
Acquaintances said Mo Hassan was not overtly religious — co-workers did not see him pray, for instance. But he seemed to adhere to many traditional practices.
Nancy Sanders, the television station’s news director for 2 1/2 years, remembers him asking her to move her feet during her job interview so he would not see her legs. She was wearing a skirt and stockings.
He also would not let women enter his office unless his wife was there, and he blocked the station from airing a story about the first Muslim woman to win the title of Miss England in 2005, Sanders said.
Acquaintances said Aasiya Hassan was trained as an architect. Sanders described her as obedient to her husband, and that she wore a traditional hijab for a time but later stopped without explanation.
It seems like this poor woman was a victim of oppression and domestic violence and only wanted her freedom. Stories like this are unbelievably sad whether religion is involved or not, especially when innocent children are left without a mother and father.
18 February 2009, on 2:48 pm
Way to counteract stereotypes.
18 February 2009, on 2:58 pm
Perhaps it is time for the U.S. to deem these “honor” executions as hate crimes: Such misogyny should not be viewed as a “simple” crime of murder.
Perhaps a public castration of these sociopaths would serve as deterrent? Just a suggestion.
18 February 2009, on 4:11 pm
I wonder, if Mr. Hassan is convicted, what the outcry from the Muslim community will be like.
18 February 2009, on 4:20 pm
Dan,
Hard to say but if they have any sense this is not a cause I’d take up as emblematic of discrimination against Muslim’s seeing as there will be zero sympathy for this guy.
18 February 2009, on 4:49 pm
I’m curious: what is a NON-terroristic version of ‘honor killing’? Fast acting poison?
Obviously hubby had some SERIOUS issues, or she’d not have filed for divorce.
18 February 2009, on 9:23 pm
I heard about this story earlier today. Didn’t realize it happened in NY.
I really hope people don’t start making excuses and apologetics for him, otherwise, well, I guess we’ll be seeing new frontiers in my cynicism.
18 February 2009, on 9:47 pm
…”He was not overtly religiopus they say.”…
He and his wife ran a Muslim television station. Excuse me if I seem dense but doesn’t that qualify as overt?
Religion poisons everything. Especially the minds of the faithful.
I was reading about this at another blog and the comments were out there. Some people were nearly defending this as just another domestic violence, it happens all the time type of thing. And I have read that most women are harmed by family more than any other factor. But most do not have their heads lopped off. That is typical Islam. Or what Islam has tolerated in its name.
What a bunch of little dicked sissies those honor killers
18 February 2009, on 11:14 pm
He and his wife ran a Muslim television station. Excuse me if I seem dense but doesn’t that qualify as overt?
I would put that on par with the Xian television stations and programs, some of which are run by “lovely looking” Xian couples. Look how some of those marriages ended up!
Yes, religion poisons everything. Why people think that Christianity is terrible, but go on to defend the Muslim religion is beyond me. Those who say “it was just another case of domestic violence” would not be making the same excuses for Christians chopping up their wives.
19 February 2009, on 1:15 am
And I have read that most women are harmed by family more than any other factor. But most do not have their heads lopped off. That is typical Islam. Or what Islam has tolerated in its name.
Yeah, decapitation is pretty deliberate and in this context,obviously religiously fueled.
19 February 2009, on 2:40 am
Yes…totally bonkers!
What else can be expected from completely delusional, irrational religions but all manner and levels of insane behavior.
The usual formula seems like: Insanity in…insanity out?
Just to drive home the point, again…Religion MOST DEFINITELY poisons everything…
and that means…everything…everywhere…in ANY time period…on this tiny, rather forlorn, still stubbornly warlike and primitive…Little Blue Dot Planet!!!
It’s actually quite startling to me when highly intelligent, truly civilized, people actually come along…
like a Carl Sagan, Dawkins, etc. But ultimately, it’s the boneheads who end up getting most of the attention.
If Muzzammil “Mo” Hassan is actually found guilty, and imprisoned; I think, perhaps, he should be “beheaded”…
but I think you can guess which “head” I’m referring to…? Of course, he might end up like old Jeffrey Dahmer; getting beaten to death, or being somebody’s (non-Islamic) slave-bitch?
Actually, I’m just kidding…
aren’t I?
20 February 2009, on 8:00 am
I want to say straight up that this murder is unacceptable. As are all murders. What I would like to interject though is that there is no mention that he murdered his wife *via* a gruesome beheading. From what I have read the method was more mundane and quite a common spousal murder at that (strangulation). The fact that the murderer then ritually beheaded the victim should in no way change the abhorrence we all feel for murder in general.
This is an artifact of belief that the body is more than just a carcass even when brain function ceases.
Now desecration of a corpse has a strong negative aspect. I do not deny that and I do not condone it. But please let us focus on the facts. A husband killed is wife because she wanted a divorce. Have no Christians (or atheists) done that ever?
Let me summarise. I feel that many are too ready to gloat over the circumstances of the people involved. Schadenfreude has its place – bu this is not it.
20 February 2009, on 9:28 am
Have no Christians (or atheists) done that ever?
Andrew, I already have pointed that out in my post, and I also pointed out that people are quick to try to find excuses for Muslim loonies who do these horrendous things where they wouldn’t for Christians who commit horrible acts. And I already pointed out that murder is murder and I said if this maniac did this in the name of religino or not, murder is murder. And if this sort of crime IS committed in the name of religion or some god, this will give those people who feel justified to murder in the name of religion something to think about because as I also said, human justice trumps god delusion. Every time we write something about Islam or any other religion, we are not making excuses for the actions of Christians.
20 February 2009, on 10:51 am
^^ I also want to point out that how this lunatic abused his wife in everyday life was based on his traditional Muslim beliefs concerning women. She wore the hijab early in their marriage, when he interviewed women at this network he made them hide their legs, etc.
21 February 2009, on 12:08 am
“Let me summarise. I feel that many are too ready to gloat over the circumstances of the people involved. Schadenfreude has its place – bu this is not it.”
Andrew; This is not taking delight in the misfortune of others. This is pointing out that, even those who attempt to demonstrate that religion is good so often fail, because, well, they are in the turd-pollishing business.
This is pointing out that, while people do bad things, religions too often appears to provide a convenient rationale for these bad acts.
This is pointing out that bad people generally do bad things, good people generally do good things, but it takes religion to lead a good person to horrible acts.
Most importantly this is pointing out that there will be those in our society who will ignore the voice of reason in their heads and plead for leniency in cases such as this, in the name of “cultural relativity” or “cultural sensitivity,” not once considering that they have placed these “values” above those of social order, safety, justice, peace and most importantly, compassion for the victim.
This is pointing out that another woman died, in the name of the religion of peace.
22 February 2009, on 11:44 am
This is right up there with that picture of the Muslim guy holding a sign that read “Behead those who say that Islam is violent.”
22 February 2009, on 11:51 am
Just thought of another bumper sticker idea:
WARNING: MARRYING A MUSLIM MAN CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH.
26 February 2009, on 12:35 pm
So, andrew… would you still consider it a common spousal murder if a wife got crusified (literally) by her husband? Who are you kidding? Maybe we should all try and ignore the kneejerk reaction to defend all things muslim in the name of “political correctedness”. Maybe you should become a defense lawyer for murderers and use the defence, “murder happens all the time”. You should clarify exactly how fatal stragulation ought to be seen as “mundane”.
Fritzy put it well – try and turn a turd into a candy bar, but eating it will still make you sick.
29 March 2009, on 1:20 am
The question is, are these merely vile cultural practices (which even exceed the misogyny of Islamic law) or could there be a genetic basis to these behaviors? Studies need to be made (without hysterical left wing denouncement on grounds of political correctness) to rule out this possibility. If there IS an ethnic/racial genetic basis to Middle Eastern and South Asian misogyny and gendercide, compulsory sterilization of those males afflicted would be the kindest option. The alternative is for these sexual terrorists to out-breed the native population by converting their women into breeding slaves, and then alter the native constitution into one of misogyny and organized sexual criminality.