ABU QASH, West Bank - Rofayda Qaoud - raped by her brothers and impregnated - refused to commit suicide, her mother recalls, even after she bought the unwed teenager a razor with which to slit her wrists. So Amira Abu Hanhan Qaoud says she did what she believes any good Palestinian parent would: restored her family's "honor" through murder.

Armed with a plastic bag, razor and wooden stick, Qaoud entered her sleeping daughter's room last Jan. 27. "Tonight you die, Rofayda," she told the girl, before wrapping the bag tightly around her head. Next, Qaoud sliced Rofayda's wrists, ignoring her muffled pleas of "No, mother, no!" After her daughter went limp, Qaoud struck her in the head with the stick.

Killing her sixth-born child took 20 minutes, Qaoud tells a visitor through a stream of tears and cigarettes that she smokes in rapid succession. "She killed me before I killed her," says the 43-year-old mother of nine. "I had to protect my children. This is the only way I could protect my family's honor."

[...]

Police in Israel investigated at least 18 honor killings in the past three years.

Palestinian police reported 31 cases in 2002 - up from five during the first half of 1999 - the last time such incidents were counted before the current Palestinian uprising began, according to the center's study.

But the number of killings is likely higher, given that Palestinian police investigate only crimes that have been reported, said Yousef Tarifi, the Ramallah prosecutor assigned to Qaoud's case. Shalhoub-Kevorkian says her past research showed the likely number to be 15 times higher than the number of reported cases.

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Gee...why is it you never hear of similar atrocities committed by members of other religions?

Just asking.

Saying ANYTHING bad about our oppressed Palestinian brothers and sisters will get yopu called a Zionist knucklehead around here.

I'm betting the reaction will be [insert sound of crickets here], or that I'll be called a racist for some reason, more than likely because I dare to point out the less-than-savory actions of those the IndyMidiots rabidly and blindly support.

Oh, and there'll be a "...BUT the JOOOOS kill little baby Palestinian puppies!" too.

Them A-rabs be mii-fine fokes, know?

I'd rather side with them than Americans anyday....

Because we're not at war with christians, buddhists, or hindus. We're at war with muslims, therefore, the press will highlight the worst qualities of people identified as muslims, and ignore the positive qualities.

Likewise, people will overlook the thousands of christians who abuse children, ritually beat children, and practice "kissin-cousins" incest.

This is just typical wartime propaganda and hate-mongering. It's another dropping in the shit-bucket of racism. Thanks for your fecal contribution, nonanarchist.

I don't know where you get your news, but I hear of abuses of the type you mentioned all the time.

It exists. Unfortunately, it exists. No one group has a lock on atrocities.

Once again, your typical imc label of "racism" is applied to someone who speaks the truth. Man, you folks just don't want to hear about reality, do you?

You know, if you'd written, "Wow. That sure is horrible. What would make a person feel that's acceptable, and how can we discourage further repetitions?" you'd have gotten my respect.

But no, you had to get all stupid.

You called the article "hate-mongering". Why? Because I dared to post an article about an event that actually occurred?

What if the family had been another religion or ethnicity? Would you have been so quick to condemn me and ignore the mother?

I submit, irrational, that you have a great deal of hate yourself.

Now, go ahead...attack me again, and ignore the mother who killed her child.

could you mop the men's room? Don't forget to push the shopping carts back in before you leave.
Thank you.

Was that you, irrational?

If so, you're a coward.

If it's someone else, you're a coward.

Do you have anything to say about the artcle, or are you just going to fling poo like a monkey?

By the liberal use of the word "coward" in your posts, it is easy to guess it's you, daveman. That word suits you well.

Are you done with these shopping carts?

We welcome you back again, but you need to change your MO. It's been done too long and it's getting el boringo.

No EV points.