Iraqi Girl Murdered By Her Father

[D2112]

Teenage Iraqi girl who fell in love with BRITISH soldier in Basra is murdered by her own father in honour killing
By MATTHEW HICKLEY - More by this author » Last updated at 00:21am on 28th April 2008



Rand Abdel-Qader, 17, was killed by her father after falling in love with a British soldier

An Iraqi teenage girl was brutally murdered by her father in an "honour killing" after she fell in love with a British soldier in Basra.

Seventeen-year-old Rand Abdel-Qader told her best friend how she had fallen for Paul, a 22-year-old she met at a charity where she worked as a volunteer.

When her father learned she had been seen speaking to a foreigner he rushed home and butchered her, strangling and stabbing her while screaming that he was "cleansing his honour".

He was arrested, but Iraqi police took no action. His wife has since left him and is in hiding.

The Ministry of Defence was last night trying to trace the soldier. Officials stressed he appeared to have done nothing wrong by befriending the girl.

While there is no suggestion the two had any physical relationship, the case raises questions about the training given to British forces in understanding cultural values in a city where 47 women died in "honour killings" last year.

According to reports from Basra, the soldier was an infantryman with blond hair who last saw Rand in January, a few weeks before her murder.

MoD officials said thousands of troops were in the city at the time. Infantry units included the Irish Guards, the Royal Welsh and The Rifles, but Paul could have been from dozens of other units including engineers, logistics, medical specialists or the TA.

Army insiders said they needed to establish the full facts to help prevent such a tragedy happening again.

An MoD spokesman said troops received "cultural awareness training", including the sensitivities of talking to Muslim women, but this focused on issues such as body searches rather than the potential dangers of striking up friendships.

He added: "They are not told, 'Don't go and fall in love'."

Rand Abdel-Qader confided to her closest friend Zeinab that she fell in love the moment she saw the young soldier at the charity for displaced families, and she dreamed of a future with him.

Rand was studying English at Basra University and was able to chat to him without others knowing what they were saying. Zeinab, 19, said:

"She loved to speak about his blond hair, his honey eyes, his white skin and the sweet way he had of speaking. He was very different from the local men who usually are tough and illiterate.

"I was in heaven when she was speaking about him. Everything looked so beautiful.

"With just a simple, caring smile, he was able to give her the sense of love, making her forget all life in Iraq. But, I always had to remind Rand that she was a Muslim and her family was never going to accept her marrying a Christian, British soldier.

"Unfortunately she never wanted to hear me. Her mind was very far from reality, closer to an impossible dream."

Zeinab claimed the soldier gave Rand small gifts, including a cuddly toy.

Rand said she met Paul only four times, always in public.

According to Zeinab, Paul used to tell Rand about England and promised to show her the sights of London one day.

"But the thing she used to like talking about best was how he praised her beauty and her intelligence. She told me he called her 'princess'."

A gift of love: The cuddly toy

Despite her feelings, there was no physical relationship. "She never did anything more than talk to him," said Zeinab.

"She was proud to be a virgin and had a dream to give herself to the man she loved only after her marriage."

On March 16 - two months after Rand last saw Paul - her father Abdel-Qader Ali heard from a friend that his daughter had been seen speaking to the soldier at the charity project.

Recalling Rand's murder, her weeping mother Leila Hussein said: "I screamed and called out for her two brothers so they could get their father away. But when he told them the reason, instead of saving her they helped him end her life."

Abdel-Qader Ali stood on the girl's throat until she suffocated and then stabbed her, all the time shouting that his honour was being cleansed.

He was arrested and released within two hours. Sergeant Ali Jabbar of Basra police said: "The father has very good contacts in the Basra government."

Because her family considered her impure, Rand was given only a simple burial. Her uncles spat in her grave to show their disgust.

Two weeks later her mother demanded a divorce from Ali, and she now campaigns against honour killings.

She lives in fear of reprisals. "I was beaten and had my arm broken by him," she said. "No man can accept being left by a woman in Iraq."

Rand's friend Zeinab said: "Rand was just a young girl with romantic dreams. She always kept her religion close to her heart. She would never even hurt a petal on a rose."

link (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=562358&in_page_id=1770)



http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/05_01/randOBS2704_228x259.jpg

In the name of Islam

[memyselfI]

Wrong, in the name of religious fundamentalist whackos. Islam just happens to be vehicle for this particular whacko.

[Taco John]

...and also the modern religious culture that would pardon such a thing.

[vailpass]

Did he strangle her with the towel taken from his very own head?
Allah commands that it be so, that we might murder our daughters with love.

[BIG_DADDY]

Wrong, in the name of religious fundamentalist whackos. Islam just happens to be vehicle for this particular whacko.

And 42 others in that very same city. What a culture.

[StcChief]

And 42 others in that very same city. What a culture. they just hide behind different acronyms than KKK....

sighting Islam. :rolleyes: NUKEM ALL

[bango]

Bring the troops home. These people are not worth saving. We should just relocate all of the people that are not absolute nutcases. We also just could ship all of the crazies out to the land of their religious cult choice and have a new state for the rest. We could arm them to the teeth to keep out all of the fundis they just had removed. Nevermind, it would just be us meddling in this hellhole like we have done too much, for too long. It would come back and bite us just like it always has. In a world without oil we could either ignore them or laugh at them as they killed each other. We just need to get out of there. We could have used all of the money that we have wasted on finding a new way to fuel our society by now.

[Hydrae]

I fail to see how a society that would turn a blind eye to "honor killing" has any chance at a true democracy.

[Pitt Gorilla]

I hope that guy finds a stray bullet from a British soldier.

[Lex Luthor]

Bring the troops home. These people are not worth saving.
Agreed.

[Duck Dog]

42 honor killings? I can't believe we ever tried to help them.

[mcan]

Wrong, in the name of religious fundamentalist whackos. Islam just happens to be vehicle for this particular whacko.

Yes, it's important to realize that not all muslims are murderers, but you can not turn a blind eye to the fact that he did this in the name of his religion. It's impossible to ignore the fact that even though the murderous population is in the minority, they VASTLY outnumber the murderous, fundamentalist wackos in other religions. An abortion doctor might get killed once every couple of years, but these guys kill hundreds of people every month. And there are polls out there that seem to reflect a sympathic sentiment among the inert and supposedly peacefull Muslim population.


Racism is a terrible thing, but we should not be so sensitive about it that we are blinded by obvious truths about certain religions and ideologies. I also understand that if we were to take a stand against Islam, then we would have no hope for any kind of victory in Iraq. So I'm not expecting any government official to point this stuff out.

[BucEyedPea]

I also understand that if we were to take a stand against Islam, then we would have no hope for any kind of victory in Iraq. So I'm not expecting any government official to point this stuff out.

Unfortunately, that's the cold reality of the matter if you really want to see their long-duration and deeply embedded values change. Getting too high horse about it will only antagonize them. It's ain't gonna be easy. I say let's get the hell out.

[ClevelandBronco]

Bring the troops home. These people are not worth saving...

What an amazingly bigoted statement.

Sometimes I am forced to wonder if any of us are worth saving.

Then I remember that none of us are, and I'm encouraged.

[HonestChieffan]

Wackjobs all.

[memyselfI]

Yes, it's important to realize that not all muslims are murderers, but you can not turn a blind eye to the fact that he did this in the name of his religion. It's impossible to ignore the fact that even though the murderous population is in the minority, they VASTLY outnumber the murderous, fundamentalist wackos in other religions. An abortion doctor might get killed once every couple of years, but these guys kill hundreds of people every month. And there are polls out there that seem to reflect a sympathic sentiment among the inert and supposedly peacefull Muslim population.


Racism is a terrible thing, but we should not be so sensitive about it that we are blinded by obvious truths about certain religions and ideologies. I also understand that if we were to take a stand against Islam, then we would have no hope for any kind of victory in Iraq. So I'm not expecting any government official to point this stuff out.

You know, religious whackos exist everywhere. Here, in the US, we have our lovely FLDS who think nothing of having 13 year old girls impregnated by men old enough to be their grandfathers. They do so under the name of religion.

I find that as morally reprehensible as a suicide bomber done under the guise and cover of religion. Point is that in both cases the whackos give the moderate and liberal people in both religions alot of heartache and in the case of Islam alot of guilt by association.

[Jilly]

Yes, let's forget a WHOLE culture and race because of 42 honour killings, let's forget that any of them are even human at all. Are you blind? If you're so outraged about this one 17 year old who was murdered, then why in the hell is your answer to bail and run? Why isn't your answer to find ways of fighting these injustices. This isn't an Islamist thing, it's a culture thing.... and what it points to is that a woman, in that culture, has not rights. Just like a woman in African culture has no rights when her clitoris is cut off. Just a like a woman in China has no rights. Did you know that expectant pregnant women who have more than one child in China and are expected to get an abortion if the child is a girl that they are carrying? Did you know that in India women are in "freak" accidents daily that result in miscarriage and in 100% of those "accidents" the child they were carrying was girl?
This is a gender issue, not an Islamist issue and in my opinion, nuking them all, obliterating them all or even just fleeing from all of them is not an answer, when are we going to see past our own prejudices and start showing compassion? It's ridiculous that we can see a story like this and point it to a certain religion or culture, place blame and then walk in the other direction.

[HonestChieffan]

Compassion for the bastard would be to give him a slow death but do it slow in really nice clean water. No need to do it in dirty water and make it offensive or anything.

[Jilly]

Compassion for the bastard would be to give him a slow death but do it slow in really nice clean water. No need to do it in dirty water and make it offensive or anything.

how about compassion for the hundreds and millions of women who experience these things daily? I'm sure killing him is really going to correct the problem...but it sure makes you feel good....and then tomorrow you can say the same damn thing when it happens to yet another female.

[patteeu]

Yes, let's forget a WHOLE culture and race because of 42 honour killings, let's forget that any of them are even human at all. Are you blind? If you're so outraged about this one 17 year old who was murdered, then why in the hell is your answer to bail and run? Why isn't your answer to find ways of fighting these injustices. This isn't an Islamist thing, it's a culture thing.... and what it points to is that a woman, in that culture, has not rights. Just like a woman in African culture has no rights when her clitoris is cut off. Just a like a woman in China has no rights. Did you know that expectant pregnant women who have more than one child in China and are expected to get an abortion if the child is a girl that they are carrying? Did you know that in India women are in "freak" accidents daily that result in miscarriage and in 100% of those "accidents" the child they were carrying was girl?
This is a gender issue, not an Islamist issue and in my opinion, nuking them all, obliterating them all or even just fleeing from all of them is not an answer, when are we going to see past our own prejudices and start showing compassion? It's ridiculous that we can see a story like this and point it to a certain religion or culture, place blame and then walk in the other direction.

I agree. I think we should stay in Iraq and help the more liberal elements of their society win the day against those who would reject modernity. I'm not for imposing our will on them unilaterally, but I have confidence enough in the attractiveness of modern civilization to believe that given a chance, it will take root in Iraq as long as we can keep the rejectionists at bay.

[ClevelandBronco]

Okay, so patteeu, Jilly, memyselfI, and I are all on a similar page in this thread.

Quick question: Just what in the hell is happening here?

[memyselfI]

Okay, so patteeu, Jilly, memyselfI, and I are all on a similar page in this thread.

Quick question: Just what in the hell is happening here?

It's the offseason. :doh!: :D

[Jilly]

Okay, so patteeu, Jilly, memyselfI, and I are all on a similar page in this thread.

Quick question: Just what in the hell is happening here?

daddy, I'm scared! (she says, rocking back and forth in a fetal position)

[HonestChieffan]

how about compassion for the hundreds and millions of women who experience these things daily? I'm sure killing him is really going to correct the problem...but it sure makes you feel good....and then tomorrow you can say the same damn thing when it happens to yet another female.

I have all the compassion in the world for the women who live in these societies. What I do not have is much patience to wring my hands and weep as we find a solution that is PC and full of love. I see no reason to have compassion for people who have as an avowed goal to kill all christians or make us live under an Islamic system...that makes them my enemy....screw em. Its long past time to make it a real war and start in with everything we have. All this mamby pamby crap would have Hitler still running Europe if some people had not had the guts to say no more and go fix the damn problem.

[bango]

What an amazingly bigoted statement.

Sometimes I am forced to wonder if any of us are worth saving.

Then I remember that none of us are, and I'm encouraged.


I did not mean to come off as bigoted. I am sorry for allowing the emotions of anger to generalize people. Let me rephrase, the guy that did this, any who would do something like this, and all who condone this are not worth anything at all. I hope that he dies a painful death and that goes for all involved or any people who heard of this and think it is right should suffer the same as he who commited this.
I wonder if any of us are worth saving too. I am going to say that is an example of someone who is not. Anyone who would kill their own child or do anything to children is not.
I am confused that it encourages you that you do not feel that anyone is worth saving.

[ChiefaRoo]

Okay, so patteeu, Jilly, memyselfI, and I are all on a similar page in this thread.

Quick question: Just what in the hell is happening here?

Me too, I'm onboard.

[Mizzou_8541]

Bring the troops home. These people are not worth saving. We should just relocate all of the people that are not absolute nutcases. We also just could ship all of the crazies out to the land of their religious cult choice and have a new state for the rest. We could arm them to the teeth to keep out all of the fundis they just had removed. Nevermind, it would just be us meddling in this hellhole like we have done too much, for too long. It would come back and bite us just like it always has. In a world without oil we could either ignore them or laugh at them as they killed each other. We just need to get out of there. We could have used all of the money that we have wasted on finding a new way to fuel our society by now.

Are you drunk...? You have zero understanding of the problem.

[Tchoupitoulas]

What an amazingly bigoted statement.

Sometimes I am forced to wonder if any of us are worth saving.

Then I remember that none of us are, and I'm encouraged.

Speak for yourself sister.

[bango]

Are you drunk...? You have zero understanding of the problem.

You are right. I have zero understanding of why anyone would ever do anything like this at all.

[ClevelandBronco]

I'm with you on that post (except for Mizzou's accusation). How could any of us who were raised in the Western world understand? It's just tragic.

[Hydrae]

I agree. I think we should stay in Iraq and help the more liberal elements of their society win the day against those who would reject modernity. I'm not for imposing our will on them unilaterally, but I have confidence enough in the attractiveness of modern civilization to believe that given a chance, it will take root in Iraq as long as we can keep the rejectionists at bay.

Which is why I said long before the war that if we want to conquer them, it is very simple. Ship them capitalism. Within a few short years they will be getting fat at McDonalds, shopping at Wal-Mart and spending their evenings vegging out in front of the boob tube.

Then they will be ours! Mwahaha :evil:

[StcChief]

after you get passed the Islam terrorist brain washing kids and democracy/capitalism can take hold.... Freedom that all haven't seen is in it's beginnings there.

[Mizzou_8541]

I'm with you on that post (except for Mizzou's accusation). How could any of us who were raised in the Western world understand? It's just tragic.

My accusation was simply that he does not understand. I have a better understanding of what and why these things happen. The fundamentalists we are talking about value DEATH...not life. Most people everywhere value life over death. Islamic extremists do not. I have seen people drive bomb-laden vehicles into crowded marketplaces for god's sake. I have also lived with many Iraqi muslim families in Iraq while working as a Marine sniper and much of that time was spent speaking to them (in my very rudimentary arabic) and learning about their religion, cultures, values and customs. It is very complex, so before anyone condems anyone, I believe that the average person needs to do a bit more research as it is beyond many people's comprehension. But since I "accused" someone of having zero understanding, then please be aware that I have a much greater understand than most.

This is a tradgedy that should have human rights activists up in arms, but they have remained stangely silent...just as in all matters concerning Iraq.

[bango]

My accusation was simply that he does not understand. I have a better understanding of what and why these things happen. The fundamentalists we are talking about value DEATH...not life. Most people everywhere value life over death. Islamic extremists do not. I have seen people drive bomb-laden vehicles into crowded marketplaces for god's sake. I have also lived with many Iraqi muslim families in Iraq while working as a Marine sniper and much of that time was spent speaking to them (in my very rudimentary arabic) and learning about their religion, cultures, values and customs. It is very complex, so before anyone condems anyone, I believe that the average person needs to do a bit more research as it is beyond many people's comprehension. But since I "accused" someone of having zero understanding, then please be aware that I have a much greater understand than most.

This is a tradgedy that should have human rights activists up in arms, but they have remained stangely silent...just as in all matters concerning Iraq.
I understand that it is a very complex issue. It still can be simplified. If he and others like him value death so much, let them have it. This is also coming from someone that is not a proponent of the death penalty. If you could offer you solution or read all of the posts that were posted on the subject. If you had read all of the posts you would have been able to see that I did issue a retraction. I would like to hear what someone who has been there and understands this much more than I do has to say about it.