AN Iraqi father, who was “congratulated by police” in Basra after he beat his 17-year-old daughter to death because she had become infatuated with a British soldier, said in an interview in today’s Observer that:
Death was the least she deserved. I don’t regret it. I had the support of all my friends who are fathers, like me, and know what she did was unacceptable to any Muslim that honours his religion.
Abdel-Qader Ali, who along with his two sons killed student Rand, said he was unrepentant about her death. His only regret is that he did not kill his daughter at birth.
If I had realised then what she would become, I would have killed her the instant her mother delivered her.
Abdel-Qader Ali was arrested after the killing, but released after just two hours in detention because this was an honour killing. 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.
Abdel-Qader, 46, a government employee, astonishingly said that the police actually congratulated him on what he had done.
They are men and know what honour is.
Rand, who was studying English at Basra University, was deemed to have brought shame on her family after becoming infatuated with a British soldier, 22, known only as Paul.
According to the Observer:
It was her first youthful infatuation and it would be her last. She died on 16 March after her father discovered she had been seen in public talking to Paul, considered to be the enemy, the invader and a Christian. Though her horrified mother, Leila Hussein, called Rand’s two brothers, Hassan, 23, and Haydar, 21, to restrain Abdel-Qader as he choked her with his foot on her throat, they joined in. Her shrouded corpse was then tossed into a makeshift grave without ceremony as her uncles spat on it in disgust.
Said Abdel-Qader Ali:
I don’t have a daughter now, and I prefer to say that I never had one. That girl humiliated me in front of my family and friends. Speaking with a foreign soldier, she lost what is the most precious thing for any woman. People from western countries might be shocked, but our girls are not like their daughters that can sleep with any man they want and sometimes even get pregnant without marrying. Our girls should respect their religion, their family and their bodies.
I have only two boys from now on. That girl was a mistake in my life. I know God is blessing me for what I did. My sons are by my side, and they were men enough to help me finish the life of someone who just brought shame to ours.
This sort of murder is not a rare phenomenon in Iraq. Forty seven women in Basra fell victim to “honour killings” in Basra last year. This is proof – if proof were needed – that Islam is a vile, primitive religion that makes monsters of its adherents, and idiots of its apologists.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
May 12th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Yeah there’s a lot of honour to be had in beating innocent young girls to death *rolls eyes*
May 12th, 2008 at 12:48 am
Honour killing?? Abdel-Qader should more closely read the passage from the book his beliefs were stolen from which states that thou shalt not kill. Apparently a commandment which wasn’t suited for such a peaceful religion.
May 12th, 2008 at 3:07 am
Actually, these crimes pre-date Islam. They are believed to have their origins in misinterpretations of pre-Islamic Arab tribal codes.
And, no, I’m not apologizing for them. I think they are heinous, truly heinous.
Ellen R. Sheeley, Author
“Reclaiming Honor in Jordan”
May 12th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I feel sorry for her. She didnt even sleep with the guy… just talked. Thats it??? so lame. Whats wrong with the muslims.. even uncivilised people will know that it is wrong. there is no honour in this. only shame and enbarressment to the muslim society and mankind
May 12th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
@Abdel-Qader Ali,
You r nothing but a lunatic. What religion and religious laws is being talked about by You. Killing that innocent beauty, you haven’t done heroic work, but you have again proved that Islam is unscientific and baseless religion that was regarded one of the finiest and scientific religion as told by one of My Muslim friend.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Abdel-Qader Ali, I’m going to fly to iraq and cut your head off with piano wire and keep it as a fucking trophy!
May 13th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Maybe that was a bit extreme. I hope they prosecute this vile monster!
May 14th, 2008 at 12:06 am
Its terrible, truly terrible that people use religion as an excuse or justification to do some thing so unthinkably wrong.
The problem is, religion makes death seem less serious then it is. It is (more than likly) the end…nothing. But a religious farther believes he is punishing his child, but she will wake up after death in some new world, if she shouldn’t have been killed and he was wrong, and she was good. Then she would wake up in hevan. If she was bad, he was right to kill her and she will forever suffer in hell. And when he dies, if he was right to kill her he will be rewarded in the after life. If he was wrong, surly he can’t be punished as he fort he was acting out gods will.
Religion gives ppl to much comfert from the the things they do, people should not be able to hide behind there religion.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
“This is proof – if proof were needed – that Islam is a vile, primitive religion that makes monsters of its adherents, and idiots of its apologists.”
Anyone who writes that has no right to criticize anything. Get off your high horse and lose the racism before you judge anyone.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Alex, if you are going to accuse someone of racism, you had better provide evidence for it.
So, where is your evidence?
May 14th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
What I quoted is my evidence. The author of the article judges and defames every follower of Islam based on the actions of a single person.
Calling a religion ‘vile’ and ‘primitive’ is racism. Calling everyone who follows Islam a ‘monster’ is blatantly not true.
(For the record, I’m an athiest.)
May 14th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
As the author of the paragraph that so offended you, Alex, I would point to you that the definition of a racist is “somebody who hates others who are not of his or her own race” (Encarta World Dictionary).
Ergo, having a profound dislike for a religion can in no way be described as “racist”, although Islamists have speciously succeeded in convincing dupes like you that it is, in fact, “racist”.
Now, had you accused me of Islamophobia I would gladly plead guilty to the charge. It is perfectly reasonable to fear a religion which perpetuates fear, and would have the likes of me stoned to death or beheaded.
Islam’s intolerance of feminism, homosexuality, democracy, universal human rights, dogs, music, art, infidels and bacon-flavoured crisps – to name but a few – needs to be condemned without reservation, or recourse to cultural relativism.
I therefore make no apology whatsoever for describing it as “vile”.
May 15th, 2008 at 12:04 am
I apologise; my mistake. Racist was the wrong term to use. You are, however, still wrong.
There are thousands of followers of Islam who do not beat their children to death, declare holy wars and only eat salt and vinegar. What the man in the article did was despicable, but it does not mean that every follower is like him.
What you really dislike, and so do I, are the extremists and the fundamentalists. But the family living next door shouldn’t be called monsters because of some crazy governments thousands of miles away.
Islam is not vile. The many governments who use misinterpretations of it as the basis for the dreadful things you mentioned above, are. It is perfectly reasonable to fear terrorist-based governments. It is not reasonable to call the family next door ‘monsters’ just because they believe in a god (illogical as that may be)in whose name terrible things have been done. If I killed 20 children in the name of atheism it would not make you a ‘monster’. If a country full of atheists killed a country full of children, that would not make athiesm ‘vile’.
Also; please do not attempt to discredit my argument by putting it down to brainwashing by Islamists.
However; most of the rest of your newspaper I agree wholeheartedly with.
May 21st, 2008 at 6:05 am
I live in Iran, a muslim country. I have seen-for many years- what a barbaric and inhumane religion Islam is. Though I have many muslim friends I still believe Islam is a disgrace to humanity.
March 3rd, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Islam, the only religion that teaches hatred, manipulation, control, shame and even if you are devout, there is no gaurentee you will enter heaven.
If a man is accountable for his actions before God in the end. How can this man say to god, my daughter spoke to a british man and I felt shame because of what others thought, so I killed her.
If this is the logic, something is horribly wrong.
Like the two brothers that raped thier sister and she became pregnant. The girl was to blame, as always it is the womans fault. So the mother bought her a razor to commit suiside and when the girl refused, the mother killed her. While the boys that commited rape against thier sister were free to rape again. If a child goes the wrong in islam then it is the mothers fault and she should bare the blame. When a young woman decided to be a christian, the father savagely attacked the mother and mortaly wounded her.
Why is it Islam teaches shame for the woman. A man doesn’t seem to bare any responsibility for his actions at all.