The following article, written by ICNY executive director the Rev. Chloe Breyer and Program Associate Dr. Sarah Sayeed was published by Common Ground News Service on May 15, 2012:
New York, New York – For those who loved Shaima Alawadi, the Iraqi-born mother of five and California resident, the recent media storm around her case likely provides very little solace. Speculation about the motivation behind her murder has become a topic of discussion across the country and beyond. Last March, when police found her body on the floor of her California home with a note next to it saying, “This is my country. Go back to yours, terrorist”, the country and the world saw the murder as a hate crime.
Yet, in April, when court documents became public, as the New York Times reported, and details began emerging about tumult within Shaima’s family, domestic violence also became a possibility. Although the case is not yet solved, the questions that are being raised, such as the country’s stance on hate crimes and how to talk about domestic violence and religion, are important conversations for Americans to be having.
The full text of this article can be accessed by clicking here.
