Iraqi Woman Beaten To Death In California Hate Crime [Video]
EL CAJON, Calif. — Shaima Alawadi, a 32 year old Iraqi woman who was found severely beaten with a note next to her body saying “go back to your country” died of her wounds on Saturday. Her death is sparking a firestorm of criticism and opening new conversations about Islamophobia.
Hanif Mohebi, the director of the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a press conference that she had spoken with Alawadi’s family and they had taken her off life support. She died shortly after.
Mohebi said,
“The family is in shock at the moment. They’re still trying to deal with what happened,”
El Cajon, California police Lieutenant Steve Shakowski said that Alwadi’s 17 year old daughter had come home and found her mother lying in a pool of blood after being repeatedly struck with a tire iron. She had a note next to her body that said “go back to your country, you terrorist.”
Addressing cameras at a press conference Alwadi’s daughter said,
“You took my mother away from me. You took my best friend away from me. Why? Why did you do it?”
Police said the family had found a similar note earlier this month but did not report it to authorities.
Alwadi had five children.
Lieutenant Mark Croit said that while he believes this is an isolated incident, Alwadi had received a previous note and dismissed it as a prank.
He said,
“A hate crime is one of the possibilities, and we will be looking at that. We don’t want to focus on only one issue and miss something else.”
El Cajon, northeast of downtown San Diego, is home to some 40,000 Iraqi immigrants, the second largest such community in the U.S. after Detroit.
Do you think this crime against Shaima Alwadi is a hate crime?
Watch a video report on this horrific crime.
Tags : california, el cajon, hate crime, iraqi woman, islamophobia, Shaima Alawadi, Shaima Alawadibeaten to death
Posted: March 25, 2012
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Mar 26, 2012
IT IS A SAD COMMENT, AND I THINK SOMEONE WHO IS EITRHER TRYING TO COVER IT UP AS A HATE CRIME , OR A SICK SKINHEAD ARE PART OF THIS STORY.
Mar 26, 2012
She's not iraqi. She's a muslim. Iraqi's are catholic.
Mar 27, 2012
Is there any more evidence needed than one young woman being beaten to death and a note previously left was left again? Wow how blind is the law to the non white? Why call it an isolated incident do they really want more women man and children to get brutally killed just so they can see this is a problem, really? Justice is not made for us.
Mar 27, 2012
You are so right. Justice is for them not us. Every time they arrest someone and convict them, they call it justice.
Mar 27, 2012
John A. Nikos MOST Iraqis are either Sunni or Shi'a MUSLIM…. TRY, will you to NOT be one more of the TOTALLY IGNORANT americans…
Mar 27, 2012
I think all murder/mayhem/assaults/personal violence crimes/Domestic violence crimes are in some way or another, HATE CRIME, but it is all part and parcel of the hate that certain politicians spew every day against Women, against Muslims, against anyone they can label as "OTHER" and humans are so pathetic that they encourage this sort of thing!
Mar 27, 2012
Many people believe the note was a ruse in order to throw police off the trail…leaving a NOTE at the scene of a CRIME is very unusual. Dont be surprised if this turns out to be someone who KNEW the victim…
Mar 28, 2012
John A. Nikos How does her being catholic negate her being Iraqi. Iraqi is not a religion. It's a nationality. WTF?
Mar 28, 2012
Sharra Rasheed True. There are exceptions. Some are Christian but they are a minority. Either way, a woman is dead behind ignorance. Her religion is neither here nor there.
Mar 28, 2012
The reason it's called an isolated incident is to make it be known that we are not dealing with a serial killer and that there doesn't need to be a statewide panic that Iraqi women are being targeted.
Mar 29, 2012
I live in el cajon. Every iriqi i ever met is catholic. They may be the minority…but not here. That doesn't make ignorant.
Apr 18, 2012
John A. Nikos Actually… not because every Iraqi you know is a catholic means that Iraqi's are catholic… and Jay stands corrected, the majority are Muslim…and as Jay mentioned.. how does a religion negate anyone's nationality?!