"Women Are Being Beheaded for Taking Their Veil Off": Honor Killings On Rise in Iraq
By Terri Judd, Independent UKPosted on April 30, 2008, Printed on April 30, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/83710/
At first glance Shawbo Ali Rauf appears to be slumbering on the grass, her pale brown curls framing her face, her summer skirt spread about her. But the awkward position of her limbs and the splattered blood reveal the true horror of the scene.
The 19-year-old Iraqi was, according to her father, murdered by her own in-laws, who took her to a picnic area in Dokan and shot her seven times. Her crime was to have an unknown number on her mobile phone. Her "honor killing" is just one in a grotesque series emerging from Iraq, where activists speak of a "genocide" against women in the name of religion.
In the latest such case, it was reported yesterday that a 17-year-old girl, Rand Abdel-Qader, was stabbed to death last month by her father for becoming infatuated with a British soldier serving in southern Iraq.
In Basra alone, police acknowledge that 15 women a month are murdered for breaching Islamic dress codes. Campaigners insist it is a conservative figure.
Violence against women is rampant, rising every day with the power of the militias. Beheadings, rapes, beatings, suicides through self-immolation, genital mutilation, trafficking and child abuse masquerading as marriage of girls as young as nine are all on the increase.
Du'a Khalil Aswad, 17, from Nineveh, was executed by stoning in front of mob of 2,000 men for falling in love with a boy outside her Yazidi tribe. Mobile phone images of her broken body transmitted on the internet led to sectarian violence, international outrage and calls for reform. Her father, Khalil Aswad, speaking one year after her death in April last year, has revealed that none of those responsible had been prosecuted and his family remained "outcasts" in their own tribe.
.View this story online at:
http://www.alternet.org/story/83710/
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
IRAQI WOMEN BEHEADED FOR NOT WEARING A VEIL
MSNBC 'HARDBALL' HOST CHRIS MATTHEWS SPARKS WAR WITH IRAN DEBATE
MSNBC'S host of "Hardball," Chris Matthews, departed from his nightly rants on the Hillary, Obama and McCain POTUS race, just long enough to devote one segment of his Wednesday show to the possibility the United States is laying plans to go to war with IRAN.
FOX NEWS has been hyping going to war with IRAN for months, and now CBS News is talking about a U.S. attack plan aimed at Iran.
"Hostile" Iran Sparks U.S. Attack Plan
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2008
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/29/eveningnews/main4056941.shtml
(CBS) A second American aircraft carrier steamed into the Persian Gulf on Tuesday as the Pentagon ordered military commanders to develop new options for attacking Iran. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports that the planning is being driven by what one officer called the "increasingly hostile role" Iran is playing in Iraq - smuggling weapons into Iraq for use against American troops.
"What the Iranians are doing is killing American servicemen and -women inside Iraq," said Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. U.S. officials are also concerned by Iranian harassment of U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf as well as Iran's still growing nuclear program. New pictures of Iran's uranium enrichment plant show the country's defense minister in the background, as if deliberately mocking a recent finding by U.S. intelligence that Iran had ceased work on a nuclear weapon.
No attacks are imminent and the last thing the Pentagon wants is another war, but Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen has warned Iran not to assume the U.S. military can't strike. "I have reserve capability, in particular our Navy and our Air Force so it would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability," Mullen said. Targets would include everything from the plants where weapons are made to the headquarters of the organization known as the Quds Force which directs operations in Iraq.
Later this week Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is expected to confront the Iranians with evidence of their meddling and demand a halt.
If that doesn't produce results, the State Department has begun drafting an ultimatum that would tell the Iranians to knock it off - or else.
925 IRAQIS KILLED IN SADR CITY BLOODBATH: 47 US TROOPS KILLED
The month of April is shaping up to be one of the bloodiest months in a long, long time in Iraq with 925 Iraqi civilians killed in Sadr City alone, and 47 US soldiers or Marines killed during the month of April.
Sadr City bloodshed kills 925 Iraqis
by Salam Faraj Wed Apr 30, 12:08 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080430/ts_afp/iraqunrestsadrcity
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Clashes between Shiite militiamen and security forces have killed more than 900 people in Baghdad's Sadr City, an Iraqi official said on Wednesday, as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed to keep up the offensive.
The latest death toll from the Sadr City fighting that erupted late last month is set to make April the deadliest month this year, denting US and Iraqi government claims of improved security.
"There were 925 martyrs in Sadr City and 2,605 others have been wounded," Tehseen Sheikhly, spokesman for the government's Baghdad security plan, told reporters.
GI DEATHS IN IRAQ HIT 7 MONTH HIGH.
Killing of three soldiers in separate attacks in Baghdad pushes toll up to 47
The Associated Press
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24381506/
BAGHDAD - The killings of three U.S. soldiers in separate attacks in Baghdad pushed the American death toll for April up to 47, making it the deadliest month since September.
One soldier died when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb. The other died of wounds sustained when he was attacked by small-arms fire, the military said Wednesday. Both incidents occurred Tuesday in northwestern Baghdad.
A third soldier died in a roadside bombing Tuesday night in the east of the capital, the military said.
The statement did not give a more specific location. But the eastern half of Baghdad includes embattled Sadr City and other neighborhoods that have been the focus of intense combat between Shiite militants and U.S.-Iraqi troops for more than a month.
4,059 since 2003In all, at least 4,059 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
'BAD BOYS' GET PROMOTED FASTER IN THE ARMY
Study: Recruits on waivers get promoted faster
By Lolita C. Baldor - The Associated PressPosted :
Wednesday Apr 30, 2008 6:08:08 EDT
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_militarywaivers_042908/
WASHINGTON — Soldiers who need special waivers to get into the Army because of bad behavior go AWOL more often and face more courts-martial. But they also get promoted faster and re-enlist at a higher rate, according to an internal military study obtained by The Associated Press.
The Army study late last year concluded that taking a chance on a well-screened applicant with a criminal, bad driving or drug record usually pays off. And both the Army and the Marines have been bringing in more recruits with blemished records. Still, senior leaders have called for additional studies, to help determine the impact of the waivers on the Army.
“We believe that so far the return outweighs the risk,” said Army Col. Kent M. Miller, who headed the team that conducted the study.
The information has not been released to the public, but the AP obtained a copy of the study.
Click on this link http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_militarywaivers_042908/ to read more.
ENTIRE MONTH OF APRIL US CASUALTIES IN IRAQ. NAMES, HOMETOWNS, CAUSE OF DEATH
Pending any further US deaths on Wednesday, this is an entire list of US military deaths for the month of April including name, hometown, province in Iraq and cause of death. Click on "BLUE" to read further details.
Date
Total
Name
Place of Death - Province
Cause of Death
29-Apr-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Baghdad (northeastern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
28-Apr-2008
4
US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Specialist David P. McCormick
Baghdad (western part)
Hostile - hostile fire - Rocket fire
US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - indirect fire
US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - indirect fire
US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - indirect fire
24-Apr-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Staff Sergeant Shaun J. Whitehead
Iskandariyah - Babil
Hostile - hostile fire - IED, small arms fire
23-Apr-2008
4
US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Sergeant Guadalupe Cervantes Ramirez
Camp Arifjan
Non-hostile - vehicle accident
US
Private 1st Class John T. Bishop
Golden Hills - Salah Ad Din
Non-hostile - vehicle rollover
US
1st Lieutenant Timothy W. Cunningham
Golden Hills - Salah Ad Din
Non-hostile - vehicle rollover
US
Staff Sergeant Ronald C. Blystone
Baghdad (eastern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
22-Apr-2008
3
US: 3 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Private Ronald R. Harrison
FOB Falcon (nr. Baghdad)
Non-hostile - injury
US
Lance Corporal Jordan C. Haerter
Ramadi (near) - Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack (VBIED)
US
Corporal Jonathan T. Yale
Ramadi (near) - Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack (VBIED)
21-Apr-2008
4
US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Airman Apprentice Adrian M. Campos
Dubai -
Non-hostile
US
1st Lieutenant Matthew R. Vandergrift
Basra - Basrah
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Specialist Steven J. Christofferson
Baiji - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Sergeant Adam J. Kohlhaas
Baiji - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
20-Apr-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Petty Officer 1st Class Cherie L. Morton
Galali, Muharraq
Non-hostile
18-Apr-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Specialist Benjamin K. Brosh
Balad - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack (VBIED)
US
Specialist Lance O. Eakes
Baghdad (north of)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
17-Apr-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Staff Sergeant Jason L. Brown
Sama Village
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, grenade
14-Apr-2008
4
US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Specialist Arturo Huerta-Cruz
Tuz - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Sergeant Joseph A. Richard III
Baghdad (northeastern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Corporal Richard J. Nelson
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Lance Corporal Dean D. Opicka
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
12-Apr-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Specialist William E. Allmon
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
09-Apr-2008
5
US: 5 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Technical Sergeant Anthony L. Capra
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Specialist Jeremiah C. Hughes
Baghdad
Non-hostile - injury
US
Sergeant Jesse A. Ault
Tunis (died in Baghdad) - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Sergeant Shaun P. Tousha
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Specialist Jacob J. Fairbanks
Baghdad
Non-hostile - suicide
08-Apr-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Staff Sergeant Jeffery L. Hartley
Kharguliah - Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Major Mark E. Rosenberg
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
07-Apr-2008
4
US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Sergeant Timothy M. Smith
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Sergeant Michael T. Lilly
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack
US
Specialist Jason C. Kazarick
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack
US
Sergeant Richard A. Vaughn
Baghdad (eastern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
06-Apr-2008
7
US: 7 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Staff Sergeant Jeremiah E. McNeal
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Staff Sergeant Emanuel Pickett
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Private 1st Class Shane D. Penley
Rustamiyah - Baghdad
Non-hostile
US
Colonel Stephen K. Scott
Baghdad (Green Zone)
Hostile - hostile fire - rocket attack
US
Major Stuart A. Wolfer
Baghdad (Green Zone)
Hostile - hostile fire - rocket attack
US
Captain Ulises Burgos-Cruz
Diyala Province (Died in Balad)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US
Specialist Matthew T. Morris
Diyala Province (Died in Balad)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
03-Apr-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0
US
Staff Sergeant Travis L. Griffin
Baghdad (near)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Total
46
US: 46 UK: 0 Other: 0
TV NEWS IGNORES NY TIMES' MILITARY ANALYST STORY, BUT ALL FIND TIME FOR HANNAH MONTANA
Since The New York Times reported on the hidden ties between media military analysts and the Pentagon on April 20, ABC, CBS, and NBC have still not mentioned the report. By contrast, during their April 28 evening news broadcasts, all three networks reported on the Vanity Fair photo of Miley Cyrus, according to a Media Matters for America search* of the Nexis news database.
Times reporter David Barstow wrote that "the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform" these military analysts, many of whom have clients with an interest in obtaining Pentagon contracts, "into a kind of media Trojan horse -- an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks."
As Media Matters noted, the three networks also reportedly declined to participate in a segment on the April 24 edition of PBS' NewsHour regarding the Times story; Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC also refused to appear in the PBS segment.
By contrast, during their April 28 evening newscasts, all three broadcast networks reported on the Vanity Fair photo of Miley Cyrus, star of Disney Channel's Hannah Montana: ABC devoted about two and a half minutes to that story, while CBS and NBC each devoted about two minutes to it.
* Search terms = "publication (ABC or CBS or CNN or MSNBC or NBC or NPR or Fox) and (Pentagon OR (Department w/2 Defense) OR New York Times OR (military w/10 analys!))" Programs searched in the Nexis database on networks that didn't mention the Times report include:
ABC = Good Morning America, Nightline, World News with Charles Gibson
CBS = CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, The Early Show, Face the Nation
NBC = Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today, Meet the Press
