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| Muslim Murderer To Not Be Executed By Arizona Because He Is Muslim |
| 2010-02-19 |
| A Glendale man accused of killing his daughter in an "honor killing" will not face the death penalty. After sparring with the suspect's defense attorney over its death-penalty-review process, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has said it will not seek death for Faleh Almaleki, 49. The Iraqi immigrant is accused of killing his daughter, 20-year-old Noor Almaleki, for being "too Westernized." Police say he used his Jeep Cherokee to run down his daughter and another woman in a Peoria parking lot Oct. 20. Noor later died of her injuries. Almaleki is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault and two counts of leaving the scene of a serious accident. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The decision not to seek the death penalty comes after Almaleki's attorney, Billy Little, a public defender, asked a judge to take special precautions to ensure the County Attorney's Office wouldn't wrongly seek the death penalty because Almaleki is a Muslim. Little requested that the office make public the process it uses to determine whether to seek capital punishment. "An open process provides some level of assurance that there is no appearance that a Christian is seeking to execute a Muslim for racial, political, religious or cultural beliefs," Little wrote, referring to County Attorney Andrew Thomas' Christian faith. Laura Reckart, a county prosecutor, responded that Little's concern about the "supposed bias" of the office's death-penalty-review process was "without legitimate factual or legal basis." She wrote that the state can seek the death penalty for any person convicted of first-degree murder if it can prove the existence of at least one aggravating factor, not because of religion. However, the debate stopped there. On Tuesday, Reckart filed a motion indicating prosecutors would not seek the death penalty. Mike Scerbo, a spokesman for the County Attorney's Office, declined to comment on the decision. Prosecutors said Almaleki has admitted killing his daughter because she disgraced the family by not following traditional Iraqi or Muslim values. They liken the case to honor killings that occur in the Middle East, Africa and other parts of the world. In tribal societies where the practice occurs, male family members feel they must kill a rebellious relative who shames them by not adhering to traditional values. Noor had reportedly married a man in Iraq and returned to Arizona to live with a boyfriend and his mother in Surprise, police said. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #10 I'd release him in Gen population after tattooing "Fuck Islam" on the back of his head. Let him enjoy the hate of all worlds...for however long he lasts. That's "dignity" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-02-19 20:33 |
| #9 So we have a clear case of religious discrimination: if I, a Christian, deliberately run down my daughter, kill her and injure her friend, I will be put to death. Almaleki, as a Muslim, does the exact same thing, and he gets a life sentence. (For the record, I don't have a daughter, and wouldn't run her down no matter what. I might give her a stern talking to, and if that didn't work, I might throw her out of the house, though.) |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2010-02-19 20:05 |
| #8 General Napier to the population of India: You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours. |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2010-02-19 16:30 |
| #7 Friday, good thread for some classic Richard Pryor. Not safe for work, grandma's house, or within 2 hours of storytime with kids. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2010-02-19 12:50 |
| #6 wouldn't wrongly seek the death penalty because Almaleki is a Muslim. Soooooooo...all someone has to do after they commit first degree murder is...convert? I can has life in prison? |
| Posted by: Gomez Threter7450 2010-02-19 12:27 |
| #5 steve he wil just go too rpison and convert more too islam since that's where alot of the teaching goes on now |
| Posted by: chris 2010-02-19 11:51 |
| #4 well here we have a case where the perp - admits to conducting an honor killing - admits that honor killings occur in the moslem world and these facts are used as mitigation!!! on the other hand, it seems that arizona has lots of people on death row already who are clogging courts with appeals |
| Posted by: lord garth 2010-02-19 11:07 |
| #3 Life without parole in the state pen. General population. The problem will solve itself ... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-02-19 10:48 |
| #2 Wow. Just .... wow. I wonder what the local sentiment is about this. |
| Posted by: lotp 2010-02-19 10:48 |
| #1 Geez, maybe we should just let him go. I mean, who are we to force our cultural biases on these noble people over their "traditional values". My advice to the next cop that faces this situation? Shoot the bastard in the head... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-02-19 09:59 |