This story, unlike earlier stories on these murders, notes that Irsan’s daughter had converted to Christianity. In that case, Irsan was doing what he believed to be his duty before Allah, and he might have killed his daughter as well. The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law. It’s based on the Qur’an: “They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89)
A hadith depicts Muhammad saying: “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57). The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence.
This is still the position of all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, both Sunni and Shi’ite. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the most renowned and prominent Muslim cleric in the world, has stated: “The Muslim jurists are unanimous that apostates must be punished, yet they differ as to determining the kind of punishment to be inflicted upon them. The majority of them, including the four main schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali) as well as the other four schools of jurisprudence (the four Shiite schools of Az-Zaidiyyah, Al-Ithna-‘ashriyyah, Al-Ja’fariyyah, and Az-Zaheriyyah) agree that apostates must be executed.”
Qaradawi also once famously said: “If they had gotten rid of the apostasy punishment, Islam wouldn’t exist today.”
Then there is the “honor and shame” angle. Muslims commit 91 percent of honor killings worldwide. The Palestinian Authority gives pardons or suspended sentences for honor murders. Iraqi women have asked for tougher sentences for Islamic honor murderers, who get off lightly now. Syria in 2009 scrapped a law limiting the length of sentences for honor killings, but “the new law says a man can still benefit from extenuating circumstances in crimes of passion or honour ‘provided he serves a prison term of no less than two years in the case of killing.’” And in 2003 the Jordanian Parliament voted down on Islamic grounds a provision designed to stiffen penalties for honor killings. Al-Jazeera reported that “Islamists and conservatives said the laws violated religious traditions and would destroy families and values.”
Until the encouragement Islamic law gives to honor killing is acknowledged and confronted, more women will suffer.
“Texas jury convicts immigrant in ‘honor killings’ case,” Associated Press, July 27, 2018:
HOUSTON (AP) — A Jordanian immigrant could face the death penalty after a Texas jury convicted him of killing his daughter’s American husband and an Iranian women’s rights activist in what prosecutors described as “honor killings.”
Prosecutors say Ali Mahwood-Awad Irsan was enraged when Nesreen Irsan left home to marry a Christian and convert to Christianity, so he orchestrated the killings of his son-in-law and his daughter’s close friend who had encouraged the marriage.
“Honor and shame, that’s what this is all about,” special prosecutor Anna Emmons told jurors. “You heard him say honor is a big deal to him. And the only way to clean that honor is to kill.”
Irsan’s trial in Houston lasted five weeks, but jurors deliberated for just 35 minutes Thursday before convicting him in the deaths of Coty Beavers and Gelareh Bagherzadeh, according to the Houston Chronicle . A sentencing hearing was set to begin Friday. Irsan faces life in prison or the death penalty.
Irsan testified that his daughter caused his family pain after running away to marry Beavers, and that Bagherzadeh had encouraged the union.
Nesreen Irsan testified that her father forbade her from dating Christians. She said she went to court to obtain a protective order to stop her family from harassing her after she moved in with Beavers.
Ali Mahwood-Awad Irsan acknowledged that he violated the protective order by continuing to call his daughter and drive near Beavers’ home. But he said he was concerned his daughter was on drugs and making bad decisions.
Among the nearly 100 witnesses in the trial was Irsan’s wife, Shmou Alrawabdeh, who testified last week that her conservative Muslim husband believed he had to kill Beavers to restore his honor. She told the jury that Irsan sneaked into Beavers’ apartment and shot him to death….
Amil Imani says
I am glad. That man killed a Persian woman who was a medical student.
gravenimage says
Yes, Amil–just appalling. I hope you also condemn his murder of his daughter, despite her not being Iranian.
mortimer says
Honor killing is NORMATIVE Islam, rather than an aberration, for it is based on Koran 18:65-81 (a parable about honor killing in which a youth is killed who brought shame to his family … Allah will give the family a ‘better son’) and also Koran 60.4 (an exhortation that Abraham is an ‘excellent example’ for Muslims because Abraham HATES KAFIRS and says Muslims will hate them too ‘forever’).
The doctrine of AL WALAA WAL BARAA (allegiance to Muslims and apartheid from kafirs) is a NORMATIVE and ‘ESSENTIAL’ DOCTRINE of Islam (USUL UD-DEEN) which all Muslims must believe and PRACTICE if they wish to avoid Islamic hell.
All Muslims know they must HATE KAFIRS … even if the KAFIR is in their own families.
gravenimage says
All grimly true.
Mary says
Finally just for honor killing. What is honourable about killing?
mortimer says
Mary, it is killing IN THE NAME of honour … or rather FOR THE SAKE of the ‘HONOUR’ of the alpha male.
The clan chief or grandfather LOSES FAITH if he cannot CONTROL his family and so he loses ‘HONOUR’. When blood is shed, his ‘HONOUR’ returns to him and the rogue, embarrassing family member ceases to be a source of embarrassment and is not spoken of again.
Mary says
The ast is utterly stupid. If someone killed one of my children or grandchildren for “honour ” I would kill them for revenge not honour and I would expect to go to jail.
rubiconcrest says
Actually, she was charged and plead guilty to a lesser charge(did not read the article to the end) to testify against him. So she was as guilty as he was and should also face the death penalty in my opinion. We need to send a clear message to all immigrants of the Islamic ideology. Hopefully, immigrants who hold these views are not being admitted into the country any longer.
Of course you are right. But your perspective is one who has grown up with the opposite convention. It brings dishonor in our culture to kill anyone. In Islamic culture this and many other conventions are reversed. Honor is gained by killing.
mortimer says
Muslims realize they may all be honor killed by their own families if they criticize anything about Islam or if they abandon Islam.
Islam punish renegades in the same manner as the Mafia.
Many scholars believe that the name ‘Mafia’ is actually an Arabic word … – mu’afa = safety, protection or mahyas = aggressive boasting, bragging or marfud = rejected (considered to be the most plausible derivation); marfud developed into marpiuni (swindler) to marpiusu and finally mafiusu.
The Mafia copied and adopted the evil methods of Islam that were practiced by Muslim gangs in Sicily.
mortimer says
FIRM SUPPORT BY ISLAMIC JURISTS FOR HONOR KILLING:
The Imam al-Shafi’i
In his book, “The Ordinances of the Qur’an” (part 1, p. 289), he remarks:
“If someone becomes a Muslim then apostatizes, he would be asked to repent; if he does not repent, he should be killed.”
Al-Shafi’i is one of the four founders of the jurisprudence schools who (the Saudi scholars said) have agreed that the apostate must be put to death.
Ibn Hazm
In Vol. 4, p. 316 of his volume, “The Sweetened” (Al Muhalla), Ibn Hazm says:
“Any of the infidels who said, ‘There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the apostle of God’, he became a Muslim obligated to Islamic laws. If he rejected that later on, he would be subject to death. But if he was one of the people of the Book (namely, from the Jews or Christians), in order to become a Muslim, he must say, ‘I have embraced Islam.’ Then he becomes a Muslim obligated to the Islamic laws. If he rejected them, he would be killed.”
Ibn Taymiyya
This famous scholar, who is called Sheikh al-Islam, says under the title of the law pertaining to the apostate,
“The Muslim who does not pray must be ordered to pray; if he refuses to pray, he must be put to death, because he would be an infidel and apostate, according to the scholars and Imams, even if he said that Muhammad is the apostle of God, and even if he was convinced of the purposes of prayers” (Vol. 35, pp. 105-106).
In Vol. 32, pp. 276 and 279, he addresses this matter, namely, the killing of one who abandoned prayers. Then he speaks to husbands:
“If a wife abstain from praying, she would be asked to repent. The husband may scourge her to repent, otherwise she must be killed.”
Emilie Green says
“Irsan’s wife, Shmou Alrawabdeh, who testified last week that her conservative Muslim husband believed he had to kill Beavers to restore his honor”
Islam, the mother lode of bad ideas.
mortimer says
CLEAR SUPPORT FOR KILLING APOSTATES:
Two of the standard commentaries on killing apostates are Fath-ul-Bari, by Al Askalani, vol. xii, pp.89-91 and pp.214-225 (Cairo edition); and ‘Amdat-u-Qari, by Al ‘Aini, vol. xi, pp.143-144 and pp. 230-236.
The first section in both of these commentaries on the Hadith is entitled, “On Unbelievers and Apostates who make war on Islam”; the second section in both is entitled, “On the repentance of Apostates and Rebels, and when killing them is incumbent.”
In the famous collection of Forty Hadiths by An-Nawawi, we find the following: “The Apostle of God said the blood of a fellow-Moslem should never be shed except in three cases; that of the adulterer, the murderer, and whoever FORSAKES the religion of Islam.”
The comment given on this Tradition is as follows: “The adulterer should be stoned; the murderer, when convicted of his crime, should be killed with the sword; but he who DEPARTS from Islam, becoming disobedient to God and His Apostle, let him be cut off or crucified or destroyed from the earth.”
Rarely says
It should be noted that the accused’s wife testified against him. Under husband/wife privilege she could not be compelled to do so. Consequently by doing so she showed an immense amount of courage since it certainly puts her life in jeopardy.
Most people (of the “human being” variety) could not imagine circumstances where they would murder their own child. Here is a woman who shows true motherly love for her child by publicly calling her husband to account for his honour killings.
Applause, applause, applause.
rubiconcrest says
Real courage would have been telling the police beforehand. I suspect she knew what he was thinking if not planning. She is most, probably testifying against him to save her own skin.
rubiconcrest says
Actually, she was charged and plead guilty to a lesser charge(did not read the article to the end) to testify against him. So she was as guilty as he was and should also face the death penalty in my opinion. We need to send a clear message to all immigrants of the Islamic ideology. Hopefully, immigrants who hold these views are not being admitted into the country any longer.
somehistory says
She could testify against him fro what she saw, not what he told her. To testify about what he told her, would require his agreement.
She must have been there and saw him do the murder. It is doubtful that he would have agreed for her to tell about what he had said he was going to do or had done.
And previous articles on these murders show that she knew that her husband was planning to end what he regarded as a slap to his religion by his daughter and the young man.
Since she had knowledge of the actions, she was guilty.
she did not testify out of any courage.
gravenimage says
Rarely, she testified against her husband to save her own *ss from the charges against her. Not sure how brave or principled this really is.
dan christensen says
Have religious dependence of IQ ever been investigated? Are muslims statistically dumber than christians?
I suspect there is a dependence, but nobody dares to check.
StellaSaidSo says
There is no shortage of evidence regarding the comparatively low IQ of Muslims. 1400 years of inbreeding, plus poor education and relentless brainwashing have resulted in an average IQ in the Muslim world of 85. In sub-Saharan Africa, the average IQ is 70. This is what we are importing into our 100+ IQ societies. It will not end well.
James Lincoln says
Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest IQ scores in the world – an inconvenient truth.
Both genetic and environmental factors…
lam visa di my says
Hurrah! In the end I got a web site from where I can genuinely take helpful information regarding my study and knowledge.
gravenimage says
Glad to hear it. Welcome to Jihad Watch!
somehistory says
It’s great that the jury found guilt. Death row awaits. if he gets :”life’ he will spread his evil to others.
Manny says
Islam will come crumbling down when we stop these apostasy killings and tell the truth what Islam actually is: Satan infused.
Max says
A message to the idiots that become Muslims. Don’t try to reverse your stupidity, as they will cut your head.
gravenimage says
Texas: Muslim migrant guilty of murdering the husband of his daughter, a convert to Christianity, in honor killing
…………………..
Glad he was convicted.
Giacomo Latta says
Another thing this Muslim did not know: his daughter is not ”his” daughter completely at any age and at age 16 is not ”his” daughter in any way.
Linde Barrera says
I hope this fake father gets the death penalty and is executed soon, ? and won’t sit in jail for 5 years at the expense of the taxpayers.