Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Almost two weeks after being run over, Noor Faleh Almaleki has died

Noor Faleh Almaleki has died. The 20-year-old Iraqi woman was intentionally run over October 20th (see the October 21st snapshot) while she and Amal Edan Khalaf were running errands (the latter is the mother of Noor's boyfriend and she was left injured in the assault). Police suspected Noor's father, Faleh Hassan Almaleki, of the assault and stated the probable motive was that he felt Noor had become "too westernized." As noted in the October 30th snapshot, Faleh Hassan Almaleki was finally arrested after going on the lamb -- first to Mexico, then flying to London where British authorities refused him entry and he was sent back to the US and arrested in Atlanta. Karan Olson and CNN note that the judge has set the man's bail at $5 million. Philippe Naughton (Times of London) adds, "Noor died yesterday, having failed to recover consciousness after the attack. The other woman, Amal Khalaf, was also seriously injured but is expected to survive. "

Rachel Stockman and 12 News (link has text and video) supply this timeline:


October 20th
-Around 2 p.m. Police say Faleh Almaleki ran down his daughter, friend.
-Around 5 p.m. Nlets Alert with Almaleki’s license plate and vehicle description goes out
October 23rd
-U.S. Customs and Border Protection notified.

Addressing the timeline, Rachel Stockman reports:

That allowed the suspect to cross the border into Mexico so we wanted to know where the communication broke down. What we found? Nlets, the system Peoria police use to notify other authorities is not something US Customs always checks.

Dustin Gardiner (Arizona Republic) explains:

Family members said Almaleki was outraged after his daughter married a man in Iraq but returned to the Valley to live with a boyfriend and his mother in Surprise. The other victim, 43-year-old Amal Edan Khalaf, is apparently the boyfriend's mother.
Police said Almaleki fled the country after the attack, driving to Mexico and later taking a plane to London. He was detained by British authorities and extradited to Atlanta last week.
Speaking before a Maricopa County judge over the weekend, county prosecutor Stephanie Low said Almaleki has admitted purposefully running down his daughter.
"By his own admission, this was an intentional act and the reason was that his daughter had brought shame on him and his family," Low said. "This was an attempt at an honor killing."

Iraqi American Romina Korkes offered her thoughts on the so-called 'honor' killing last week in a column for the Arizona Republic.

In other news of deaths, yesterday's snapshot included the following:

Today the US military announced another death: "FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq -- A Multi-National Corps -- Iraq Soldier died Nov. 2 of non-combat related injuries. Release of the Soldier's identity is being with held pending notification of the next of kin. The name of the deceased service member will be announced through the U.S. Department of Defense Official Web site [. . .] The announcements are made on the web site no earlier than 24 hours after notification of the service member's primary next of kin. The incident is currently under investigation." Maloy Moore (Los Angeles Times) reports that the fallen was 20-year-old Lukas C. Hopper of Merced, California who "is survived by his mother and father, Robin and Yancy Hopper, both of Merced." The announcement brings to 4356 the number of US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war.

Corinne Reilly (Merced Sun-Star via Fresno Bee) reports that he was a 2007 graduate of Golden Valley High School and:

In interviews Monday, Hopper's friends and relatives recalled him as an impetuous thrill-seeker and a protective big brother from an especially close-knit family. They said he joined the Army at age 18 in hopes of seeing the world and that he recently volunteered for a tour in Afghanistan.
He loved hiking, going to the beach and pulling pranks.
"He's always been an adventurer -- always the one who wanted to be right in the middle of the action," said his mother, Robin Hopper. "He knew he wanted to be infantry, and he knew he wanted to jump out of airplanes."

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued the following statement yesterday:

"Maria and I extend our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of Private First Class Lukas Hopper. He will be remembered for his courage and dedication as he put his life on the line to protect the freedoms of our country. His sacrifice will not be forgotten and we join all Californians in mourning this terrible loss."
Hopper, 20, died October 30 of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over southeast of Karadah, Iraq. Hopper was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army, Fort Bragg, N.C.
In honor of Pfc. Hopper, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff.

Norma Yuriar (KMPH News -- link has text and video) reports Yancy Hopper says his son was due home November 9th and that Lukas Hopper's survivors include his parents Yancy and Robin Hopper and sisters Shantal and Celeste.

Meanwhile Bill Reed (Colorado Springs-Gazette) reports Fort Carson's 60th Ordnance Company is headed to Iraq. Mike Francis (The Oregonian) is embedded in Iraq and he reports on the 2,500 members of the Oregon Army National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team:


"Are 'The Sounds of the'70s' OK?" he asks his two-man crew over the headset.
Nobody objects, so Smith spins the wheel on his iPod. A song by the forgotten band Ace, "How Long Has This Been Going On?" tinkles faintly through the headphones.
"Hatley, can you turn it up?" Smith asks.
Spec. Sherman Hatley of Southeast Portland -- 10 years from being born when the song was popular -- scrambles down from his half-exposed seat in the gun turret to turn a dial on a box in the rear compartment, where Gatorade, rucksacks and one civilian passenger come along for the ride.
This is the next-to-last of 10 armored vehicles in a convoy that stretches for miles from Al Asad Airbase west to Camp Korean Village. They escort a collection of more than 50 commercial haulers driven by Jordanians and possibly other third-country nationals. The empty container trucks, flatbeds, fuel haulers and cattle carriers are bound for Jordan, where they will be filled with supplies that help sustain the U.S. military in Iraq.

The following community sites updated last night:

And Marcia's "Election eve," Trina's "Kucinich," Ruth's "Washington votes tomorrow," Elaine's "Isaiah, Chris Ames, Ava & C.I.," Ann's "Photo op" and Kat's "Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan."

We'll close with the following from the Green Party of Michigan:

Ecological Wisdom * Social Justice
Grassroots Democracy * Non-Violence


Green Party of Michigan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
www.MiGreens.org


** News Release **
** ------------ **
November 2, 2009


For More Information, Contact:
-----------------------------

Fred Vitale, state chairperson
chair@migreens.org
313-580-4905

Aimee Smith, Media Cmte/GPMI
alsmith@hvgreens.org
734-761-9901

Greens Condemns FBI Raid and Murder of Imam
Abdullah

The Green Party of Michigan (GPMI) offers its condolences to the
family of respected community and religious leader, Imam Luqman A.
Abdullah.

The Green Party of Michigan is joining the call from Imam Abdullah's
family and others for an independent investigation into an FBI raid in
Dearborn, MI on Oct. 28 that resulted in Imam Abdullah being shot 18
times and left to die.

“We condemn this FBI raid and murder of an innocent man," Green Party
of Michigan Chair Fred Vitale said. "The FBI fails even today to bring
charges of terrorism against the other people arrested. Rather it and
the corporate media make wild accusations; their only witnesses
unreliable former criminal informants, dependent on the FBI for food
and freedom. It appears that the only charges are those associated
with petty crime, and even these were instigated by government agents
and grinding
poverty.”

"We are having a hard time believing the FBI claims that this was
simply an arrest gone wrong. We are deeply concerned by reports that
Imam Abdulluh was left to die from his wounds while an injured police
dog was airlifted for medical treatment. Such behavior demonstrates
an intent to kill rather than enforce the law," said Derek Grigsby,
Detroit Green Party Co-chair. "Given the historical and current
antipathy of the FBI towards people of African descent and Muslims, we
are left to wonder if the death of Imam Abdullah was not exactly what
was intended for that day."

"It is the FBI agents and police officers that were engaging in
terrorism last Wednesday." said Linda Najar of the Huron Valley
Greens. "Why the focus in the FBI complaint on Imam Adbullah's
religion when it was not in any way connected to the alleged crimes? I
believe this is driven by a need to demonize muslims at
home in order to build support for the unpopular wars against muslim countries
abroad, the so-called war on terror."

Najar adds, "If Imam Abdulluh
was angry, I wonder can't we ask why? Or is it the answer to that
question that the authorities are really afraid of."

# # #

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Green Party of Michigan
548 South Main Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
http://www.migreens.org
734-663-3555

GPMI was formed in 1987 to address environmental
issues in Michigan politics. Greens are organized
in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each
state Green Party sets its own goals and creates its
own structure, but US Greens agree on Ten Key Values:

Ecological Wisdom
Grassroots Democracy
Social Justice
Non-Violence
Community
Economics
Decentralization
Feminism
Respect for Diversity
Personal/Global Responsibility
Future Focus/Sustainability

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