Sep 20 2009
Court Case: Being A Radical Muslim Is Evidence Of Insanity?
Oh the irony in this case is just too much:
A man accused of beheading his wife at the television station they founded to counter stereotypes of Muslims is likely to claim emotional distress was behind the killing in hopes of avoiding a murder conviction.
Muzzammil Hassan, 45, is scheduled to be tried in January on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of 37-year-old Aasiya Hassan. A psychiatric defense would allow jurors to find him guilty of a lesser charge of manslaughter, according to Hassan’s attorney, who made his plans known during a pretrial conference Friday.
“Extreme emotional disturbance is not an insanity defense,” attorney James Harrington said afterward. “It’s related to the state of mind of the person at the time.”
Muzzammil Hassan had been served with divorce papers a week before his wife’s body was found stabbed and decapitated at the offices of Bridges TV in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park, where the couple also lived.
Oh pulllease! The man felt he had a right, as good Muslim, to kill his wife – who wanted to counter the stereotype of Muslim Men as insecure, little control freaks. I don’t usually attack religions because they are a mixed bag everywhere. In proper doses they are very beneficial to society, when warped into extremism they are a cancer. They tend to be a net positive, and who am I to judge in the first place!
One reason I am spiritual and not religious (i.e., belonging to any variant of Roman Catholic/Christian I was raised in) is because the Catholic Church treats women as second class human beings. I can’t abide that crap and never will. There are arguments to be made it is us men who are the lesser sex, but the truth is there is no one better or worse human type.
The Muslims take this insecure madness to a new level, which is why I find it a lesser way of thinking. Real men do not need to control or own their partners, and should be damn glad they have been blessed by their support (I know I am).
It will be interesting to see if the US Courts determine being an orthodox Muslim is actually a sign of madness.
This is an honor killing, pure and simple. The wife had the nerve to try to get away from him and he killed her. How dare she? She was his property to do with as he liked and she had no right to try to leave his “protection”.
But, you know, this happens in this country also. I had a friend years ago who divorced her husband. He came to her appartment door and when she opened it, he shot and killed her.
This guy should get the death penalty. He evidently tortured her before killing her.
This reminds me of the boy who killed both of his parents and then begged for the mercy of the Court, on account of he was an orphan.
Just a note to AJ about Catholocism – one of the many contentions that Protestants have (not all protestants, of course, but many, there is quite a variety) with the RC church is the ecumenical treatment of women. For example, I belong to a church that stresses equality of all before God, and 3 of the 4 pastors we have are female, something that would never be allowed in some traditions. I respect the RC tradition – I have gone to mass many times – but I could never belong to it.