Sources: Associated Press clips from a variety of newspapers, unless otherwise indicated.
Sulfuric acid or "fire water" has become a cheap, convenient and horrible weapon for Muslim Egyptian men furious with women. Human rights activists claim the assaults are fueled by poverty, male frustration and the rise of Islamic extremism that is often times directed at curtailing women's choices.
According to a National Population Council survey, 86% of women respondents said their husbands are justified in beating wives for instances such as refusing sex or "talking back."
Afghan Criminal Amputated. The Taliban government, in control of Afghanistan, amputated the hand and foot of a convicted criminal on April 22, in keeping with Islamic tenets.
Bartender Killed Over Tattoo. Turkish gunmen killed bartender Oguz Atak, 42, in Istanbul on May 5 because he had the word ÒAllahÓ blasphemously tattooed on his back.
Hacked To Death For Allah. Muslim insurgents hacked 93 people to death in the Algerian village of Haouch Mofkfi, half of them women and girls, then massacred 47 more in the village of Omaria the next day. About 400 total were killed by religious raiders in April, many by beheading or slitting of throats, including teenaged girls for not wearing veils. At least 60,000 people have died by insurgents seeking to topple the secular government since 1992. Sources: AP 4/24/97, Charleston Gazette, 4/28/97
Wrist-Slap For Deadly Deacon. The deacon at Glendale (CA) Calvary Presbyterian Church received three yearsÕ probation after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death by exorcism of a 53-year-old Korean woman last July 4. She incurred 16 broken ribs and crushed internal organs following a 7-hour ordeal. Source: Los Angeles Times, 5/1/97
Eye For an Eye. Police officer Salah-Eddin Hussein al-Ihaimer is trying to appeal a December court ruling in Sudan that Islamic law decrees he must lose his right eye for causing another man to lose an eye. 5/9/97
Religion Has Much To Answer For. A Perry County (PA) father said the devil made him strangle his 16 year old daughter, Jenny Gallegos, an honor roll student, after she used a swear word in conversation as he drove her home from high school in April. Source: Patriot-News, 4/24/97
Watch Out For Messianic Missions. A South Windsor (CT) man identifying himself as Jesus Christ on sworn statements was charged with trying to murder as part of a Messianic mission. Jesus AKA Peter James Kelley, 38, seriously wounded an uncle with an ax handle, while another man sustained minor injuries. Source: Hartford Courant, 4/10/97