Iraqi Mom's Murder an 'Isolated Incident' - East Idaho News
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Iraqi Mom’s Murder an ‘Isolated Incident’

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Getty 040511 CrimeScene1?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1332892478443Comstock/Thinkstock(EL CAJON, Calif.) — Despite a hate-filled note found at the murder scene of an Iraqi mother in California, police Tuesday are emphasizing that other evidence found during the investigation has them convinced the killing was an isolated incident that poses no danger to other Iraqis.

Police in El Cajon, Calif., said they will still look into whether the murder of 32-year-old Shaima Alawadi could be classified a hate crime, but Police Chief James Redman said that “based on the evidence thus far, we believe this is an isolated incident.”

The beating death of the Iraqi mother of five sent shockwaves through the community of El Cajon, which has one of the largest concentrations of Iraqi immigrants in America. Twitter and Facebook users created hashtags and pages in Alawadi’s honor, comparing the targeting of Alawadi for wearing a hijab to that of Florida teen Trayvon Martin for wearing a hooded sweatshirt. Police, however, have not said that Alawadi was targeted for wearing a hijab.

“I want to stress there is other evidence in this case that we are looking at, and the possibility of a hate crime is just one of the aspects of this investigation,” Redman said Tuesday.

Nazanin Wahid, a friend of Alawadi’s family who is acting as the family spokeswoman, said Tuesday that the family is in the midst of the traditional Iraqi three-day mourning process, and is waiting to hear more about the investigation from police.

“It’s been suggested that there was a hate crime, but until the evidence is more clear, we can’t jump to conclusions either,” Wahid said. “It could be an isolated event. Who knows what it could be?”

The beating was first reported last Wednesday when Alawadi’s daughter contacted police around 11:15 a.m. to report finding her mother in a pool of blood with head injuries, police Lt. Mark Coit told ABC News.

Alawadi’s daughter told local news station KUSI that she found a note next to her mother that read, in part, “go back to your own country, you terrorists.” Police would not confirm the contents of the note, though a fingerprint was reportedly found on the note, according to ABC affiliate KOGO.

Alawadi’s family told police that they had received a note similar to the one left at the murder scene a week earlier, but Alawadi had laughed it off as a prank and did not report it to police. The family did not have the note to show police, Coit said.

Alawadi was taken off life suport on Saturday and died shortly thereafter.

According to police, Alawadi’s husband had left the house earlier that day to take their younger children to school. The police have conducted interviews with all of the family members, Coit said.

The FBI is assisting El Cajon police in the investigation.

The tight-knit immigrant community has been shaken by the incident, Wahid said.

“I think so many of us are scared, so you look for community,” she said. “Kids are asking questions, mothers and daughters are being scared. What does this mean for our women, our people?”

A neighbor, contacted by ABC News, said the area where Alawadi lived was very quiet, and neighbors were surprised to find out about the beating. She said that neighbors had not noticed anything out of the ordinary in the days leading up to the attack or on the morning of the beating.

The Center for American Islamic Relations in nearby San Diego said the community has dealt with hate crimes in the past, but not the beating death of a woman in her own home.

Hanif Mohebi, executive director of the center, said that if the murder turned out to be hate crime, he would not be entirely surprised.

“Would it surprise me? That’s a very good question. It will not. It’s unfortunate, but I have to say this. We do not expect it to be of this nature, beating someone to death, but if it is a hate crime, we have to be pretty honest with ourselves about the reality we’re facing.”

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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