A scary story indeed
Reader comment on item: Guarding the Secrets: Palestinian Terrorism and a Father's Murder of His Too-American Daughter
in response to reader comment: according to "Court TV"

Submitted by Jinan (United States), Apr 17, 2006 at 21:35

As a Palestinan- American Muslim, I have to say that this story of Tina Isa shocked me beyond belief. I recently saw the Court TV episode, then went and picked up the book right away and have read it twice since then.

My family is still traditional yet Americanized at the same time. While I have had cultural clashes with my father, he never laid a hand on me, nor threatened to kill me; Islamically that is not allowed. I think the fact that Zein Isa was detached from his religion played a large role in why he did what he did. And although my family would like for me to get married soon (I'm almost 24, which is pretty old for an Arab girl to be single) my parents know I want to be educated and choose my own spouse, as long as I am within the limits of my religion. I have worked outside the family business since I was 16, and I have my own mind and choices. Zein was brainwashed by the ANO, and that's what ultimately drove him crazy, not his daughter. Even nowadays in Palestine, a girl is just looked down upon for shameful behavior, but never killed. That's too extreme.

Regarding the FBI, they probably didn't have the money nor the man-power to keep up with those tapes, so they can't be blamed. They didn't know a murder would take place. But I agree they probably could have saved Tina, but maybe not as well....because just saying you're going to kill someone doesn't really mean anything.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.