This is a story I have been holding back on for awhile simply because I found it too distressing to post about.
Alia Ansari a Muslim woman and mother of six children ages 2-13 was shot in the head and killed as she walked with her 3-year-old daughter to pick up two of her other children from their elementary school in Fremont, California on October 19, 2006.
The police and local community are treating this murder as a hate crime. Alia was wearing hijab at the time of her murder. Inna lillahi wa inna alayhi raji’oon.
I was finally able to write about it today was because I heard some amazing news that November 13, 2006 has been designated by some women’s groups as Wear a Headscarf to Work Day in honor of Alia Ansari. And Imam Zaid Shakir has eulogized Alia in a speech.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta ala haver mercy on Alia and protect and comfort her family especially the six children that have lost their mother to this crime against humanity. Ameen.
…that if someone kills another person – unless it is in retaliation for someone else or causing corruption in the earth – it is as if he had murdered all of mankind. And if anyone saves another person’s life, it is as if he had given life to all of mankind… [Al Maida 5/32]
To donate to a fund for the Ansari children, checks can be made to the “Ansari Family” at Washington Mutual, account No. 3091558830, and Fremont Bank, account No. 55041477.
Imam Zaid Shakir: Defender of the Flag: In Memory of Alia Ansari
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf said something at a recent fundraiser expanding upon the ayah quoted above. He said that a lot goes into making a human being. It took all of our ancestors to make us. In a sense, they had to survive war, natural disasters, disease, famine, human aggression, etc. in order to produce us here today. So to kill one single human being is like killing all of humanity because it took all of humanity to create us.
And they say we are taught to hate. Listen up Jack Straw.
Umm Yasmin an Australian sister reminds us that the first martyr in Islam was a woman. How little things have change.
Shout outs to HAhmed and Shaykh Yasir Qadhi.
Ify Okoye 
Assalam ‘Alaikum,
I heard about Alia Ansari a few days ago. My heart truly goes out to her children. May Allah (swt) give her and her entire family peace, Inshallah. This is what upsets me about some in this Ummah. Some of us get so upset about a woman w/o hijab or with an ankle exposed, but when one of our sisters is murdered, nothing is said about it. I guess some of us are too busy blaming women for their own degradation to pay attention.
There was another Muslima murdered in a city I used to live in. Her name was Iman Muhanad. No one seems to care about our murdered sisters.
May Allah bring them peace (amin).
Asalamu alaykum wa Rahmatullah,
It is truly sad how sisters can be raped and murdered and so little is said. But when it comes to hijab and imams making foolish comments everyone and their brother is out to blame and condemn the women and make excuses for the ignorant.
People are murdered all the time — it only gets reported or publicized when there is ‘a hook’ – something that makes the tragic newsworthy. “Whats that? She was wearing one of them headscarf thingies! Quick, get a visual!”
Sorry about that — hit send before I was ready!
My point is that this is a common occurrence. It doesn’t make it any less reprehensible or tragic. In an odd way, that it involved the wearing of the scarf highlights the question — it triggers the thought of not just ‘what kind of animal could kill someone’ but ‘what kind of animal could kill someone because she was wearing a specific item.’ In a better world, it would make people realize that what someone wears is not reason to kill them. It would lead to shunning and worse for the people who do this. It would focus attention on a serious problem, and turn it from the ‘news clip de jour’ to something thats worthy of understanding and amelioration by society as a whole.
At least, thats how I see it.
Indeed Bill, in a better world…
This is so sad!!! I didn’t know about this at all. Oh, Suroor is sad 😦
Suroor, welcome to Muslim Apple. It also made me sad but the responses by the community and her family have made me feel better.
Not true… the facts were that she was first a God fearing person, second a woman, third a mother of six with children at the weaning age; that my friend is what makes this story more tragic. She was not a criminal destined for jail during this life and Penalty in the next. So although people are murdered all the time it is more reprehensible to hear about a woman like this being murdered than for example Osama bin Ladin whom the U.S. is committed to murdering. In the Qur’an it says,
wasalaam
I read about this on someone elses blog as well- its very sad!
I have been trying to find more information about this on the internet- have they found the suspects? what would the motive be?
can it just be a random crime? thats so scary and shocking!
May God grant her the highest paradise…
Asalamu alaykum,
Abu Sahajj & bilal: Welcome to Muslim Apple.
A suspect was arrested by the police and was designated as a “person of interest” but no further information was given and he has not been charged with anything yet. In sha Allah, I’ll try and find out more.
It’s heart breaking. 😦 subhanAllah.
Yes, Irving left the link on my blog as well. I have been wanting to post about it as well. Now that I have tackled a post that had been on the back burner for a while, I will post in regards to this.
I’m looking forward to your posts Samaha.