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Yusra Farhan is shown in this booking photo from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
A Phoenix mother has been arrested over allegations that she scorched her 19-year-old daughter with a hot spoon to uphold "Iraqi culture" after the younger woman refused an arranged marriage to a man twice her age, police said Thursday.
Yusra Farhan, 50, was taken into custody on aggravated assault charges at her Phoenix home on Wednesday over accusations stemming from a November incident, Phoenix police spokesman James Holmes told Reuters.
The girl’s father and 18-year-old sister were also arrested and face aggravated assault charges, police said.
It was the family’s second round of arrests over the daughter’s treatment.
The November incident came to light after Fahran was first arrested Feb. 8 at a Phoenix hospital emergency room the day after allegedly padlocking the 19-year-old to a bed and beating her for talking to a man her same age at her school, the Phoenix New Times reported, citing court documents. Her father, Mohammed Altameemi, 45, earlier saw the daughter talking to the younger man and took her home and beat her before Fahran arrived, according to police reports.
Court records showed that Farhan admitted hitting the daughter with her hand and shoe and tying her to a bed with a rope.
The victim's sister, Tabarak Altameemi, 18, held her down, police said.
Farhan told officers her daughter was being punished for "speaking to a male subject and her Iraqi culture states a female is not allowed to be having contact with males because females are not allowed to have boyfriends," according to court records.
The 19-year-old daughter, who was not named by police, was released the next morning to go school and was sent to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix after talking with school officials about the incident.
When officers attempted to arrest Fahran at the hospital emergency room, other family members intervened, and they were arrested too, New Times said.
The arrests follow a high-profile Arizona murder case that saw an Iraqi immigrant, Faleh Hassan Almaleki, convicted last year of murder for running down his daughter in a Phoenix parking lot in 2009 in what was described as an "honor killing."
A spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C., said such cases were "isolated instances" that are widely chastised by the American Muslim community.
"We condemn any false justification for domestic violence or abuse based on religious beliefs," the spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Ship their Iraqi asses back to "the cradle of civilization" where they will be free to "celebrate" their "rich cultural traditions" as they see fit.
Of course if the father is a H1-b visa holder that is unlikely.
I don't want to get ethnic but yes, go the Yell back to Iraq!!! When you get there you can stone 'em, burn 'em, run 'em over with cars or beat them to death with clubs whenever your honor is offended. As- Salam-A-Lakim (Peace be with you).
Hopefully she'll be in jail for quite a while before she goes back. Since this is Maricopa county, she'll be living in a tent in the middle of the desert. Oh wait, isn't that exactly what she came to this country to get away from? It will be just like going home to her.
I cannot understand why people in foreign countries sacrifice so very much to get to the United States only to eschew the values of this country and fall back on the very values they couldn't wait to escape.
I hope that the daughter is able to escape this abusive family, get past all of this and go on to live a happy, productive life.
That can only happen if the girl is provided with a safe place to live along with the appropriate therapy. She has indicated that she could break out of the abusive mindset that goes with that culture by going to the school counselors. . And who knows maybe her mother and sister can be rescued from iron bars that hold their minds and souls in prison.
Stevie, I think it is too late for herr mother and sister. It seems they don't want to let go of Iran values.
She's from Iraq, not Iran. And yes, there is a huge difference. Iran is actually economically and technologically in the present. Iraq is still mostly in the past.
This is child abuse. What are they going to do about it? Forced marriages are illegal here.
If these parents want to uphold their Iraqi "culture", they should return to Iraq. We are pretty tolerant in the US but, we have no place and no tolerance for those who want to perpetuate violence against others - especially children- in the name of culture or religion.
It's unbeleavable, the mindset of the ragtops. you can take the idiot out of the country but thay still remain ignorant. Alla likes it that way, mabe the would be honeybunn will settle for 13 redhaired vergins.
Until Islam begins to embrace the culture of the 21st Century there will be a painful struggle with people both outside and inside their religion. And to Clarence sam dangler, your post adds absolutely no value to the discussion of this issue.
This is exactly what Islam is all about. These people should stop listening to the dog pile Muhammad and should use their copy of the Quran to wipe their ass with.
Blaming all of islam for it's radicals is like comparing all of christianity to rush limbaugh. It's a stupid thing to do.
Blame the individuals, not their race or religion.
Yep, sure is.... What's your point? 0_o
Geeeeesh ...... You see the mug shot of that woman ....... "YIKES"
Burns her daughter with a hot spoon , because she wouldn't go for an arranged marriage with a guy twice her age ....
No wonder those people are a little wacky ....
They're living and acting like some tribes in the Amazon ....
Run these sick bastards out of the country. Disgusting !!
drag the old bastard who thinks he needs to have a child for a wife straight too hell throw the mother in when the door open.
Zack and John R
Ya talking about Hugh Hefner?????
You do know the daughter is 19 years old and not a child, right?
I can't understand why this family is still in the USA. I always thought as an immigrant your path to citizenship could be stopped if you broke laws? This is obviously a family with not much affection for the American Way and are only sitting in the USA to see what they can get out of it. In many cultures with the arranged marriage thing going on, having an american educated daughter makes them a higher value commodity. This family routinely breaks the law on this issue, so get them on a boat for the middle east asap.
There are also countries in Europe that have developed laws against forced marriages because of this very problem - young women getting treated like commodities and bullied into marriage with strangers. Time to address this issue before it gets out of hand.
I agree - they broke American laws they should be sent back. It will also help this girl to be away from her family who seems to want to do her harm..
Honor killings, faith healings, forced marriage, mental abuse... Stupid is dangerous around children.
I hope the girl can find some peace, safety and happiness in her life now that the cave people God gave her for parents rot in jail...
I'm so glad we sacrificed blood and treasure to 'liberate' these people.
Traditions die hard among the ignorant and the fearful.
Those abusive parents should be deported back to Iraq.
I have to say, if you come to this country with your children be prepared to raise American children. If you don't want American children keep them in your home country. This girl is 19, she should move out and move away; and probably a restraining order would be a good idea, although it won't stop anyone from running her over in an honor killing.
Send these people back to Iraq. Why did you come to this country in the first place??? Embrace our way of life and language or get the F*CK out.
It should be required that immigration personnel tell these people up front that while America allows freedom of religion, there are some rules of their culture that conflict with American law and they will have to understand that living in this country means putting aside those segments that conflict with our laws.
The Muslim men bring their families here, but they seem to think our freedom is only for the males among them.
It's very disturbing to me that the 18 year old sister was a party to helping the parents abuse her sister.
There should be an organization formed to which young Muslim girls can go when they fear for their lives within their family unit because of Old World tradition and Islamic religious convictions. Our laws are woefully ineffective in handling things after the fact.
I agree that there needs to be an effort to educate these Muslims, that when they immigrate to the US they give up their rights to harm or kill their offspring who violate the customs of their homeland. If they want to continue those customs, they need to stay in their homeland, because the US will not tolerate this type of behavior.
That girl needs help. Someone needs to get her out of there or they will probably kill her next.
I firmly believe that in any group of people, Muslims included, you have your good and your bad. I know a lot of people equate ALL Muslims with bad things and don't want "them" here but I have no problem with Muslims coming to our country IF they are prepared to live by American rules. I don't care if they want to pray five times daily or embrace their religious beliefs so long as it doesn't harm others...their kids included. This girl is a 19 y.o. AMERICAN teenager. She needs to be allowed to act like one or her parents need to be prosecuted for assault.
But that is exactly the flaw in the first half of your argument. 'This' is their 'culture'. They obviously don't WANT to live by American rules, they want to live by their Muslim 'culture'. They think it is their 'right' even though it breaks our laws. They pull out the 'freedom of religion' card whenever they get called on it. You mentioned that 'praying five times a day' ritual. That is a perfect example. Remember that cab company that fired a bunch of Muslim drivers because they were stopping work and parking their cabs to pray five times a day? They were taking what amounted to five paid breaks, against company rules, while non-Muslims couldn't. They were told to do it off the clock or they were gone, and when the hammer came down, they screamed that it was against their 'freedom of religion' rights. I would be pretty upset if my coworker got five paid breaks and I only got two. This is one of many cases where their 'culture' puts them at odds with our 'culture'. America was a great melting pot of many different cultures, but it always used to be that if they wanted to immigrate and live here, they adapted to the 'American' ways. My ancestors did, your ancestors did, and I see nothing wrong with expecting them to as well. IF they want to live here! If they don't want to assimilate, then they should stay where they are.
If you don't like the rules and laws here...go home.
Just like they condemn acts of terrorism against non-muslims.
The man they want her to marry is old enough to be her father. The are in America give her the freedom she deserves. Keep the girl he and send the rest of her family packing.
I strongly believe, that most of you guys saying " they should go back to iran" are ignorant as well. There are several domestic abuse, and child abuse cases per DAY in the US afflicted by White american parents, husbands exc.. so what, shouldn't they go back to EUROPE? isn't that where they are really from....
I'm not in any way defending what happened, but to say muslims condemn acts of terrorism agaisnt non-muslims is bull@!$%#. There are many muslims, who live in peace in America and are sick of ignorant people saying ignorant things. Then proceeding to call them ignorant.
This is ONE case, of a strong religoius based household who choose to handle the situation in a very wrong way. That's really all. To judge a whole race or religion based off certain situations is stupidity.
This girl needs to get far away her family before she becomes a victim of an honor killing. My thoughts and prayers go out to this girl becasue it seems her family means to do her harm.