Excerpt:
The April 30 fatal shooting of 20-year-old Jessica Mokdad in Warren allegedly carried out by her stepfather has led to an outpouring of emotions and support for the Mokdad family as well as a murder charge against the man who raised her for much of her life.
The stepfather, 45-year-old Rahim Alfetlawi, of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, turned himself in after the shooting and will stand trial for first degree murder along with two other charges, but it's Alfetlawi's religious background that seemingly has drawn the most media coverage following the tragic event.
Websites and blogs in the aftermath of the incident have in some cases been quick to declare it a so-called "honor killing," either proclaiming or wondering aloud whether or not Mokdad was killed because of Alfetlawi's displeasure with her "Western ways" and unwillingness to follow certain Islamic customs.