Murderous Muslim mother

Houston Chronicle:

Rohina Abdul Ali fled her home in war-torn Afghanistan and settled a year and a half ago in a sprawling apartment complex in southwest Houston.

With the help of a resettlement agency that works with political refugees, the 22-year-old Ali soon was enrolled in a sewing class.

Her goal was to work while staying home with her young daughter and mother. She was featured in promotional photographs for the initiative.

"She was a poster child for the program," recalled Sue Davis, a board member and spokeswoman for the Alliance for Multicultural Community Services.

But that promise of a new and better life in the United States ended a week ago with Ali's bludgeoning death with a sledgehammer and, police now say, at the hands of her mother.

Najia Omar Mohamad, 49, was charged Thursday with murder in connection with the slaying.

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Originally, police said, Mohamad reported that her daughter was dead when she found her lying in bed Nov. 4. After the woman's arrest, police said they did not have a motive for the slaying.

Ali's brother, who had moved to Louisiana in search of work, is back in Houston trying to gain custody of his niece, Davis said.

Mohamad was unemployed, Davis said, and the agency had helped her to and from medical appointments to treat arthritis, Davis said. She said the woman's record does not indicate any other medical issue.

Ali's brother and family friends declined to be interviewed.

The Islamic Society of Greater Houston paid for Ali's funeral and other costs, Davis said.

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Is this an "honor" killing? Could be. The silence of the relatives suggest something is up. The brutality of the murder is also consistent with the "honor" killing modus operandi. The police should be looking into whether she had a new boy friend or wanted to leave the situation she was in.