Harry Reid calls for federal task force on Islamic honor killings

Well, no he hasn’t. But if Senator Reid were really more interested in “protecting women and children” than in cheap political grandstanding, Islamic honor killings would be the focus of today’s Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on “crimes associated with polygamy.” Instead, Reid has chosen to commemorate the anniversary of Brigham Young’s arrival in Salt Lake Valley by bashing FLDS polygamists and invoking the power of the state to drive them out of existence.

The New York Post reported yesterday a United Nations estimate that 5,000 Muslim young women are murdered by their family members each year in religiously-inspired “honor killings.” One of these heinous crimes occurred in Atlanta, a mere 18 days ago. Authorities allege that Muslim “father” Chaudhry Rashid (pic above, right, with Harry Reid) murdered his 25-year-old daughter because she wanted out of an arranged marriage. Several similar crimes are believed to have occurred recently in other U.S. communities.

One allegedly occurred in Irving, Texas, where “sisters Amina and Sarah Said were murdered on New Years’ 2007. Their father remains on the run from police.” Hmm. A “father” (real fathers don’t murder daughters) murdered his two daughters in Texas? Where was Texas CPS? Probably meeting with Flora Jessop and Rozita Swinton to plan their raid on the YFZ Ranch.

This morning, while Chaudry Rashid’s pre-trial hearing moves forward in Atlanta, Senator Harry “Oil-makes-me-sick” Reid will whine in Washington for a federal task force to investigate polygamy. This is a very old, tiresome story. Reid follows a long procession of American bigots and politicians who have exploited polygamy for political purposes ever since about 1830 when Joseph Smith first organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

To get a sense for how little intellectual progress we’ve made as a nation in the past 150 years, take a look at the article, below. It appeared in the New York Times on March 10, 1853 — six short years after Brigham Young arrived in Utah.

While you read (if you do), ask why Senator Harry Reid would want to imply that polygamy, which played a central and honorable role in the history of his own Church, is either fundamentally immoral or per se crime inducing. I think Harry Reid misplaced his moral compass long ago. Today’s Senate hearing is just icing on the cake. What about them honor killings, Harry?

I hasten to clarify here that I am not suggesting that the FLDS Church and the LDS Church have any current religious connection with each other. They do not.  More on the hearings at SL Tribune.