Iraqi woman dies in US, fueling hate crime fears

EL CAJON, California

A 32-year-old woman from Iraq who was found severely beaten next to a threatening note saying “go back to your country” died in United States on March 24, and police are investigating the possibility of a hate crime.

Shaima Alawadi, a mother of five, had been hospitalized since her 17-year-old daughter found her unconscious March 21 in the family’s house, police Lt. Steve Shakowski said. The daughter, Fatima Al Himidi, told KUSI-TV her mother had been beaten on the head repeatedly with a tire iron, and that the note said “go back to your country, you terrorist.” Police said the family had found a similar note earlier this month but did not report it to authorities.

A family friend, Sura Alzaidy, told UT San Diego that the attack apparently occurred after the father took the younger children to school. Investigators said they believe the assault is an isolated incident. “A hate crime is one of the possibilities, and we will be looking at that,” Lt. Mark Coit said. The family had lived in the house in San Diego County for only a few weeks, after moving from Michigan, Alzaidy said.