Late Monday night, police in Dubai discovered the body of Suzan Tamim who was a hugely popular singer in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East. She was 31 and definitely had a very interesting life. She won a television talent show similar to Idol back in 1996 and became a household name in Lebanon. Over the past twelve years she had done a couple of albums and was really popular in the rest of the Middle East.
What really makes her interesting though is she was about to get divorced for the second time. The first one was fine, but this second one has been a little crazy. Her second husband, who is also a music producer actually tried to get a court order to keep her in Lebanon. Although that effort failed, he was definitely still in the picture and not happy about her leaving him, especially to go to Dubai.
Now, when the police found her she had died from multiple stab wounds to the face and had been badly mutilated all over the rest of her body as well.
Stories like this make me wish I were religious so I could believe he'd eventually get what's coming to him. Of course, many religious folks would say she got what was coming to her. Gah, it's all bad. :(
ReplyDeleteI'm horrified by the story but thanks for the international coverage, EL. I didn't know about her.
ReplyDeleteIt's very likely the husband she was divorcing killed her. He was 'smart' to kill her in Dubai; I doubt he'll be caught and even if he is, they probably wouldn't prosecute a man for killing his wife since she was trying to divorce him without his 'permission.'
ReplyDeleteThis was a difficult story to read.
ReplyDeleteUnfortuneately this happens everywhere, even to people not famous. I never heard of her, but she was beautiful.
he was definitely still in the photo and not happy about her leaving him, especially to go to Dubai.
ReplyDeleteDef in the photo? no that would be picture. A common mistake for non native English speakers to make. Hmmmmm.
A lot of men believe women, specifically wives are possessions. I think the mutilation speaks to anger and hatred. I think no one will ever be charged. Pick men very carefully is the lesson to be learned from this. Poor thing.
I know Dubai is halfway around the world, but it is a very modern country with western laws and culture. It's not a 3rd world country by any means. They will seek her murderer and prosecute to the full extent of the law. He would have been far better killing her in Lebanon!
ReplyDeleteOh...and I didn't mean to sound unsympathetic in my last post. This is a horrible crime. What a beautiful young woman. Tragic.
ReplyDeleteIce Angel, while Dubai has modern things about it it also have very old ways about it too. For example, women are not allowed at the beach unless it's a certain day and then they must be covered up (not head to toe) but no flashy stuff. You can wear shorts but expect to be gawked at.
ReplyDeleteMy point? The investigation may not be as western as it we would like it to be. That's too bad - I think we can all guess who did this.
This type of crime is usually a crime of passion done by a person well known to the victim. Just horrible - and I hope if it was the husband that he gets what he deserves...This poor woman.
ReplyDeleteSexecution - "Pick men very carefully is the lesson to be learned from this"... Unfortunately you could think you have the BEST guy in the world and then something snaps... while there can be and usually will be red flags they cover the signs up all too well until it's too late. Please don't blame the vicitm for her "bad judgement".
Unfortunately this type of crime happens every day in the U.S. when a woman tries to leave a man.
ReplyDeleteStabbing in the face - attacker knows victim well, and the crime is emotional - thought not necessarily spontaneous.
ReplyDeleteSad. She was pretty. Horrible death.
I'm gonna risk sounding like a naive, idiotic racist here, but I'm putting on my women's rights hat now so hear me out--
ReplyDeleteThese f*cking camel jockeys kill their OWN DAUGHTERS if they get a divorce and "disgrace" their family.
Who the hell thinks a husband himself wouldn't think twice about killing his wife if she wants to make her own decisions?
Makes me sick to death and back again.
Sorry, bring on the "you're making hate speech" comments if this offends aniyone out there.
Dubai, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, wherever the hell any of these dehydrated, sexually repressed God-forsaken places are--they ALL subjugate women and frankly it makes me wanna puke.
What woman amongst us (and most modern men, too) are not outraged by the way women are treated around the world?
I mean, come on. Fuck those fucking asshole bastards!
And that goes for the GD Africans who circumcise their women, too.
All subjugating men around the entire globe deserve to die a horrible, slow terrifying death and go straight to hell.
They ALL SUCK!!!!!!!
Poor beautiful talented lady.
rant over
I hear you, Selena. You've written nothing that isn't true. This murder was personal. If her husband didn't do it himself, then he hired someone to do it. Poor, poor woman. She must have be terrified and suffered horribly.
ReplyDeleteThanks, judi! I got hot there for a minute but I can't stand the injustice I hear about around the world sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThey'll side with her husband. No law was broken, women are trash, blah, blah, blah.
ReplyDeletethis is the thing about racism that drives me nuts.
ReplyDeleteYou think she was killed because she was Middle Eastern, in a Middle Eastern country and married to a "sand jockey"
If she had been a white American, it would just be a case of her husband being a possessive psycho. She wasn't killed because of her culture or ethnicity but because she was in the process of divorcing a fucking lunatic.
For the record, the UAE follows the divorce laws of the country the foreigner belongs to. She has full rights of divorce in Lebanon in civil court. The are various techniclities based on interfaith marriages, laws for Druze populations and so forth. She also has right of divorce in Sharia court if she is Muslim - not all Lebanese are, 1/3 are Christian Maronite - so it most likely has nothing to do with the ramifications of the case.
Additionally Selena, if you were even remotely aware of Women's right's in a global context, you would be aware the Middle Eastern women, particularly Muslim women, had access to rights of divorce long before us enlightened folk in the west, and were afforded other right ahead of us as well. The current situation is a result of the fallout of the Pan-Arabic movement and subsequent Islamic Revolution amongst other forces and shaping factors, and thats based on a very narrow, western, WHITE understanding of feminism anyways.
Who said anything about me being white?
ReplyDeletejesus christ...get a clue. Dubai is only made up of 20% locals the rest (80%)are from all over the world settling in to make Dubai a huge tourist attraction after the oil runs dry in 2015.
ReplyDeletewomen ARE allowed on the beach, the rules you refer to are for practicing muslim women under the veil! those same women go home and take it off and watch Dubai Idol or whatever just like the rest of us in the West.
Dubai is completely modernized with some of the best fucking shopping around.
...As I said, "all subjugating men around the entire globe..."
ReplyDeleteAnd not all racists are white.
What I wrote was based my own personal experience.
ReplyDeleteAs well this is from a travel guide wesbite regarding Dubai:
Some local men could be described as "foreigner-hunters" and I have heard part of the reason for men seeking out foreign women is because generally these women have a reputation as being less conservative in their actions with men (less conservative than, say, Muslim women). In order to avoid confrontation (which has already happened several times), it is best that women travel in groups or with other men they know and can trust. Most places in the area are very aware of some of these issues and because of that are very accommodating in having specific "women only" areas and "women only" days. All of the local public beaches have designated "women only" days each week.
Please try re-reading my original comment. I didn't say women weren't allowed on the beach but that they were allowed only at certain times.
ReplyDeleteright and your original comment still is not accurate, you said women when in fact its muslim women who have to follow these rules not Westernized women in Dubai just like drinking,dancing and whatever else you are going to refer to.
ReplyDeletedone.
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ReplyDeletedoesn't Tara Reid "work" Dubai?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSelena,
ReplyDeleteWas OJ Simpson a "camel Jockey" too?
There will always be men in the world who believe that a woman is their possession...in every part of the world so please don't perpetuate the hate. Though I agree that some societies are more repressive towards women than others, making blanket statements about certain countries is ludicrous. Not everyone in the countries you mentioned is the same or has the same beliefs. There are people of different religions who do not do "honor killings."
FYI I was born in and lived in Iran when I was a child... I was neither "dehydrated" nor have I ever seen a camel in my life, except maybe at the zoo.
As I stated before. I was also going by my personal experience.
ReplyDeleteI'm not into this dispute, but I am going to offer an English critique. I think using the word "dehydrated" was a beautiful choice of an adjective and Selenakyle could possibly have a future as a brilliant writer.
ReplyDeleteselena, i'm with you, and i'm certainly no racist. i especially loved it when you said "who said i was white?"
ReplyDeletesomething we all need to remember, is that even though the muslim laws may only apply to muslim women, muslim men often look at all women in the same way.
female soldiers in iraq are taught this, and are not to leave the base by themselves or be out after dark (no, i don't know the exact rules, but you guys get my drift).
i recently saw an episode of tony dourbain (sp?) "No reservations" when he was in dubai? they had to be evacuated when the violence suddenly erupted in an area where they had been staying. they couldn't leave the country, or for that matter, the hotel they had been moved to.
yes, this happens in america, but our laws ALWAYS support the victims. often in these middle eastern countries, men are always right.
this poor, poor woman. i'm sure it was her husband or a hired assassin, and i doubt justice will be served.
I'm with SelenaKyle on this one. Oh and Bionic Bunny, his name is Tony Bourdain, and he is sexy hot! (sorry, off topic)
ReplyDeleteWell I am with Nina on this one.
ReplyDeleteMost of you talking stupid like Selenakyle are ignorant bitches who know nothing about the Middle East to comment in such a way.
I am not Middle Eastern, yet I know from travel and friends that most of you have it wrong. Same people who THINK they are up on international politics yet do not know anything.