Sheelan's Circumcision

Sheelan Anwar Omer, a shy 7-year-old Kurdish girl is a victim of religion and culture. She lives in Tuz Khurmatu an ethnically mixed Kurdish town about 100 miles north of Bagdad. 60%-95% of the women living in Kurdistan are also victims of the terrible practice called female circumcision which can be more accurately described as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). For more information on this ancient and controversial practice click here.

The following is an excerpt from an article written By Amit R. Paley of the Washington Post and describes the experiences of Sheelan Anwar Omer who, at 7 years old, had "The Procedure" done to her. Read the entire article here.

Sheelan Anwar Omer, a shy 7-year-old Kurdish girl, bounded into her neighbor's house with an ear-to-ear smile, looking for the party her mother had promised.

There was no celebration. Instead Maharoub Juwad Nawchas, a 40-year-old midwife with traditional Kurdish tattoos covering her chin, quickly locked a rusty red door behind Sheelan, who looked bewildered when her mother ordered the girl to remove her underpants. Sheelan began to whimper, then tremble, while the women pushed apart her legs. They placed the girl on a tiny wooden stool the size of a brick. The midwife applied yellow antiseptic to her pelvic area and injected her with lignocaine, an anesthetic. "It's all right, it's all right," Sheelan's mother whispered, as the girl screamed so loudly her face turned red. She tried to bunch up her skirt over her pelvis and shield the area with her hand, but the women jerked her arms back. The midwife raised a stainless-steel razor blade in the air. "I do this in the name of Allah!" she intoned.

As the midwife sliced off part of Sheelan's genitals, the girl let out a high-pitched wail heard throughout the neighborhood. She made a swift cut, and immediately moved the girl over a pile of ashes to control the bleeding. The entire ritual took less then 10 minutes. As she carried the sobbing child back home, Sheelan's mother smiled with pride.

"This is the practice of the Kurdish people for as long as anyone can remember," said the mother, Aisha Hameed. "We don't know why we do it, but we will never stop because Islam and our elders require it."

See a slideshow of Sheelan's circumcision - but be warned some images may be disturbing -  by clicking this link: Sheelan gets circumcised

Female Genital Mutilation is common in many parts of Africa and the Middle East but it is rare among Iraqi Arabs. However in northern Iraq, in Kurdistan, the ritual is widespread. "More than 60 percent of women in Kurdish areas of northern Iraq have been circumcised, according to a study conducted this year. In at least one Kurdish territory, 95 percent of women have undergone the practice." FGM is performed on women by women and men generally play no role in the ritual.

Kurdish women believe that FGM serves two purposes: It controls a woman's sexual desires, and it makes her spiritually clean so that others can eat the meals she prepares.

"I would not eat food from the hands of someone who did not have the procedure," said Hurmet Kitab, a housewife who said she was 91 years old.

Women's Rights groups have been trying to dispel the myth that FGM is harmless and required by Islam. Health experts say the procedure can result in adverse medical consequences for women, including infections, chronic pain and increased risks during childbirth.

Many girls who undergo FGM are traumatized by the experience and some develop lifetime psychological problems. However attitudes are changing, even among some of the elderly:

Ghamjeen Shaker, a 13-year-old from the Kurdish capital of Irbil, said she is still traumatized from the day she was circumcised. She sits with her legs clenched together and her hands clasped tightly on her lap, as if protecting herself from another operation. Indeed, Shaker says she sometimes dreams that the midwife who circumcised her is coming back to perform the procedure again.

She was 5 when her mother sent her out to buy parsley and then locked her in the front yard of their home with six other girls. "I knew something bad was going to happen, but I didn't know exactly where they were going to cut," she recalled. "My family just kept saying, don't worry, this is a social custom we have been doing forever."

"They pinned me to the ground, and I just cried and cried," said Shaker, who spoke barely above a whisper. "I was just so astonished. But now I realize that they want to prevent women from living their lives normally."

Her mother, Shukria Ismaeel Jarjees, a 38-year-old housewife, said she was forced by her relatives and elderly women in the community to have her daughter circumcised. "I made a huge mistake, and now my daughter is always complaining of pain in her pelvis," Jarjees said. Her eyes began to fill with tears. "I now advise my daughters to never circumcise their children."

Back home, Sheelan lay on the floor, unable to move or talk much. She clutched a bag filled with orange soda and candy and barely said anything except that she was in pain.

But she became more animated when asked whether it was worth it to have the operation so her friends and neighbors would be comfortable eating food she prepared. "I would do anything not to have this pain, even if meant they would not eat from my hands," she rasped slowly.

"I just wish that I could be the way I was before the procedure," she said.

Lesbian's Attackers Caught

An unidentified 28-year-old woman was brutally raped and beaten for 45 mins by a gang of 4 men. She was then thrown out of her own car and left naked on the street. During the attack the men told her she was targeted because she was a lesbian. See the initial report here.

It was announced that all four suspects are now in custody. Three of them had been arrested following tips from local residents and the fourth turned himself in. Charged in this brutal gang rape case are:

• Humberto Hernandez Salvador arrested at his Richmond home. The 31-year-old was being held without bail on gang rape, kidnapping for a sex crime, carjacking and probation violation charges.


• Josue Gonzalez, 21, known as "Pato" arrested on a $1 million arrest warrant for gang rape, kidnapping for a sex crime and carjacking.


• A 15-year-old Richmond boy and


• A 16-year-old Hercules boy going by the nickname "Blue".

The 15 and 16 year old boys were being held on a no-bail status at the juvenile detention center in Martinez on similar charges as the adults. Their names were not released because of their juvenile status.

According to Lt. Mark Gagan of the Richmond police, Josue Gonzalez' mother saw the announcement of the arrests of  Humberto Salvador and the two teen aged boys on TV and the family received numerous calls from inquiring relatives. It was around noon when Gonzalez walked into the Richmond police headquarters with his mother, stepfather and girlfriend and surrendered.

Humberto Salvador "had the most involvement and gave orders and directions to the other individuals," Gagan said. "But they're all responsible for the crimes that were committed against the victim."

Authorities had offered $10,000 for tips leading to the attackers' arrest. So far the police have not distributed any money, Gagan said, but the community did provide helpful information in the case.

"The crime had an immediate effect on our community," Gagan said. "Locally people were very afraid to know that these people were out there."

Gagan said the woman is recovering. Community Violence Solutions, a nonprofit rape crisis center, has opened a fund in the name of Richmond Jane Doe to help the woman pay for relocation expenses, police said.

"We know that being the victim of this crime has changed her for life. I can only imagine that knowing these people are in custody is a relief."

Man Shot in Movie Brawl

James Joseph Cialella Jr, 29, is in a lot of trouble. He was arrested, charged with: Attempted murder, Aggravated assault, Violation of firearms act, Possession of an instrument of crime, Simple assault and Reckless endangerment of another person. He is accused of firing a shot that broke the arm of Woffard Lomax Jr., 31, of Yeadon, during the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

The incident happened at about 9:30 p.m. on Christmas night, inside the Riverview Movie Theater on Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia. Earlier reports say that according to the police, James Cialella was upset that the Lomax family - who were also at the theater, seated in front of him - were making so much noise that he could not watch the movie. He asked them to be quiet and when that failed he threw popcorn at the son. The boy's father, Woffard Lomax, started to quarrel with Cialella, who pulled a gun - a black colored Kel-Tec .380 handgun - from his waist and shot him in the left arm, breaking it.

Police said James Joseph Cialella, of the 1900 block of Hollywood Street, was still in the theater complex when they arrived. Officers recovered the Kel-Tec .380 caliber handgun from the front of Cialella's waist, clipped inside his sweatpants.

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However, Attorney Greg Pagano, Cialella's lawyer tells a much different story. Pagano says 29-year-old James Joseph Cialella was being choked and punched as he tried to break up a fight, in which another person was pistol-whipped, in the Philadelphia theater on Christmas night. He says his client is an Iraq war veteran who fired in self-defense.

The victim, Woffard Lomax, testified that a brawl broke out after a man - not Cialella - told his group to be quiet. Lomax says he started fighting with that person when another man pulled out a gun and fired. A judge ordered Cialella held for trial.

Brutis the Cat Rescued at Last

There is a sense of familiarity to a story about a cat getting caught up in a tree. This is one of these stories but with a twist. This story is not so much about the cat, rather it is about the downright un-neighborliness of a Phoenix police officer who seemed willing to thwart the efforts of his neighbor to recover his cat.

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It all began on Dec. 23, when homeowner, Michael, realized that his cat named Brutis had escaped from the house. When Michael finally tracked Brutis down, he was stuck in the branches, two stories in the air, on his neighbor's property. So Michael knocked on his neighbor's door and explained that his cat was stuck up in the tree. The neighbor, a Phoenix Police Officer, said there was nothing he could do and that the cat would probably come down on its own.

Brutis did no such thing. On Christmas day he was still in the tree. The Arizona Humane Society was called but their ladder was too short to rescue Brutis. They suggested that Michael leave food at the trunk of the tree to entice the cat to come down, but to Michael's surprise the police officer refused to let him leave any food. The officer would not let him back on the property, claiming that he was concerned that if someone got hurt while trying to get the cat on his property, he would be liable. Michael tried squirting water from a hose at his own house at the cat. Brutis did not budge.

“It seems like I just have to sit here and watch my cat starve to death or freeze to death,” Michael said.

A Phoenix Police spokesperson, Sgt. Tommy Thompson, said the officer did what he could to help the cat. He said the Humane Society called the officer an "angel" who did all he could.

When I spoke to the Arizona Humane Society they advised that the officer was very patient and did everything he possibly could to facilitate the rescue of the cat throughout the course of this incident. In addition, because of the large amount of attention this story has gained, which garnered complaints, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office sent investigators to look at the possibility of animal cruelty. I spoke with the supervisor, who went to the scene, and he told me that the officer had done absolutely nothing wrong and the cat was fine.

The news media got involved and aired Michael's efforts to rescue Brutis. Due to the publicity received, the police department began to receive negative phone calls and emails attacking the officer. The officer even had derogatory things written on his sidewalk.

On Dec. 29, Brutis was still in the tree. That was when Toni Smith and Terry Toman who are with Citizens for North Phoenix Strays decided to try to get the cat down.

"There's some friction here between these neighbors and I said I could care less about the people I just want to go up and get the cat," said Smith.

Smith and Toman said they chose to go behind the home on a public sidewalk and lean a 25-foot ladder against the cop's back wall. In this way, they figured they were not on his property. Just as they were about to get the cat, Smith said, "This guy comes barreling out of his house, flashed his gun and his badge, and started screaming and freaking out." Toman added, "It's a little overkill". They had to retreat without the cat.

Both Smith and Toman said they were willing to sign a waiver guaranteeing they would not sue the officer if they should hurt themselves while rescuing Brutis.

"Its just a cat in the tree. Why can't we just go there and get the cat and move on" said Toni Smith.

The next day Dec. 30, possibly due to all the attention, Phoenix Police Officers from the Desert Horizon Precinct obtained a large ladder and with several officers securing the ladder, one climbed up the ladder and removed the cat from the tree. Brutis the cat appeared in excellent condition and was returned to its owner. Michael said Brutis is a bit tired, scared and skinnier after 9 days in the tree, but by all accounts appears okay.

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"I'm pretty happy, he lost a lot of weight up there, he was a little chubby when he went up and he's kind of  boney now," Michael said.

Michael said he has no hard feelings for the people who own the tree the cat was stuck in, he's just glad to have Brutis safely home.

"He wasn’t allowed out in the first place…specifically for this kind of reason," Michael said. "And I don’t ever want him to get out again. I’d like to think he learned his lesson, but he’s probably not that smart. He couldn’t figure out how to get out the tree."

Robert Aragon Charged in Daughter's Death

Robert Aragon, 55, of Jerome, ID., is in the Blaine County Jail. He has been charged with second degree murder and  felony injury to a child. He made an initial appearance December 29, 2008 in 5th District Court, where Judge Mark Ingram appointed a public defender for him. His bond was set at $500,000.

His 11-year-old daughter, Sage Aragon, is dead. Her frozen body was found, barely visible under windblown, drifting snow at about 2:00 am December 26, 2008 by search dogs.  She was wearing a brown down coat, black shirt, pink pajama pants and tan snow boots. She was pronounced dead at 4:15 a.m. at St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center south of Ketchum.

His 12-year-old son, Bear Aragon, was found alive at around 11:00 pm on Christmas night, wearing only long underwear.  Apparently delusional from hypothermia, he had discarded his jacket, pants and shoes. He was treated and released from hospital.

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These unfortunate events began on Christmas morning when Robert Aragon was driving his two kids, Sage and Bear, to visit their mother, JoLeta Jenks,  who lives in West Magic Reservoir. According to his cousin, Kenneth Quintana, who went along for the ride, they were supposed to meet the kids' mother halfway along the way. However, their car got stuck in a snow drift near the intersection of  Highway 75 and W. Magic Rd., about 10 miles away from their destination. It was decided that the kids should start walking towards their mother's house, Kenneth would go back to the highway to get help and Robert would stay with the car.

"I just want everybody to know that Bob did not send his kids out to die - he didn't," Quintana said. "He didn't even want to let them go, but the kids were confident, hell I was even confident in that she (the mother) was going to be there."

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Eventually they got the car out of the snow and Robert and Kenneth returned home. They assumed that the kids had made it safely to their mother's house. Around 4:00 pm JoLeta Jenks called Robert to find out why her kids had not yet reached her house. Robert explained what had happened and, with Kenneth, drove back in the car to start looking for the kids. In the meantime JoLeta called the police.

"They didn't even call me, telling me they were walking," she told the Times-News.

Robert and Kenneth found the spot where they had gotten stuck earlier and tried to follow the kids footprints in the snow. They lost track of them in the blowing snow and were forced to return back to the car when the weather started getting worse.

The police organized a search party in the knee-deep snow and they eventually found the boy at around 10:00 pm about 4.5 miles away, dressed only in his underwear. The girl was not found until 2:00 am the following morning about 2.7 miles away. According to JoLeta, who later questioned her son, Bear, the children had a disagreement on what to do when they got lost in the snow.

"(Bear) kept on telling her: 'Let's go, Sage, let's go, Sage,'" Jenks said, recalling what her son told her. "She said, 'No, I'm going back.'"

Sage was pronounced dead at a Ketchum hospital; preliminary autopsy results indicate she died of hypothermia. Officials say temperatures in the area at the time the girl was missing ranged from 27 degrees above zero to minus 5.

Robert Aragon was arrested and charged with second degree murder in the death of his daughter and felony injury to a child in the case of his son. He was emotional during his appearance before Judge Mark Ingram:

He banged his head on the defendant's table as Ingram read the charges against him, The Times-News reported. After Ingram noted that second-degree murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, Aragon said "Oh my God" as he banged his head on the table one final time.

JoLeta Jenks and Robert Aragon are not married. While she said she doesn't understand the decision Aragon is accused of making in letting the children walk to her house, Jenks added:

"I don't need to sit and yell. I know he's going through hell right now."