Murder of the Faruqis
1986 CE.
Shown on the map at 40.088°, -75.144°.
The murder of the Faruqis occurred on May 27, 1986, at their home in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, United States. Isma'il Raji al-Faruqi, a prominent Islamic scholar, and his wife, Lois Lamya al-Faruqi (née Lois Rachel Ibsen), a respected art historian known for her contributions to ethnomusicology, were killed in a brutal attack that drew widespread attention due to their academic standing and the nature of the crime. Their daughter, Anmar el-Zein, who was eight months pregnant at the time, survived multiple stab wounds and managed to alert authorities despite severe injuries requiring 200 stitches. She described the assailant as a stocky man wearing a black scarf tied in a "cowboy-robber" style. Due to al-Faruqi's prominence, the Cheltenham Township Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the FBI. The incident sparked discussions about potential motives, which ranged from political retaliation due to al-Faruqi's outspoken views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to personal vendettas.
Text from the Wikipedia article Murder of the Faruqis, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.