A 20-year-old Iraqi girl, from the Kurdistan region, was killed by her brother and uncle for adopting Christianity.
Asia News, broadcast on March 9, reported that the girl, named Eman Sami Maghdid, has long used the name Maria, even on social media, and is followed through contests. Her fight is aimed at defending women's civil rights and freedoms.
At the age of 12, her family forced her to marry a man, but only four years later the two separated.
On March 6, Maria was killed with a knife by her uncle, with the cooperation of her brother, on March 6, but only on March 8, International Women's Day, the details of the murder were known. because she had abandoned Islam for Christianity and thus committed apostasy.
The murder took place near Erbil International Airport, not far from the Ankawa area, where a large number of Christians live.
Relatives of Maria said that her adoption of Christianity was not the only reason, there were other reasons, such as her unwillingness to wear a scarf on her head, not wanting to follow Islamic traditions. In addition, Maria's father, a fruit and vegetable seller, is also a well-known figure in the local Muslim community.
The news said, "Maria's body was found with duct tape and thrown on the side of the road with several knives."
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Catholic Church of the Chaldeans, commented that although the journey of tolerance and coexistence in Iraq began, it was also thanks to the visit of Pope Francis last March to Iraq. , but these are still goals to be achieved today.