I heard about this story and thought this guy was a real jerk for beating a woman to a pulp for refusing to dance with him. It turns out the jerk is a foreigner from Morocco and that made me very suspicious.
Here the report from the New York Post and then I’ll tell you about a little factoid that’s not being reported in this travesty.
A construction worker accused of viciously beating a nurse in a Hell’s Kitchen bar — and then outrageously blaming it on his victim — today said that after he saw himself on TV in surveillance video released by cops, "I wanted to kill myself because she didn’t deserve that.
"I remember dancing with her. I remember being in the bathroom with her, and I remember her screaming," said Mbarek Lafrem, 30, who allegedly attacked the woman in the bathroom of the Eighth Avenue bar Social after she turned down his invitation to dance.
"I wouldn’t want that to happen to my sisters," Lafrem added In an emotional jailhouse interview on Rikers Island.
The Moroccan national, who faces charges of attempted murder, assault and attempted rape, said he was blind-drunk and barely remembers that night.
"I wasn’t myself. I was somebody else," he said. "I’ve never acted like that before.
"I made a mistake. I have to pay for it. I’m in the hole.’’
After his bust, he tried to blame the attack on his victim, telling cops, "I was at the bar with the girl. I went into the bathroom, and she started yelling at me.
"She was coming toward me, so I grabbed her by the arm. She was trying to push me, so I punched her in the face twice and pushed her back into the stall. She fell into the stall and hit her head."
Asked what he would now tell the woman, a pediatric nurse, Lefram replied from jail: "I’ll give her my life.
The woman required 50 stitches to close a laceration across her forehead, suffered a broken eye socket and nose, skull fractures and a busted jaw, according to court papers.
Lafrem said he had been drinking on an empty stomach after getting off work the night of the attack.
Here’s the factoid:
It turns out that the men in Morocco like to use women as punching bags on the regular. The problem is so extensive that the World Organization Against Torture is a Press Release concerning the issue.
Here an excerpt:
OMCT’s report expresses concern that although domestic violence is little documented and seldom reported, it appears to be a serious problem. There are several barriers that prevent women and girls from lodging complaints in relation to domestic violence. These include: traditional social beliefs concerning the inferiority of women; the social unacceptability of denouncing your husband; the lack of specific legislation on violence against women in the family; and the lack of sensitivity on the part of law enforcement officials. Furthermore, there is a lack of adequate structures to shelter and help battered women and women face difficulties in obtaining a judicial divorce on the grounds of harm and proving physical assault in the domestic sphere as this requires a medical certificate as well as the testimony of a witness. The report explains that these obstacles perpetuate the message that domestic violence is to a certain degree acceptable and allow the perpetrators of domestic violence to enjoy impunity. OMCT insists that the government develop a comprehensive policy and legislative response to the problem of domestic violence, which at the same time should dissolve the mentioned obstacles.
We take for granted the benefits of living in this country. Yes, we have our problems with Domestic violence. But I was raised not to lay a hand on a woman. In Morocco, smack'em all you want!
Via New York Post
The Last Tradition
