Teen Allegedly Burned By Her Mother Over Online Romance
HOLLYWOOD (CBS4) - A Hollywood mother is accused of burning her daughter with a hot knife because of an Internet relationship.
Sahar Thabit, 35, faces three counts of child abuse.
According to Hollywood Police, the seventeen year old girl's mother "put a knife on the stove, heating the metal on the knife and placing it on the child's arms."
Police began investigating after a classmate at South Broward High School reported that she saw three burns on her arms.
The family is devout Muslim.
"She was brought to me because her mother and father burned her because she was communicating with a young boy on the Internet," says Somy Ali who runs South Florida-based 'No More Tears'.
Ali explained the punishment is part of what's known as 'honor violence.'
"It's not specific to Islamic culture. It takes part in various cultures but you cannot date or have premarital sex and if you do, your father and brother have a right to hurt you," she explains.
At the family's West Hollywood home, the girl's grandparents downplayed the incident.
"She's doing fine," said her grandfather.
Somy Ali says she is not sure if the teenager is still communicating with the man over the internet.
"I think she liked communicating with the boy. He even called her house and tried to ask the father for her hand in marriage but he refused because the girl was promised to marry a cousin."
The girl is staying with family friends and is attending high school.
Her mother has been ordered not to have any contact with her daughter.
