Man Bites Dog

There's an old journalism saying meant to illustrate the principle that a rare or unusual event is more newsworthy than a common everyday occurrence:

"When a dog bites a man, that is not news. But if a man bites a dog, that is news."

What brought that to mind is a recent story from New York. But first, the set-up.

Among other things, Islam suffers from a barbaric tradition of so-called honor killings in which Islamic women are murdered, often by stoning or beheading, for violating their families' honor. Those violations can include such things as not adhering to a strict dress code, objecting to an arranged marriage, pre-marital sex or marital infidelity, or even failing to serve a meal on time. Perhaps the most egregious example of honor killing is the murder of rape victims by her own family.

With that in mind, the following story falls squarely into the "man bites dog" category.

A soft-spoken Muslim woman tried to slit her Staten Island husband's throat as he slept - enraged that he made her eat pork and wear sexy skirts...

"It's time for you to die!" screamed Rabia Sarwar as she pounced on hubby Sheikh Naseem, sources said.

He woke early Wednesday to find her straddling his chest and hacking at his neck with a knife.

The burly 41-year-old, a teacher at Susan Wagner High School, overpowered the pretty petite Sarwar, 37, and grabbed the weapon.

The two have only been together for five months. For Nasseem, it was his third try after his first two marriages failed. The Pakistani-born Naseem was not a practicing Muslim but sought a traditional wife; their pairing was arranged through family friends.

Shades of Lorena Bobbitt...

In related news, the charges against Lorena Bobbitt were dismissed because the evidence wouldn't stand up in court.

Her husband was happy to see her set free. He said he didn't have any hard feelings.

Lorena Bobbitt is now dating a golf pro. She wants to improve her slice.