Woman Learns of Her Death in Iraq

I've heard about people who find their own obituaries mistakenly printed in papers, but I imagine that discovering you've been killed by Islamic militants in Iraq would be a little more off-putting. As the Associated Press reports: A woman was shocked to learn Friday that a photo of what appeared to be her old driver's license showed up on an Islamic Web site along with a claim that she had been captured in southern Iraq and slain. She's never been anywhere near Iraq, but she speculates that the militants got her name from a Kuwaiti guy she dated in the '80s. So not only has she been killed by Islamic militants, but also an old relationship is coming back to haunt her. That's got to be the worst. (via hoaxes' journal)

Death Hate Crimes/Terror

Posted on Thu Nov 04, 2004


Comments

Why was the woman on an Islamic website in the first place? She would have to be able to read Arabic. Is she Muslim herself?
Posted by john  on  Thu Nov 04, 2004  at  04:13 PM
It was a reporter who saw the website, who then called up the woman at her house. That's how she learned of it.
Posted by The Curator  in  San Diego  on  Thu Nov 04, 2004  at  04:40 PM
I once read a newspaper report that someone with my name and home town had been shot and killed during a fight in the McDonald's downtown. As I read the whole story, though, I realized it was a different person who happened to have the same name. For about a year afterward, though, I kept meeting people who said, "I thought you were dead-- I read about it in the paper." I didn't know whether to thank them for their sympathy or be angry that they thought I would be hanging out at McDonald's and fighting with drunks.
Posted by Big Gary C  on  Thu Nov 04, 2004  at  06:49 PM
My mother re-married a few years ago, & her new husband had been previously married to a woman w/ my mom's name. (So there were 2 Susan "Smith"s) Well, they were both born in the same year, in the same city in Florida...so their Social's are very nearly similar...with only the last 2 digits off. My mom got collection calls from companies looking for this woman all of the time. After the first 6 years, my mom called the other Susan & politely asked if she would mind going back to her maiden name. Well, the other Susan actually was getting re-married (to #6) so her name was going to be changed soon anyway.
Posted by Maegan  on  Mon Nov 08, 2004  at  11:34 AM
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.