In a case shaking the Netherlands to its core, two Syrian-born brothers stand trial for the chilling murder of their 18-year-old sister, allegedly committed to restore family “honor.”
According to Breitbart News, Ryan Al Najjar was allegedly targeted by her father and brothers because she embraced behavioral choices considered too Western by her traditionalist family, leading prosecutors to define the case as an honor killing.
Ryan, a young woman trying to live in freedom in the Netherlands, was allegedly lured to a remote area by her older brothers—Mohamed, 23, and Muhanad, 25—before her bound body was dumped in a northern lake, weighed down and left to sink.
Teen Victim Caught Between Two Worlds
Autopsy results revealed the teen died from a combination of strangulation and drowning, indicating she was alive—if barely—when submerged. Her hands and feet had been tied, a detail that makes it impossible to call this anything but deliberate and premeditated.
Authorities discovered DNA under the victim’s fingernails matching her father, Khaled, who is accused of orchestrating the attack before fleeing to Syria. As one news agency bluntly reported: “DNA evidence from her father was discovered under her fingernails, indicating a struggle.”
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service concluded that Ryan had been killed because she had dated, appeared unveiled in public, and posted videos wearing makeup—choices considered offensive by her conservative family members.
Fleeing Father to Face Trial in Absentia
While Mohamed and Muhanad await their verdict in the Netherlands, their father is expected to be tried in absentia, thanks to his convenient disappearance across the Syrian border.
Prosecutors have recommended stern penalties: 25 years for the father and 20 years each for the brothers. Officials claim they are hamstrung when it comes to extraditing Khaled due to Syria’s current government relationship.
Syria, for its part, insists it’s ready to cooperate on a legal level. “That may have been the case in the beginning when the regime had just fallen. Now the Syrian justice system has been fully restored. We are ready,” declared a spokesperson from the Syrian Ministry of Justice.
Cultural Clashes Bursting at the Seams
As gruesome as the crime is, the story also highlights heavy tensions at the intersection of immigration, integration, and clashing cultural practices—issues many on the Left prefer to downplay or dismiss as politically inconvenient.
Honor-based violence is viewed by some as a fringe concern, yet here it is—at the heart of a Western democracy, where a young woman was evidently killed for social media posts and unveiled public outings.
But talking about these issues gets you labeled “intolerant” by the usual crowd. Years ago, Dutch politician Machiel de Graaf warned, “Dutch unity, identity, and culture are being wrecked by immigration and incubation. We do not want Islam in the Netherlands.” Critics called him extreme. Now, others are starting to listen.
Justice System Navigates Complex Terrain
The legal system in the Netherlands now walks a tightrope—balancing justice for Ryan while also grappling with international legal limitations on bringing her father back within jurisdiction.
Prosecutors believe the brothers knowingly led Ryan into a trap and were complicit in executing a plan set in motion by their father—one that ended with their sister dead in the cold waters of a Dutch lake.
The brothers, as alleged, weren’t just participants; they were ideological enforcers, punishing their sister for stepping out of line with family expectations rooted in old-world values incompatible with Western liberties.
