By Ola Attallah, IOL Correspondent

GAZA CITY, December 26 (IslamOnline.net) - The family of a Palestinian female preacher, who was stabbed to death on December 17 in her Louisiana home in the United States, pointed the finger at religious hatred.

Ahmad Jamal Muhanna, the brother of slain Iman, told IslamOnline.net Sunday, December 26, that the grisly killing of his sister showed no sign of forced entry or robbery.

An autopsy showed Iman, who was six months pregnant with a girl, was stabbed 33 times in the upper body, and that some of those wounds were defensive.

“Whoever killed Iman did not target her person but her Da`wah activities and Islam,” said Ahmad, who lives in Gaza City.

Iman, who was 42 when she was killed, had founded the Muslim Academy in Gretna, he added.

Ahmad recalled that in the wake of the 9/11 attacks she had complained of mounting insecurity and bigotry.

“Iman, however, never caved in to religious discrimination or harassment she suffered because of her faith,” he added.

Ahmad further added that his sister was known among the Muslim community in Louisiana as an avid activist and preacher.

“She was loved by her community and non-Muslim Americans alike.”

Iman graduated from the faculty of Islamic studies in the Islamic University in Gaza and was noted for her academic excellence.

The mother of nine-year-old Ahmad also held an MA in Islamic studies from the United States.

Ahmad said an investigation is underway to find the culprit, noting that representatives of the Muslim community gave the government one month to decipher the mystery otherwise they would hire private detectives.

They further placed a bounty on the head of the murderer, he added.

Hate crimes against Arabs and Muslims in the US increased to record levels, by 1,700% in 2001 according to crime statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

A May 2004 report released by the US Senate Office Of Research concluded that the Arab Americans and the Muslim community in the United States have taken the brunt of the Patriot Act and other federal powers applied in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.