Muslims kill Jewish woman in Iran

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ISFAHAN, Iran, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- A Jewish woman was stabbed to death in Isfahan, Iran, in what her family said was a religiously motivated crime.

Menashe Amir, an Iranian Jewry expert, told The Times of Israel the 57-year-old woman, identified as Tuba N., was killed Monday, allegedly by her Muslim neighbors, who had been trying to drive the family from their home and confiscate their property, which is adjacent to a mosque.

"The religious radicals even expropriated part of the house and attached it to the mosque's courtyard," Amir said. "The Jewish family appealed to the courts ... despite the threats to their lives."

The killing occurred while the woman's husband was in Tehran.

"Thugs broke into her home, tied up her two sisters who were living with her, and repeatedly stabbed her to death," Amir said. The attackers then removed her hands.

Relatives living in the United States were informed of the killing by one of the sisters and they in turn told Amir, The Times said Thursday.

Amir said members of the city's dwindling Jewish community fear further bloodshed. Isfahan, the third largest city in Iran, was home to some 1,200 Jews in 2009. Now, however, Amir estimates fewer than 100 families remain.

The Times said Iranian authorities attempted to cover up the killing and have yet to return the woman's body to her family.