Murder of the Faruqis

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Murder of the Faruqis: A brief, easy-to-understand summary

In the early hours of May 27, 1986, Isma'il Raji al-Faruqi, a respected religion professor at Temple University, and his wife Lois Lamya al-Faruqi, an art historian, were killed in their home in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. Their daughter, Anmar el-Zein, who was eight months pregnant, was also stabbed but survived and called the police. A 15-inch survival knife was found at the scene, and investigators noted a break-in and a violent struggle.

The police, with help from the FBI, examined possible motives tied to al-Faruqi’s work in Islamic studies and interfaith dialogue, as well as the possibility of personal vendetta or robbery.

In January 1987, Joseph Louis Young (also known as Yusuf Ali) was identified as the main suspect. A bloody glove at the scene matched his fingerprints, and other evidence linked him to the crime. Young confessed to the police, saying the murders were motivated by personal delusions about the Faruqis and that he knew the family through the local Islamic community.

The trial began in July 1987. The jury found Young guilty of two counts of first-degree murder plus attempted murder, burglary, criminal trespass, and aggravated assault. He was sentenced to death for each murder.

Appeals led to a resentencing in 1990, but the verdict remained a death sentence. Young died in prison in 1996 from natural causes before the execution could take place.

Thousands attended the Faruqis’ funeral on May 30, 1986, at a mosque in West Philadelphia. They were buried together at Forest Hills Cemetery in Pennsylvania.

The case drew national attention and highlighted concerns about threats against scholars and the impact of violent crime. Isma'il al-Faruqi’s work in Islamic studies and interfaith dialogue continued to influence students and researchers. The family eventually moved away, and the house where the murders occurred was put up for sale in 2011.