This story doesn’t come from the Middle East or even the East End of London. It comes from deep in the heart of Dixie, USA, where, typically, Nascar and peach pie are on the minds of the citizenry — not honor killing.

In an astonishing clash of cultures, in the small town of Jonesboro, GA, Pakistani-born Chaudhry Rashid stands accused of strangling his 25-year-old daughter, Sandeela Kanwal, reportedly because she fled her arranged marriage.

And while the mainstream media headlines report that the father says he’s innocent, the actual quote told to Chief Magistrate Daphne Walker by an interpreter was: "I’ve done nothing wrong." Rashid, 54, who speaks primarily Urdu and Punjabi, has been charged with murder in connection with the death of his 25-year-old daughter Sandeela Kanwal. She was found strangled to death with a bungee cord Sunday in the family’s home.

Kanwal wed in Pakistan in an arranged marriage but police said she hadn’t seen her husband, who lives in Chicago, for months. Kanwal worked at the local Wal-Mart. She was an energetic and good employee, according to Wal-Mart’s national spokesperson, Phillip Keene.

According to police, there was "friction between father and victim" in the weeks leading up to the killing. Rashid had not spoken to his daughter in more than two months.

A neighbor of the family said she never noticed the tension. "The Rashids were always nice, decent, and friendly," said Veronda L. Luckett, who lives across the street. "Mr. Rashid would always say ‘hello,’ wave and smile when he would pass me on the street."

The only unusual thing Luckett noticed was how the daughter dressed in a more Westernized fashion than the rest of her family.

"I always saw the girl in jeans and a t-shirt," she said. "The rest of the women in the family wore full Muslim attire — their faces always covered."

Although Luckett never had a lengthy conversation with her neighbors over the last four years, she did celebrate with them last year at the family’s small Fourth of July party.

When asked if she noticed anything odd lately, Luckett responded: "Come to think of it, I don’t think they celebrated July 4th this year."

According to Rashid’s lawyer, Alan Begner of Atlanta, a preliminary and bond hearing is scheduled in early August.

Begner refused to comment further about the case.

Rashid, who is currently being held in the Clayton County Jail, told the judge he wanted to observe his Muslim beliefs while in prison, including following a diet that forbids the consumption of pork in any form and requires other meats to be prepared according to Islamic rules.

Neighbors agree that Mr. Rashid appeared to be a very religious man. Luckett often spotted Mr. Rashid praying before heading to work. He owns a pizzeria nearby.