Robert Spencer here -- Atlas has very kindly allowed me to guest post here while Jihad Watch is down. We are working on getting things up and running over there again. Sometimes you can get to the site, but it is very slow. In the meantime, I am grateful for the space here. Thanks, Atlas!
Here is another honor killing story, this one out of South Africa. Islamic apologists routinely dismiss honor killings as having nothing to do with Islam; however, Islamic law stipulates that a parent who kills a child incurs no penalty, and as for wife-killing, a few years back the Jordanian Parliament rejected on Islamic grounds attempts to stiffen penalties for honor killings. In light of such facts, the refusal of Islamic leaders in the West to face this issue is criminally irresponsible, and only ensures that honor killings will continue.
Note also that "Abdul Rudolph" sounds like the name of a convert. Did he pick up the idea that honor killing could be justified from those who converted him to Islam? How is it that they failed to instruct him in those true, peaceful Islamic teachings that we hear so much about?
"Man allegedly doused wife with petrol," by Jade Witten in IOL.co.za, July 3 (thanks to Maxwell):
An investigating officer has told the Goodwood Magistrate's Court how
an Athlone man walked into his wife's place of work and slit her throat
before attempting to set her alight.
It is alleged that Abdul Rudolph slit the throat of his wife, Firdous
Fortune-Rudolph, and doused her with petrol in the kitchen of Morkels
furniture store at N1 City Mall, where she worked.
Inspector Anton Abraham, testifying in Rudolph's bail application
yesterday, relayed the events that unfolded at around 2pm on April 29.
He said Rudolph, 30, entered the store to speak to his 25-year-old
wife. The couple then went to the kitchen where he asked her "if she
didn't love or want him anymore".
Minutes later, Abrahams told the court, a knife was produced and he slit her throat.
This was premeditated: he had five liters of gasoline with him:
He then poured petrol from a five-litre bottle over his wife, before attempting to set her alight with his lighter.
But, as this took place, two of Fortune-Rudolph's colleagues stormed into the kitchen and shoved him aside.
They rescued her and rushed her to hospital.
Abrahams testified that Rudolph then knelt on the kitchen floor and slit his own throat. Later he drove off.
Mall security guards gave chase and found him unconscious at the wheel of his car. He was admitted to hospital....
The court also heard Rudolph had a separate case of attempted murder
and rape of a former wife pending in the Wynberg Regional Court.
He had allegedly choked and then raped the woman in 2005 and was later released on R2 000 bail....
Abrahams said Rudolph should not be granted bail as he had violated the
conditions of the order which prohibited him from physically,
emotionally and verbally abusing his wife, harassing her or entering
her place of work....
Devote this weekend to standing up for freedom and getting an education on Islamic law. Try to attend a rally in support of those fighting and dying for freedom in Iran. Robert Spencer says the movie is excellent, surprising in its accurate portrayal of an Islamic stoning for adultery. Well, not so surprising, in fact, as Spencer consulted on the movie, vetting the script for Islamic accuracy.
It is a great movie. GO THIS WEEKEND. Let's give it some fiscal legs.
And while the film is accurate, apparently the actress (!) in the film was asked about stoning. I don't know why an actress would be asked anything outside the realm of her "craft". The combined IQ of all the actresses (and actors) in Hollywood would barely break the hundred mark, so why ask them anything that requires an education and some intellectual breadth and depth. They are experts at nothing but their own navels. If we want leftist/Islamic bullet points, go to Media Matters.
On such key questions, why not ask Ibn Warraq, Robert Spencer, Wafa Sultan, Ayaan Hirsi Ali? Instead, they ask bimbos who spread dangerous and false information. The bottom line is that actresses are paid to recite the words of others not their own. So why ask their opinions on such grave matters?
The Stoning of Soraya M. is a great film; I attended an
advance screening of it last year in Los Angeles, and strongly
recommend that you see it. It is a powerfully moving indictment of the
Islamic practice of stoning adulterers, and indirectly of the Sharia in
general -- however, those connected with the film are doing their level
best to avoid giving the impression that the film has anything to do
with Islam at all. The latest to do this, but by no means the only one,
is actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, who portrays the victim's close friend.
This is understandable in today's politically correct Obamoid climate,
but it is unfortunate for the Muslim women who are victimized by this
barbaric practice: they will never get justice as long as the world is
busy making excuses for what victimizes them, instead of calling to
account those who are responsible.
Anyway, Aghdashloo makes a number of factually false statements in
this article -- not just false, but misleading, and ultimately enabling
those who perpetuate the practice of stoning.
"MOVIE PROFILE: Shohreh Aghdashloo of 'The Stoning of Soraya M.,'" by Todd Hill for the Staten Island Advance, June 25 (thanks to James):
"It's been happening since the Stone Age, in Judaism,
Christianity, Islam. Other nations and religions have gotten rid of it,
and all of a sudden, after 2,000 years of monarchy we're facing it in
Iran. What makes me feel devastated is the fact that it's happening
there, the cradle of civilization," said the actress.
"It's been happening since the Stone Age, in Judaism, Christianity,
Islam." In fact, no. The Hebrew Scriptures mandate stoning but it has
not been carried out in Judaism since the destruction of the Temple in
70 A.D., or before that. Islamic tradition contains stories of Muhammad
confronting Jewish rabbis who try to conceal the fact that the Torah
teaches stoning -- they seem to know that Muhammad was a brutal
flat-footed literalist who would demand they carry out these teachings
literally, when they understood them in a quite different way. I will
include some of this at the end of this post.
As for Christianity, stoning has never been practiced except among
those strange Christians one encounters only in TV dramas. Jesus
famously raised the bar for stoning beyond human reach when he said to
a crowd that was poised to stone an adulteress, "Let him who is without
sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7).
"Along with enriching uranium they're stoning people, and this is what I cannot get, I cannot put the two together."
Aghdashloo stressed that stoning isn't mentioned in the Koran.
"It has nothing to do with Islam. It's under the category of
superstitions and traditions, but obviously those who have hijacked
Islam are manipulating people and using this as an Islamic law. It is
not, really," said Aghdashloo, who prepared for her role by watching a
real stoning on videotape.
Stoning has everything to do with Islam and Islamic law. The caliph
Umar, one of Muhammad's closest companions, even maintained that it was
originally in the Qur'an:
'Umar said, "I am afraid that after a long time has passed,
people may say, "We do not find the Verses of the Rajam (stoning to
death) in the Holy Book," and consequently they may go astray by
leaving an obligation that Allah has revealed. Lo! I confirm that the
penalty of Rajam be inflicted on him who commits illegal sexual
intercourse, if he is already married and the crime is proved by
witnesses or pregnancy or confession." Sufyan added, "I have memorized
this narration in this way." 'Umar added, "Surely Allah's Apostle
carried out the penalty of Rajam, and so did we after him." (Bukhari, vol. 8, bk. 82, no. 816)
And damn every other high minded leftopathic feminist who cloaks herself in self righteousness and Palinesque scorn. Damn every woman who calls herself a feminist and stands on the mall in DC, righteous in her indignation for the late term abortion and the right to kill viable babies (btw, I am pro-choice - early that is) while turning her cheek at Islam's misogyny.
Full of shitniks, all. We see through you empty vassals. (video hat tip Jane via Religion of Peace)
Acid Attacks on Women (Depilex SmileAgain Foundation)
(Video)
From throwing stones to throwing acid, Islam has yet to work out its masculine rage against the fairer sex.
Warning: these photos are horrific. Katherine sent the link and said "God bless the woman who founded
depilex smile again"
Amen.
UPDATE:
EYEontheUN Alert
Islamic countries reject
monitor for discrimination against women
During the Annual Full-day Meeting on Women's Human
Rights held last week at the Human Rights Council, the Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC) and member states expressed their opposition to the
idea of setting up a new Special Rapporteur who would monitor laws that
discriminate against women. According to the High Commissioner for Human Rights,
the establishment of this new mechanism has been under consideration since 2005
and is supported by both the Secretary-General and the Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Active OIC opposition - common on
all human rights fronts at the UN - introduces a major impediment to realizing
this idea for the better protection of women's
rights.
Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC), "disagreed" with the proposal because "The solitary focus
of this mandate would lead to more polemics that surround contemporary
discussions on issues such as universality versus respect of cultural, legal and
religious diversities. It would also lead to further polarization in the system
as it may be perceived as against certain regional and religious groups.The OIC
believes that the international community needs to be afforded ample time and
opportunity with full respect to cultural diversity and better coordination of
existing standards to graduate to universally-agreed
standards."
Egypt"did not favor" this idea..."It will lead to unnecessary
duplication and waste of resources.No single individual would be able to follow
laws on all countries and have knowledge of different legal systems in the
various parts of the world, let alone apply common yardstick to evaluate
them.This might lead to polarization and politicization because some groups
might feel specially targeted."
Algeriaargued that "We shouldn't lose sight of the importance of
taking into account national and regional special characteristics and historical
and religious diversity...[W]e must insure there is no proliferation of
mechanisms on the subject."
At the end of the debate, Iransuggested a "remedy" for violence against women:"National and
regional particularities as well as various cultural historical and cultural
background should be taken into account in an appropriate manner.I would like to.emphasize the role of chastity on strengthening
crime prevention to eliminate violence against women and girl
children."
Why the opposition to close monitoring of laws
that discriminate against women:
In Pakistan rape is frequent, prosecutions are rare and there is
no specific legislation prohibiting domestic violence.
In Egypt spousal rape is not illegal and the law does not
prohibit domestic violence or spousal abuse. The law requires any kind of
assault victim to produce multiple eyewitnesses, a difficult condition for a
domestic abuse victim to meet. The law does not specifically address honor
crimes.
In Algeria spousal rape is not illegal and the penal code [which
is applicable in domestic violence cases] states that a person must be
incapacitated for 15 days or more and present a doctor's note certifying the
injuries before filing charges for battery.
In Iran the constitution bars women from becoming president or
serving as supreme leader or as certain types of judges. Adultery is a capital
offense punishable by stoning. Spousal rape is not illegal and domestic violence
is not specifically prohibited by law.
I received a wonderful note from Scott McLeod, Fire Chief in the town of Pelham in Canada, updating us on the Aqsa Parvez Memorial. How magnificent her garden will be! (above)
I had no idea how difficult and ugly it would be to simply honor a teenage girl in Canada who just wanted to live free but was savagely killed in an "honor killing". In defiance of her devout father and brother, she refused to live under the suffocating dictates of Islamic law. The eleventh grade student began taking off her hijab, a traditional headscarf, when she went to school, and would put it back on when she returned home.
"She wanted to dress like us," said one girl. "To be normal." For those of you unfamiliar with the story, scroll this link.
A year after Aqsa Parvez was brutally murdered by her father and brother, the abuse of this girl continued. She laid in unmarked grave. Her family refused to acknowledge her life, as she "dishonored" them. Last December, when I read that Aqsa lay in an unmarked grave, I got sick. I started a memorial fund to get her a headstone.
Aqsa's unmarked grave
The above was the proposed headstone.
Robert Spencer came aboard, and he and I worked on the headstone. Atlas readers opened their hearts and their wallets, and $5,000 was raised. All was going according to plan until, after much silence, Meadowvale cemetery advised me that the family (yes, the family that murdered her) had refused to "sign off" on the headstone. The director of the cemetery said:
"The
family want changes and is planning on coming in to see me. They did
not book an appointment yet but I hope to see them soon"
Of course, the family never came, and when we inquired as to purchasing a plot near Aqsa's body, we could not. Not a tree. Not a rock. Not a bench. All the plots were owned by the Islamic Society of North America. Needless to say, the family would not take my calls (I spoke to the them once, but they pretended not to speak English). The family refused to allow it. "A cemetery employee said there is no problem if others want to place a
flat memorial there, but it would be removed if the family were to
demand that".
Other locations were pursued - plans made, only to be canceled at the last minute out of ....fear. Here is what the University of Guelph wrote at the time:
Dear Ms. Geller:
The prime purpose of The Arboretum in the University
setting is to provide a living outdoor laboratory for education, research and
outreach. As such it has developed into a well used multi-faceted department as
part of the institution. As you have discovered one aspect is the memorial
program. However from its inception, success of The Arboretum dedication program
has been due to it being a space dedicated to quiet reflection and meditation.
It is because of the peaceful nature of The Arboretum that, over the years, many
individuals have chosen to dedicate benches and to plant trees in memory of
loved ones. I believe that, no matter how worthy, a memorial to Aqsa Parvez
would draw much public attention and would thus be inconsistent with current use
of The Arboretum.
Ric Jordan, Manager UofG
Arboretum
Atlas readers to the rescue again. A number of readers like Gerry Vincent and Norman Traversy scouted other locations. And then .........to the rescue, Scott McLeod. Scott McLeod is the fire chief in Pelham and the driving force behind the Aqsa Parvez memorial resolution. He proposed the resolution to City Councilor Sharon Cook and she went to work getting it passed.
And the Aqsa Parvez Memorial will be erected in Pelham this summer! The granite bench will be inscribed - In loving memory of Aqsa Parvez, Beloved, Remembered and Free. Exhale.
Of course, the leftist media and their tools got wind of the story and were ugly and apoplectic. S[m]elley over at the National Post wrote here:
And hey, if a tasteful memorial is eventually erected, 20 years later
it might not matter who came up with the idea. I don’t know. I do know
that as an anti-Muslim maniac, Geller makes a very poor spokeswoman for
the cause, and that it’s no help to anyone to pretend, as Warmington
did, that her motives are pure.
Of course, the left must inject its special brand of poison. The hatred of the good.
But no matter ........... beautiful things are happening. Scott sent me the plans (figure 1 and the attached background).
Here is what Scott McLeod wrote me today:
I have attached the most recent update regarding the memorial including a pdf file with the project.
The construction of the project is now in the hands of our engineering department and we will likely be able to complete it within the time as indicated in the report.
Once the dedication date is firmed up I will provide further information.
If you are unable to attend, I will make sure a video walk through and dedication DVD is sent to you.
I believe that you have done a magnificent job of coordinating the idea and raising awareness of this situation.
As a firefighter we have a saying that good firefighters always go to heaven, never to hell, cause they'll put it out.
If you have any 'sins' in your life, you have canceled them with this effort. LOL
Welcome to the Fire Service, Honorary Firefighter Geller,
get ready to help us batter the gates of hell.
Scott McLeod, Fire Chief
Town of Pelham
No, I don't think so. I think Scott will go to heaven, as will every single good soul who contributed, made calls, wrote letters and made this happen. YOU MADE THIS HAPPEN. G-d bless you.
Information on the park (attached to figure 1)
MEETING DATE:
June 15, 2009
SUBJECT:
Update of Staff Actions - Aqsa Parvez Memorial
Kelly Walsh, P. Eng.s.
FINANCIAL, LEGAL AND STAFFING IMPLICATIONS:
It is anticipated that the costs of the memorial will be covered through donations.
SUMMARY:
a) Origin of Report: The Director of CIS wishes to update Committee on the tasks to date as well as future plans.
b) Authority: The Town is responsible for alterations to Peace Park.
c) Purpose: To update Committee on progress to date.
a) Overview
At its ) meeting, General Committee requested staff to provide a
plan for a memorial to Aqsa Parvez and to the plight of suffering that
many immigrants to our country have endured.
Shortly, Chief McLeod, the Director of CIS and a representative from
Kirkpatrick O'Brine Monuments will be meeting to discuss specific
details for the bench (immigrant suffering) and a plaque (Parvez) inset
into a concrete pad.
Committee will find attached a proposed plan for the memorial area in
Peace Park. In addition to the memorial area, there are several trees
that should be removed due to age or condition and sidewalk
reconstruction to make the park more accessible. These costs will not
be attributed to the memorial funds.
The dedication of the memorial will take place in late July, exact date to be determined.
ATTACHMENTS:
Peace Park Plan (Figure 1) and Memorial area detail (Figure 2)
The Aqsa Parvez Peace Park. I think she'd like that.
Ramallah – Ma’an – Palestinian police said on Monday they arrested a 24-year-old who allegedly killed his aunt, whose body was found in the West Bank city of Ramallah six days ago.
According to Palestinian Authority security spokesperson Major Adnan Ad-Dimeiri, the alleged murderer of 30-year-old Halimah Ahmad Ash-Sheikh was arrested on evidence that he was responsible for the killing.
Ad-Dimeiri also said that the suspected confessed to the charges, and said that he killed her for reasons of so-called “family honor.”
Ad-Dimeiri said that, according to his affidavit, the suspect rented a car, drove his aunt to the city of Nablus, stopping in the village of An-Nabi Saleh to buy food, and stopped again to get out of the car to eat. He said the suspect stabbed his aunt and left the body in Ramallah, before driving home to the West Bank city of Qalqiliya. The suspect then went the same day to the police station with the victim’s husband to report her missing.
AMMAN - Criminal Prosecutor Ahmad Omari on Sunday charged two
brothers with the premeditated murder of their married sister in the
latest so-called honour crime, official sources said.
The 30-year-old woman, a mother of six, was reportedly stabbed to
death with a switchblade, allegedly by her brothers aged, 44 and 19, at
her father's home on Saturday, the source said.
The two suspects then headed to the nearest police station and
turned themselves in, claiming to have killed their sister to cleanse
their family's honour, the source told The Jordan Times.
The source said the victim went missing from her husband's home at
dawn on Saturday, adding that when the police found her around 10 hours
later, they handed her over to her husband, who contacted her brothers.
The two suspects took her to their family's house and began questioning her about her "disappearance from her husband's home".
"The suspects said their sister told them that she made a mistake, but was free to do whatever she wanted," the source added.
One of the defendants became enraged after hearing his sister’s
answer, drew a switchblade and stabbed her 18 times in the chest and
stomach, according to a source close to the investigations.
"The suspect then gave the knife to his brother, who stabbed her another four times," the source added.
Feroz Mangal and Khatera Sadiqi were shot as they sat in a parked car at the Elmvale Acres shopping plaza on Sept. 19, 2006. Sadiqi was pronounced dead at the scene, while Mangal was taken off life support 10 days later.
Although the defense will not dispute the fact that Sadiqi was responsible for
the killings, Natasha Calvinho, one of Sadiqi's lawyers, told the jury the case
centres on the classification of the homicides. Thanks to Amaros who adds, " the whole idea of honor killing goes on trial not just the murderer. His defense: "provocation" ...good luck with that ....
This trial, if resulting in a conviction of first degree, will serve as a precedent for other cases".
"The jury will also hear from a University of Toronto expert who will talk about the concept of honour killings in certain cultures. Moors said one witness will testify Sadiqi told him after the killings his sister was a martyr and was living in paradise." (not like the FBI which just calls it "domestic violence")
A trial is expected to hear evidence that a brother killed his sister and her fiance in an "honour killing" rooted in anger over their engagement, a Crown attorney said Thursday.
Assistant Crown attorney Mark Moors said that Hasibullah Sadiqi shot his sister, Khatera Sadiqi, and her fiance, Feroz Mangal, while they sat in a parked car just before 1 a.m. Sept. 19, 2006.
Although the defence will not dispute the fact that Sadiqi was responsible for the killings, Natasha Calvinho, one of Sadiqi's lawyers, told the jury the case centres on the classification of the homicides.
Lawyers to argue Ottawa man not guilty of 2006 murder of sister, fiancé because he was provoked
OTTAWA - Upon sitting in the witness box, metres away from her son who stands
accused of killing her daughter and daughter’s fiance, Nasima Fayez started to
cry.
Overcome by emotion, she covered her face with her hands and tissue, before
composing herself and testifying about a broken home, allegedly abusive husband,
Afghan roots and the relationship between her son, Hasibullah Sadiqi, and
daughter, Khatera Sadiqi.
The court has heard that Hasibullah Sadiqi shot his 20-year-old sister and
Mangal with a .44 Magnum revolver while they sat in a parked car at the Elmvale
Acres shopping plaza, at St. Laurent Boulevard and Smyth Road, just before 1
a.m. on Sept. 19, 2006. Sadiqi, 23, is charged with two counts of first-degree
murder.
The Crown contends there will be evidence that the slaying was an honour
killing rooted in anger over their engagement, while Sadiqi’s defence lawyers do
not deny that Sadiqi is responsible for the deaths, but are expected to advance
the argument of provocation, which could reduce a murder charge to manslaughter
if certain conditions are met.
A man killed his 'on-off' girlfriend and her sister in a brutal,
depraved attack, knifing one of them more than 30 times, a jury heard
today.
Mohammed Ali was twice forced to rearm himself after knives broke as he stabbed Yasmine and Sabrina Larbi-Cherif, a court heard.
Opening
the case against Ali, prosecutor David Crigman QC said the 29-year-old
had been in a relationship with Yasmine, 22, before killing her and her
19-year-old sister Sabrina.
Mr Crigman told Birmingham Crown Court that that Ali, who has admitted manslaughter on
the grounds of provocation but denies murder, stabbed both women in the
lounge of their flat before dragging their bodies into a bedroom,
leaving a 'swathe' of blood on the floor.
After showing the jury
CCTV footage of Ali leaving the Jupiter Apartments in Ryland Street,
Birmingham, following the killings, Mr Crigman told the panel: 'He had
left behind a scene of carnage.
'He had used violence of the most brutal and depraved kind and he had killed two young girls.'
The
jury was told that the partially-clothed bodies of the Algerian-born
siblings were found last September at their fourth floor flat near to
Birmingham Broad Street entertainment district.[...]
'In this case, it's likely that there will be overlapping
motives - anger, control, base male brutality and a significant sexual
dimension,' the lawyer said.
Warning jurors that some of the
photographs taken by police inside the flat were distressing, Mr
Crigman invited them to look at one showing the sisters' bodies lying
on a bed.
Each of the victims was naked from the waist down, but an item had been thrown over their lower bodies, the court heard.
Mr Crigman continued: 'It is a certainty that where you see those girls is not where they were attacked or killed.
'They
were attacked in the lounge of the flat and they were dragged, dead or
dying... and extremely likely already dead, into the bedroom.'
The prosecution barrister then went on to detail the wounds the
sisters had suffered, revealing that Sabrina's injuries from a series
of 'precision strikes' had led to the loss of the entirety of the blood
in her system.
The younger victim was stabbed 32 times by Ali, who is thought to be from Morocco or Iraq.
Yasmine
had also undergone 'a beating', Mr Crigman said, sustaining wounds to
her arm and wrist and an eight-inch-deep stab wound to her back which
entered her heart.
[...]
'He
launched the attack with fists and maybe feet and then he got a knife
and he used it and he broke it... and he went to get another knife and
he broke it.
'He went and got a third knife and he used it until the girls were dead.'
Photo: sisters Yasmine (right) and Sabrina Larbi-Cherif were allegedly killed by Yasmine's boyfriend Mohammed Ali.
This is the country Obama wants in the EU.
(hat tip Amaros)
The suspect said that his side of the family had asked for [the bride] Sevgi Celebi, whose
father had been the village headman, to be given to them in marriage as
penance for an earlier rape. “But they gave her to one of our enemies. We
told them to cancel the engagement or else.”
It was about the bride. There are feeble attempts to tie this to the Kurdish war.
The bodies of the
victims — mainly women and children, including three pregnant women and a
baby — were buried in a row. The wailing of mourners was heard across the
surrounding plains.
"Turkish police arrested eight men suspected of a wedding party attack that killed 44 people, including the bride and groom, whose marriage the suspects opposed.
Women and children were among the victims of the 15-minute assault Monday in the town of Bilge in southeastern Turkey, Voice of America reported Wednesday.
Witnesses said men, armed with automatic weapons and hand grenades, opened fire on the 200 people attending the wedding.
"The wedding couple put their wedding rings on and as the evening prayers started people started firing through windows and the door," one witness told VOA."
BILGE, Turkey, May 6 (UPI) -- Turkish police arrested eight men
suspected of a wedding party attack that killed 44 people, including
the bride and groom, whose marriage the suspects opposed.
Women and children were among the victims of the 15-minute assault
Monday in the town of Bilge in southeastern Turkey, Voice of America
reported Wednesday.
Witnesses said men, armed with automatic weapons and hand grenades, opened fire on the 200 people attending the wedding.
"The wedding couple put their wedding rings on and as the evening
prayers started people started firing through windows and the door,"
one witness told VOA.
[...]
"According to our first inspections, this happened because of a feud
within the family," Atalay said. "But our efforts to find out what
happened are continuing."
The chief suspect in the murders of 44 people at an engagement party in Turkey
planned to kill all guests to ensure that no one remained to take revenge,
according to a leaked police statement.
The massacre, the biggest single attack involving civilians that modern Turkey
has seen, followed a dispute over land and women.
Police have arrested eight males, including a 14-year-old boy, who all share
the same surname as the bride-to-be, Sevgi Celebi. She was killed along with
the prospective groom and the Muslim cleric leading the ceremony.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Ayman Udas, a rising female vocalist in
Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province, was shot at her
home, allegedly by her own brothers.
Her death has rattled the city's
jittery artistic community, as local musicians and dancers in Peshawar -- a city
renowned for its vibrant artistic life -- face increasing pressure as the region
falls under greater Taliban influence.
Some attributed Udas's death to
the Islamist militants, but her husband told reporters that his wife was killed
because she broke family traditions.
A beautiful woman in her early 30s
and mother of two, Udas recently remarried after a divorce. Her two brothers,
Alamgir and Ismail, disapproved of her divorce, remarriage, and her artistic
career, all of which disgrace a family's name in conservative Islamic society.
[..]
Udas -- poet, lyricist, and popular
Pakistani singer -- had recently given her first television
appearance. In one of her more popular songs, "Mra shum ashna khu pa jwando
ki usam, janana sta pa waswaso ki usa," she sings about the importance of
courage, even to the point of defying death.
Her death "is absolutely
unacceptable," Ahmad Ali Adil of the University of Peshawar told RFE/RL's Radio
Free Afghanistan, calling the crime "a murder of humanity." He said that unless
society changes, several other female performers will face similar problems.
Meanwhile, Artists are coming under direct threat in Taliban-controlled
areas. In January, a dancer's bullet-ridden body was left in the center of Swat
Valley's capital of Mingora -- not far from where Udas grew up -- with a note
warning locals that "un-Islamic voices" will no longer be tolerated.
Where are the "human rights activists"? Where are the riots across Europe? Where is the UN? Where? Where is President Hussein? He wants us to "respect" this - shariah law.
Where's the media? No Jews involved. Nothing to see here, keep moving (over the dead bodies of women the world over).
Bethlehem – Ma’an – A woman was killed on Monday morning in the Gaza Strip in
the fourth killing related to so-called “family” honor in the last
week.
According to information collected by the Palestinian Center for
Human Rights (PCHR), 28-year-old Rihab Al-Hazin, from An-Nusseirat Refugee Camp
was killed by her 21-year-old brother, who told police he killed his sister to
‘maintain family honor.’ [...]
Last Thursday, three members of the
Olaiwa family were killed in Gaza City. Police found three bodies belonging to
Sufian Arafat Olaiwa, 45, his wife, Miriam Al-Majdoub Olaiwa, 30, and their son,
Jawhar Sufian Olaiwa, 5, in their houses in the Ash-Shuja’iyya neighborhood in
the east of Gaza City. Each had been shot several times. Later, police arrested
three members of the same family. Yousef Abdul Wahab, Chief of the Police
Criminal Investigation Bureau in Gaza, told PCHR that the crimes were related to
so-called ‘family honor’.
These killings, PCHR said, are a sign of a
resurgence in so-called honor killings. The Center called for these killings to
be prosecuted as murders, and for the Palestinian judicial system not to hand
out reduced sentences to perpetrators who claim reasons of “family honor.”
A Muslim father orders his daughter killed over her short skirt in Russia. This is shariah law in Russia, Jordan, Germany, the UK, the US, Canada, Denmark, etc. This is Islam, and President Hussein demands that you respect it. This is part of the global jihad. And honor killings are on the rise, because our silence is a form of complicity. The acceptance of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the Alliance of Civilizations and the UN's Cairo Declaration of Human Rights serves to further the malevolent, brutal ascendancy of Islamic supremacism and shariah law.
I reject it. And I will fight it and him in his continued quest to Islamicize this country. Not on my watch, brother.
A Muslim resident of Russia's St. Petersburg has hired killers
to rid him of a daughter who disrespected Islamic laws by wearing short
skirts.
The police detained Gafar Kerimov, 46, after he reported that his daughter
went missing, but blurted out that the girl was dead already, Komsomolskaya
Pravda newspaper reported Monday.
The family, ethnic Azerbaijanis, used to have frequent arguments about how
the daughter should dress and behave.
Rashida Kirimova, 21, studied medicine at a St. Petersburg school and waved away her father’s
criticism when he said her clothes weren't modest enough and were unfit for a
Muslim girl.
During winter, Rashida wore high-necked sweaters and long trousers, causing
no problems in the neighborhood, but when spring came, she put on a skirt that
left her knees exposed.
The father’s Muslim friends again started reproaching him for being negligent
and allowing his daughter to walk around dressed like a fallen woman. They said
the insult could only be washed away by blood, and introduced Gafar to a killer,
who agreed to help him for around $3000.
The killer, Kadyr Suleymanov, seized the girl on April 8th as she
was hurrying to classes. He and two accomplices drove her out of the city to a
suburban dump, shot her dead and covered her body with garbage.
The body was found by the police after the father confessed he had ordered
the killing. Two of three criminals have been detained.
The Associated Press: Jordanian man accused of stabbing pregnant
sister in a so-called honor killing.
Authorities in Jordan are accusing a man of stabbing his pregnant sister to
death in a so-called honor killing.
A Prosecutor says the attacker repeatedly stabbed the 28-year-old woman in
the face, abdomen and back and mutilated her body with a meat cleaver. An
autopsy showed the married woman was five months pregnant.
AMMAN - The criminal prosecutor on
Saturday charged a 24-year-old man with the premeditated murder of his married
sister in the latest so-called honour crime reported this year, official sources
said.
The 29-year-old victim, who was not identified by officials, was reportedly
stabbed to death by her brother while she was asleep in her family's home, one
official source told The Jordan Times.
The suspect then headed to the nearest police station, handed over a
switchblade to officers on duty and informed them that he killed his sibling to
cleanse his family's honour, the source said.
When investigators arrived at the scene of crime, they found a blood-stained
meat cleaver and kitchen knife lying next to the victim's body, the source
added.
Investigators believe the two additional weapons were also used in the murder
and sent them to the criminal lab for further analysis, according to the
source.
In his initial testimony to the police, the suspect claimed he killed his
married sister because he heard that she was going out with men.
He also maintained that she was stealing money and jewellery, the source
added.
A second source said the woman had a major fight with her husband and had
been living with her family for the past six months.
The suspect claimed that someone told him about his sister's immoral
behaviour, so he "went to the house, entered the room where she was sleeping and
without uttering a word stabbed her to death then slit her throat to make sure
that she was dead", the source added.
A team of government pathologists headed by Awad Tarawneh counted 35 stab
wounds on her face, chest and stomach, including a deep gash on her neck. They
also established that she was 20-weeks pregnant with a boy.
The team, which included Rami Shawareb and Hassan Hawari, also detected marks
of struggle and bruises on the victim's body, which indicated that she was "most
probably tortured before she was murdered", the source noted.
"The pathologists found traces of rope on her hands and feet and reported
seeing bruises caused by a blunt object on different parts of her body," the
source added.
The suspect was ordered detained for 14 days at a correctional facility
pending further investigation into the case.
The victim became the ninth person reportedly murdered for reasons of honour
in Jordan this year and the second this month.
On April 6, a teenager stabbed his sister to death because she would often
leave her family's house and go to unknown destinations.
While the West circle jerks and deludes itself drunk on a toxic cocktail mix of multiculturalism, political correctness and appeasement - Muslim women face the firing squad.
The wonders of multiculturalism... Norman laments, "What really gets me is that Canada Border Services will not comment in order to
protect her privacy. Where are the women's groups? They would rather send this
woman to her death than admit that honor murders are a part of Muslim culture."
Roohi Tabassum is being deported later this month to Pakistan, where
she says her Muslim extremist ex husband will be waiting to kill her in
an honour killing to defend his family's reputation.
A Mississauga woman says she'll be the victim of an honour killing
by her estranged husband, a Muslim extremist, when she's deported to
Pakistan at the end of the month.
Roohi Tabassum, 44, says Faisal Javed, a businessman and Sunni
community leader, will be waiting for her in their native Pakistan when
she's sent back on April 28.
She has to report to officials at Pearson airport on that date for the trip.
Tabassum said she's received written threats from Javed, who's
outraged she's employed in a Mississauga beauty salon where she styles
the hair of women and men.
She said he's furious she touches the hair of men and is suspicious she may have a boyfriend, which she strongly denies.
"In three weeks I will be put to my death," she said at her Mississauga home. "There will be bloodshed that will go on and on."
Her older brother, Arif, has vowed to retaliate against members
of Javed's family if she's attacked, Tabassum said. They in turn will
strike back, she said.
Tabassum was smuggled into Canada from the U.S. in 2001 and
filed an unsuccessful refugee claim. An appeal also was unsuccessful.
"He (Javed) believes I have shamed and disgraced his family's
name and honour," Tabassum said, sobbing. "He feels he is protecting
the honour of his family."
She said her first cousin was the victim of an honour killing
after she refused to submit to an arranged wedding to an older man.
"By killing me he thinks he will restore his family's honour,"
Tabassum said. "I am living in fear every day and I don't know what to
do."
Family friend Habiba Ahmed, who's also from Pakistan, said
women slain out of honour are beaten while being dragged down a street.
They can also be stoned or shot to death, she said.
"There's no doubt she will be killed if she returns to
Pakistan," Ahmed said. "Her death will be made very public as a message
for everyone to see."
It's the written threats from Javed that have terrified Tabassum.
"Everybody is against you. I am also very combative to you," he
wrote in a November 2006 letter that was translated into English from
Urdu. "If you are here, I could not leave you alive."
Unreported World travels to Turkey to investigate honour killings,
which have now reached record levels with more than 200 girls and women
killed in the past year alone. The programme highlights a chilling new
development in which a new law outlawing honour killings may have led
to a huge increase in girls being forced to commit suicide instead.
Watch the video - read it all here and comprehensive coverage on honor killings at Atlas here.
Unreported World travels to Turkey to investigate honour killings,
which have now reached record levels with more than 200 girls and women
killed in the past year alone. The programme highlights a chilling new
development in which a new law outlawing honour killings may have led
to a huge increase in girls being forced to commit suicide instead.
Sharia Law.
[...]
He
says women can be killed for violating the rules of honour. When a
woman is accused of dishonour, a family council will decide her fate.
He says that honour killings are really effective in sending out a
strong message to everybody. Local women tell Unreported World that
they live in constant fear and that their brothers would beat them over
mere rumours.
The team meets Husna, who is willing to talk
openly about an honour killing that happened less than five weeks
previously. She says she suspects her niece's new husband was killings are common and three have happened in the area
recently.
Moving on to a village close to the Iranian border,
the team hears about Nazime Alir, who was 21 years old when she was
murdered. Her father-in-law tells Navai that his son gouged out her
eyes, cut her tongue off and put her remains in a plastic bag before
burning her. Nearly all the men in the village say they would kill
their wives and daughters for honour - life without honour is not worth
living.
Until recently, under Turkish law honour killers could
get a reduced sentence by claiming provocation. However, four years
ago, as part of Turkey's campaign to join the European Union, it
introduced a mandatory life sentence for the crime. But the change in
the law hasn't reduced the killings. Instead, as Unreported World
reveals, it appears to have given rise to a sinister new twist.
The
team travels to the city of Batman, nicknamed 'suicide city' because in
the last few years
hundreds of women and girls have committed suicide.
Like other areas of the country, female suicides rocketed after the
change in the law. Batman's chief prosecutor tells Unreported World
that he believes many of the suicides in the town are forced, but that
they're almost impossible to investigate. Those women who escape the
attempt flee into hiding.
One young woman, Elif, claims that
when she was 18 years old, her parents wanted to force her into
marriage. When she refused, she claims her family told her that if she
didn't marry him, she would have to kill herself. She says her father
told her if he, or her brother, was forced to kill her they would go to
prison so she should think of them and kill herself. She said she
considered doing it because she loved her father so much, but she
realized she didn't want to die. Instead, she ran away.
Ending
up in Istanbul, the team finds that even the most modernised city in
Turkey hasn't escaped the tradition. According to a government report,
it now has one of the highest levels of honour killings in the country,
with one happening every week.
First Ramita meets the relatives of a young bride called Sever,
who is believed to have been killed to spare her husband’s blushes after he was
unable to have sex with her.
According to Sever’s aunt Husna, the 24-year-old was strangled
in her bed just ten days after her wedding in Karajada, near Diyarbakir in the
south east of Turkey.
Sever’s husband confessed to her murder and is awaiting trial,
adds Husna.
Ramita says Sever still had henna on her hands — a marriage
custom — when she died last December. She adds: “Husna said the autopsy showed
she was still a virgin. The family suspects Sever’s husband was unable to
consummate the marriage and killed her to spare his honour.
“Husna told me these killings are common here, and three
have happened in the area recently. She said brothers and husbands will kill a
woman just for being seen with a man.”
Ramita also meets the father of a man who killed his wife.
Cavus Alir’s son Ferzende suspected his wife Nazime of
infidelity — and was “driven mad” by the thought of his honour being betrayed.
The EU is considering letting Islamic Turkey into the EU. I can hear the bells .......... toll.
Fatima contacted the BBC World Service citizen journalism project, Your
Story, because she wanted to share her experiences of sexual abuse growing up
within a strict Muslim family in Abu Dhabi.
She suffered many years of abuse before she finally told her mother what had
been going on.
Fatima is now 26. She lives in the United States of America, where she has
just been given asylum and citizenship after establishing that she would be in
danger if she returned to her home country.
Publication date 27 March 2009 BBC (hat tip Kirill)
As you know, the Aqsa Parvez resolution passed and a beautiful memorial garden in honor of Aqsa Parvez is going to be erected in the town of Pelham in Canada (more here). Most of what's needed is being donated, so in addition to the Aqsa Parvez garden Atlas readers have planted a grove of trees in American Independence Park in Jerusalem, Israel, through the Jewish National Fund.
The total cost is $5,000. We raised $ 4,985. 83. I completed the necessary arrangements today, and received this from the JNF.
Thank you again for recognizing Aqsa’s memory through JNF. The plaque will read as follows:
A laminated plaque will be created in addition to the plaque in Israel.
Thank you for your support of JNF and Israel, and I look forward to speaking with you soon.
It will take about 24 months to put the plaque up at American Independence Park in Jerusalem, but we can do a GREAT dedication any time you go to Israel. I think we should all go when the plaque goes up.
Our plaque is 4 X 4. It will also be green to indicate our designation to the grove.
I want to thank my partner in crime Robert Spencer, for helping me orchestrate and navigate the various minefields, fire chief Scott McLeod for pursuing the Aqsa Parvez resolution in Pelham and for the memorial in honor of Aqsa in Peace park, and all the other Atlas readers who contributed, scouted, fought, wrote, shone in the fight for Aqsa. Mensches all.
(India) Villagers burn girl alive in 'honour killing'
-- (hat tip Rea) "Four residents of her village in Ghaziabad, north India, allegedly set the 16-year-old Muslim girl alight after they suspected her of having a relationship with a boy."
-- "Police claim residents kept a vigil on her house as they noticed the boy visited her
frequently when her father was away. The four men then beat her, doused her with kerosene and set her on fire."
--- "The victim had screamed for help for about 20 minutes before neighbours arrived only to find her still smoldering"
A 16-year-old girl, Imrana, was set on fire inside her house on Monday in a case of what the police called ‘moral vigilantism’. The victim had screamed for help for about 20 minutes before neighbours arrived only to find her still smoldering. She was admitted to a local hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.
Two of the four accused — Arif and Asim — arrested on Monday night, told the
police that Imrana’s father had himself asked them to straighten out his
daughter as one Irfan was visiting her too frequently. Imrana reportedly used to
weave carpets at home for an export firm. On Monday, her father, Abdul Hakim,
had gone to Hapur to visit someone, while her mother, Vakila, had gone visiting
someone in the village.
Weeping bitterly, Imrana’s sister Afsana (14)
told Times City, ‘‘Arif banged hard on the rear door of our house. I thought he
would break the door, so I unlatched it. While he was accusing my sister of
befriending Irfan, three others, including Zalis and Asim, barged in. They threw
me out and locked the door from inside. I heard my sister’s screams for 20
minutes.’’
Jordan's prosecutor has charged a man and his two sons for the
premeditated murder of his 19-year-old daughter Saturday, in the latest
"honour killing" to take place in this conservative desert kingdom.
"Conservative" - there's that buzzword again when speaking of Islam.
The
man and his two sons were charged with beating to death the daughter
for leaving the house in makeup and talking to a stranger, according to
prosecutor Salah al-Taleb's indictment sheet.
The father brought his daughter to the hospital after she lost consciousness and turned himself in.
Autopsy showed severe injuries to the head which caused brain hemorrhage and the body was covered with bruises.
[...]
In
Jordan, an average of 20 women are killed by male relatives each year.
Men have the final say in all family matters in this largely
conservative society, where many consider sex out of wedlock an
indelible stain on a family's reputation.
International human
rights organizations have condemned honour killings in Jordan and
appealed to King Abdullah to put an end to the practice.
The government urged judges to consider honour killings equal to other homicides, punishable with up to life in prison.
But
attempts to introduce harsher sentences have been blocked in Jordan's
parliament, where the predominantly conservative Bedouin legislators
argue that tougher penalties would lead to adultery.
It has been well over a year since the Said girls were brutally murdered in a sharia killing (aka ''honor' killing) by their Muslim father in Texas, after a life of abuse and terror in the name of Islam. The heinous crime was whitewashed by the dhimmi media
who live in fear of the religion of peace.
No arrests have been made. The murdering father is still at large and the radical ticking time bomb brother, Islam Said, is threatening non-Muslim father members (in this case Gail Gartrell) with a violent death.
Over at the delicious niche blog, Combatting Moonbat News, Islam deposits his fetid imbecilic remarks -- another fabulous product of an Islamic edjumacation.
Here are the latest two murderous (gun and "bom") threats by the girls' brother Islam, written in his signature style -- gangsta stoopid. He claims to be in the US, but his IP still says Cairo, Egypt.
kill gall
fu.gall@yahoo.com
82.201.179.161
Submitted on 2009/03/13 at 10:01pm
i will shot you gall like a dog your time is coming it may take years but you will diey by my hands we will show you a honor killing so smok your weed if you can i will get you all
kill all them
82.201.179.161
Submitted on 2009/03/13 at 10:16pm
i will show you a honor killing gall will be shot frst i am in dallas going too a gun show i am buying gun and boms to get you all no one is going to step on us you think you can run but cant your time is come we will fight for yaser . all i can say fuck the u.s.a and kill them all this sunday you will see i will kill one of you god is god good. do not play games all the time
Islam Said Will Not Defend Yaser Said
A senior judge today condemned the idea that arson and murder were matters of
'honour' within a Muslim family.
Lord Justice Wall, giving a ruling on a case involving three Muslim children
put in the care of white foster parents, said the time had come to 're-think the
phrase honour killing'.
He had heard that a mother had set fire to one of her three children and
tried to burn down the house where they lived in an attempt to incriminate her
sister-in-law.
The sister-in-law 'presented a problem to the family' and had fled the home
after being beaten and her first child murdered by her husband, the mother's
brother.
The judge said: 'The message from this case, which must be sent out loud and
clear, is that this court applies a tolerant and human rights based rule of law:
one which... regards parents as equals and the welfare of the child as
paramount.
'That is the law of England, and that is the law which applies in this case.
Arson, domestic violence and potential revenge likely to result in abduction or
death are criminal acts which will be treated as such.'
He said the activities brought to light by the case had 'nothing to do with
any concept of honour known to English law'.
'They are acts of simply sordid, criminal behaviour and a refusal to
acknowledge them as such.'
In a statement issued with the judgment, it was pointed out that this was the
first time that so-called 'honour' conduct within an ethnic minority community
had reached the Court of Appeal in a care case.
The 41-year-old father of the children had tried to appeal against a High
Court Family Division ruling which had refused him contact with his children and
had rejected calls for them to be placed with a Muslim family.
The local authority had acknowledged that the placement with a white, English
non-Muslim family was 'culturally and religiously inappropriate'
Photo: The Royal Courts of Justice in London, where Lord Justice
Wall handed down his decision in the case
[...]
The mother of the children - a girl aged 11 and boys of nine and five - is 32
and serving a five-year jail sentence for arson.
One of her brothers had contracted a second marriage to a woman in Pakistan
who came to England in 2003 pregnant with her first child.
That child was taken to hospital aged 27 months suffering from multiple
injuries and died.
It was not known the motivation for the killing but among the injuries on the
child were signs of chronic sexual abuse.
Both the brother and his wife were arrested - the man was convicted of murder
and the woman cleared of neglect.
Some Muslim women who refuse arranged marriages can face
physical abuse for smearing their family's 'honour'
The grandfather in the family is recorded as saying that the death was an
accident and the will of God.
He has made it clear that the son will return to live at the family home when
he is released.
His daughter-in-law returned to live at the family home and gave birth to her
second child, a son.
She was illiterate and while in Pakistan was effectively a prisoner in her
own home, her role in life destined to be that of a wife in an arranged
marriage, said Lord Justice Wall.
The judge said she remained 'under virtual house arrest' in England, not even
aware of the name of the city where she was staying.
In May 2005, she fled with the help of the police and social services after
complaining of severe ill-treatment.
She was moved to a secret location after saying the family would track her
down and kill her - they would not allow her to 'disgrace' them. She is still in
fear of her life.
Later that year, the mother of the three children alleged her sister-in-law
and another had entered her home in burkhas, cut the mother's hands and neck
with a knife and poured white spirit on to one of the children's clothing before
setting fire to clothing at the bottom of the stairs.
There's more -- these vicitms have no shot. They are living in an Islamic state.
Again, this is not some third world Islamic hellhole, this is Germany. Another Muslim girl severely beaten (repeatedly), scared to death of her family (and rightly so), and ultimately brutally murdered because she refused forced Islamic marriage in Turkey.
And again a case of brutality of Immigrant shocks the land.
The young
Turkish woman was beaten to death with a stick, her face
unrecognizable, because she loved the wrong man and was pregnant with
his child. Finally her parents searched for another man for her. She
should have a traditional arranged marriage like her sister.
There is no trace of the attacker, but her boyfriend Altin P. age 25
complains: "She must die, because she wanted to live like a normal
woman!" An honor killing? That is what her acquaintances believe.
Over the last year had the Altin and Gülsüm gotten to know each
other. From the beginning Gülsüms family was against the
relationship. Altin: "Gülsüm was promised to a man in Turkey for
marriage. Like her sister she should have an arranged marriage."
Many times had her brother and father beaten her. One time she went
to the hospital with a broken jaw.
By the end of November Gülsüm was pregnant with Altins baby. The
boyfriend: "We were very pleased, but Gülsüm had panic stricken fear
of her family."
Her sister persuaded Gülsüm to have an illegal abortion in the 5th
month in Amsterdam. Back in Nord Rhein Westfalen the woman had to go
to the hospital because of sever bleeding.
Two days after being
released from the hospital, she was dead.
Readers who can translate German - please go here -- thanks to Eric for the above.
Look at this gorgeous document! (Click to enlarge.) This is a copy of the resolution passed on March 2. The project is a go!
Scott McLeod, Fire Chief and driving force behind the Aqsa Parvez memorial resolution that was approved this past week, gives us the following wonderful news about the Aqsa Parvez Memorial being erected in Pelham.
The town is going forward and going to build a memorial, later in the year. There will be an official ribbon cutting taking place. I think we should all go!
A generous local monument company has offered to donate a granite bench and will inscribe the stone with the memorial we had wanted - In loving memory of Aqsa Parvez, Beloved, Remembered and Free.
Scott tells me they have tentatively planned an area which would create an arboretum as part of this project, a memorial garden. Splendid.
They are uncertain as to the final costs of the project, but it appears that most of the items will likely be donated to the project, and McLeod suspects that it will not require anything like the funds we have collected. So we will do more for Aqsa .......... how great is that?
He also said there has been wonderful positive feedback on this from so many good folks in Canada, and the local paper has been very supportive as well.
sigh
This is just beyond my wildest dreams. I think Aqsa would be deeply moved.
BTW, I still love the idea of a grove of trees - of any of my readers know of an arboretum or park where we could plant an orchard or grove please contact me at writeatlas@aol.com
UPDATE: Want to write to the Town of Pelham and praise them? clerks@pelham.ca (thanks to Jane)
UPDATE: Scott McLeod, the fire chief responsible for introducing the idea of a resolution to City Councilor Sharon Cook left this in the comments section:
NOT HONOR KILLINGS
I have been giving a lot of thought to the events leading up to and the final resolution of the Aqsa Parvez memorial. I truly believe we need to rethink our comments regarding this and many other similar events.
In my opinion the term honor killing is not appropriate for these tragedies. The reality is they are narcissistic/shame killings and should be referred to as such.
More importantly the conduct of many organizations and individuals after the event certainly does not meet the term honor in any respect. The members of the family, academic organizations, and many others should also hang their head in shame over their conduct.
I have been fortunate that for most of my adult life I have worked with people who understand what honor really is. During my time in the military and my career as a firefighter I have seen on a daily basis, citizens and people in uniform performing honorably.
Honor, is the Soldier who gives up his life for a higher purpose, in defense of citizens of Afghanistan or Iraq. They are there, knowing that when they leave, some small bit of freedom which we hold dear is being left behind.
Honor is the Police Officer who goes to work every day knowing that he may not return to his family, when daily dealing with some of the worst elements of our society. While giving respect and in fact life to the most downtrodden.
Honor is the Paramedic who lay in a pool of gasoline trying to keep a survivor of a car accident alive, long enough to get to a hospital.
Honor is the firefighter who crawls through hell to bring a victim of a fire out of a building.
Honor is the residents of Pelham who have little tolerance for people who are afraid to act as they should, with respect for children like Aqsa.
I have been lucky enough to work with people like this and the truth is, we are surrounded by these heroes every day. If you look around yourself you will see honor and honorable acts.
What happened to Aqsa, was not and never should be considered in any way related to honor. It is shame and narcissism which caused this incident, the narcissism of her father who would not allow a child to become an ordinary teen of her country.
My friend Neo has a posting on his blog in which he describes the event as “Dying to become Canadian”, I can’t really state it any better than that.
The real heroes and the persons of honor in this incident are the Aqsa, who died for her beliefs, Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer who created the fund in her memory.
In addition my friend Norman, a fellow firefighter, who worked so hard to make this happen and was confronted with PC madness. I have to thank my personal heroes, Councilor Sharon Cook and John Durley who ensured that the memorial would be created.
I am not articulate enough to tell the story of the honor and shame of this horrible event, but I know what honor looks like, I truly believe it’s easy to see who carries the shame, and who acts with honor
Sandeela Kanwal, 25, was found dead on her bedroom floor last July. Her
father told police he strangled his daughter with a bungee
cord because she wanted a divorce.
Morsal Obeidi (stabbed to death 23 times by her brother - for "turning away from her family").
Hatin Surucu Germany Muslim brothers gunned her down for adopting Western ways.
Hina Salem Italy ("Mohammed Saleem cut his daughter’s throat because she
refused an arranged marriage and instead wanted to integrate into
Italian society".)
Methal Dayem, a 22-year-old Cleveland State student, USA.
Zahida Peeveen at
29, before the malicious attack by her husband. At the time of the
attempted honor killing, she was six months pregnant. After attack: WARNING GRAPHIC
The
killing of Ghazala Khan in Denmark by her brother may be the only
instance where an 'honour' killing has been photographed while being
perpetrated. This picture was captured on cell phone camera and shows
the woman's brother aiming the gun at his sister, lying on the ground.
Her fiancee, also seen, was wounded, but survived. The killing was
planned by her entire family, and Pakistani taxi drivers were used as
spies to spot her and alert her family.
As a 13-year-old girl in Turkey, Rojda was raped, then forced to marry her rapist under Islamic law. Her face was mutilated by her "husband's" family when she refused to prostitute herself after he was imprisoned for raping another child.
Rim Abu Ghanem 19 (Dr. Suliman Abu Ghanem, a 33-year-old pediatrician at
Assaf Harofeh Hospital, who along with his three brothers decided to murder his sister for refusing an arranged marriage) Israel
1/3 of the women murdered in Jordan are a result of Islamic "honor" killing. And yet I could not find one picture of a murdered girl in Jordan.
"It was a brutal scene. One victim's head was nearly cut clean off," an official is quoted as saying. (here)
And the thing is, this is the end - the final act, the culmination
of the subjugation, oppression, violent abuse of women in Islam. The
terror that precedes the murder is almost unimaginable. Living in fear,
every day, living in fear of physical and mental abuse and still, standing up and living their own lives -- only to be murdered for it.
UPDATE:
Sabia Rani 19 UK (not only did four members of her husband's family do nothing to help her, they
turned a blind eye as he continued the beatings and ultimately murdered the
helpless young woman at the house they all shared).
UPDATE: THE DAILY MAIL, DHIMMI PRESS IN BED WITH THE ISLAMIC
SUPREMACISTS, REMOVES REFERENCE TO MUSLIM HUSBAND TELLING HIS WIFE TO
READ THE QUR'AN AS HE STRANGLED HER. Jihadwatch has the story.
Here
is a Google search indicating that the original paragraph did indeed
appear in the Daily Mail story before it was revised. And just in case
that disappears, here is a screen capture:
Why would the Daily Mail remove its reference to Malik Mannan
telling his wife to read the Qur'an as she strangled her? Because if it
had left it in, Muslims would have been angered? Shouldn't they instead
be angered, if what the mainstream media endlessly tells us about the
Religion of Peace were true, at Malik Mannan and all the others who
find justification for horrific acts of violence in the Qur'an?
Shouldn't non-Muslim authorities in the UK and elsewhere in the West
take note of this use of the Qur'an by Muslims, and reevaluate their
immigration policies and other policies accordingly? Shouldn't they be
calling upon Muslims in the UK and elsewhere in the West to institute
-- immediately -- honest, transparent, and inspectable programs that
teach against the Islamic attitudes and beliefs that lead to honor
killing? Shouldn't a well informed public call upon their elected
officials to do all this? Is that what the Daily Mail is trying to
prevent?
-------------------END UPDATE-----------------
Honor killing. The West denies it and acts as accessory to murder, and furthers the devaluation of women.
But the police thought they knew how to handle Muslim/immigrantdomestic related violence. They released Malik Mannan on bail on condition that he be good and stay away from his property!
Guess what? It didn't work
"Using both hands to squeeze her windpipe he told her to read her Koran adding: 'Read whatever other stuff you need to read now. This is your final hour.' The arrival of his brother stopped the attack but Mannan left shouting: 'I'm going to get a knife and when I return I'm going to slaughter you."
After
being freed by police officials who deemed that there was not enough
evidence to hold him, Malik Mannan texted his wife to boast: 'I am a free man, since 1.30. Case file closed. Isn't it great?'
This stems from a multi-cultural political correctness, that refuses to
acknowledge the role violence plays within Islamic/cultural settings.
It's results in the fears of the victims not being taken seriously by
city or police officials. KGS
A
terrified wife who predicted her cheating husband would kill her, was
stabbed to death by him just days after he was freed in a legal
blunder. Sabina Akhtar, 26, went to police in fear of her life after
Malik Mannan subjected her to a string of vicious beatings.
The
taxi driver was jailed for life today at Manchester Crown Court after
being convicted of her murder yesterday. He will serve a minimum of 17
years. Speaking outside court, Ms Akhtar's family accused the Crown
Prosecution Service of negligence. Her uncle, Reaz Talukder, said his
niece would still be alive if her husband had been charged after being
arrested for a second time.
Mannan was held after
she gave a heart-breaking statement detailing 25 different assaults but
was released when a prosecuting lawyer said there was not enough
evidence to charge him. The 36-year-old then texted his wife to boast:
'I am a free man, since 1.30. Case file closed. Isn't it great.'
Ms
Akhtar had a panic alarm fitted to her home and warned friends and
police that her life was in danger while he remained free. But nothing
was done and five days later he burst into the marital home in
Levenshulme, Greater Manchester, and stabbed the mother-of-one to
death.
In her statement two months before the
murder, she said: 'I have become extremely concerned about my personal
safety. 'My husband is a man of an extreme violent nature. I genuinely
believe if he gets the opportunity he will not hesitate to kill me.'
An
inquiry is underway into the Crown Prosecution Service's handling of
the case and it has said it will offer a face-to-face apology to Ms
Akhtar's family. The matter has also been referred to the Independent
Police Complaints Commission. A CPS spokesman said: 'We accept that the
wrong decision
A TAXI driver stabbed his wife to death just days after his second arrest for allegedly abusing her, a court has been told.
Sabina
Akhtar was murdered by Malik Mannan within five days of police
cancelling bail conditions which banned him from contacting her,
Manchester Crown Court heard.
Mr Mannan had been arrested for defying those conditions - imposed after
Sabina told police she had been attacked by him as many as 25 times, the jury
heard.
Sabina, 26, the mother of their three-year-old son, was found dead at the
family home in Charlton Road, Levenshulme.
Hallelujah! Deepest thanks and gratitude to Atlas reader and Fire Chief, Town of Pelham, Scott McLeod, a wonderful man who contacted one of his Municipal Councilors regarding an Aqsa memorial.
Councilor Sharon Cook presented a motion to offer an area in the Pelham Peace Park for a suitable
Memorial. Sharon Cook, you are a righteous woman!
Yesterday Scott wrote,
".....on Monday, this week the council of the Town of Pelham passed a resolution to
install a memorial to Aqsa Parvez in Peace Park in Fonthill (Smaller community within the Town)
We expect to be ready some time later in the year and it likely will be placed in one of the areas where people
rest during the day.
As indicated before, I will send photo's of the general area where we propose to locate the memorial.
I have requested the Clerk of the Town create a copy of the resolution and approval in PDF, which I will then forward to you."
Scott has been working on this for months. There are indeed wonderful souls in this bizarre world we are living in. None of this would be possible without the Atlas readers who contributed and others who worked on scouting locations, Gerry Vincent, Norman Traversy, and, of course, Robert Spencer who joined me in this effort to honor this lovely, young honor killing victim.
The link to this map will show the relationship between Mississauga and Hamilton. It is not far at all, maybe 45 minutes at the most.
Visit www.randmcnally.com for maps, driving directions, and road trip planning.
March 4, 2009 07:19 AM - A memorial is being erected in a Niagara area park to honour the life of Aqsa Parvez, an Applewood Heights Secondary School student who was strangled to death inside her family's Mississauga home.
The Town of Pelham will install a bench and plant a tree at Peace Park to honour immigrants who are caught between cultures "and are challenged to conform to both."
Pelham councillor Sharon Cook said the bench and tree will honour Parvez.
On Dec. 10, 2007, Parvez, 16, was rushed from her family's Longhorn Trail home to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. She died later that night. An autopsy revealed she was strangled to death, police said.
The high-profile case garnered international attention. Friends of the slain teen said she feared for her life and had been threatened by family members in the weeks prior to her death, over a religious dispute.
Parvez's father, Muhammad Parvez, 57, and her brother, Waqas Parvez, 27, are each charged with first-degree murder in her death.
The case remains before the courts. The preliminary hearing for the accused resumed this week.
Scott will be sending us photos and I promise to keep you apprised ever step of the way.
Previously related sturm and drang at Atlas : Just Aqsa
Has the mainstream media called this domestic abuse, or are they waiting for the CAIR press release so they can file it as their story?
(Russia) "Chechen leader imposes strict brand of Islam"
-- hat tip Jeffrey Imm "The bullnecked president of Chechnya emerged from afternoon prayers at the mosque and with chilling composure explained why seven young women who had been shot in the head deserved to die"
-- "Ramzan Kadyrov said the women, whose bodies were found dumped by the roadside, had 'loose morals' and were rightfully shot by male relatives in honor killings. 'If a woman runs around and if a man runs around with her, both of them are killed,' Kadyrov told journalists in the capital of this Russian republic."
-- UN's Yakin Erturk: "In these countries, those who speak on behalf of Islam
still justify things like stoning or killing a woman for this or that reason as
being part of their religion. I have heard this at the most official of
levels". (more here)
In Islam, a woman who supposedly shames her family not only has her life
taken, but also her memory. Every attempt is made to erase her existence, thus,
the shame. That includes an unmarked grave.
What Pamela and Robert have attempted is to
sustain Aqsa Parvez’s memory with a simple headstone that reads, “Beloved,
Remembered, Free.” It isn’t political, it isn’t anti-Islam, and it doesn’t serve
to personally benefit either Pam or Robert.
It is just a reminder that Aqsa Parvez’s life did matter, even if her family,
by virtue of their inhumane and cold ideology, doesn’t agree. It is also a
gesture to remind ourselves that we will not devalue any life, and that we fight
to defend all innocent life
A number of brave souls and OTOH, complete fools have weighed in on the Aqsa Parvez memorial fund and the ensuing leftist-apologist outrage at the thought of decent individuals righting a wrong, a fundamentally Western value.
The hatred of the good for being good. When I read of Aqsa's unmarked grave -- I was stunned. I know that girl. I am that girl. If I had been born into those circumstances, I too would be a member of the tragedy club. It seemed that the least good men and women could do was put a headstone with her name.
It is not a big deal. It was the decent thing to do.
Back in early December right after Warmington ran the crushing article of Aqsa's unmarked grave, I ran the post to raise money to right the wrong. Good folks near and far contributed what they could. We worked with the cemetery. It was done ...... I called her 'family'. I asked them what they would like -- they said "we don't speak English". I went through Mr. Porter at Meadowvale, willing to accept any changes the 'family' wanted to make.
Needless to say, the 'family' never looked at the artwork via email or snail mail. I didn't go to the press. I didn't go to anyone. I worked with readers on finding another location. And we did. And again, this time is was the University of Guelph who canceled at the last minute, telling the University newspaper they didn't want to appear to support my 'politically charged views'. They are liars. They are afraid of Islamic reaction to a plaque for a victim of an honor killing. They blame me because I will not burn, sue, deface, harass, intimidate -- I will be civilized.
How would the University be supporting my views or me in any way? The plaque said Aqsa Parvez -- Beloved, Remembered Free. It doesn't say Atlas Shrugs or anyone's name or organization. Just Aqsa.
I did not alert the media. Press conferences were not called. The objective was respecting Aqsa. Period.
Her friends wrote me privately. Thanked me and helped to suggest alternative locations that reflected Aqsa's life, joys and happiness outside her house.
It was not until Joe Warmington did a follow up piece on the difficulty to honor Aqsa (alerted by the reader who had been working with me on Guelph) that the leftist apologists jumped all over ..... me. Yes. The murdering family, the frighteningly bamboozled cemetery administrators (I couldn't get a bench or tree at the cemetery), the University cowards -- they were sanctioned but I was the bad guy. I had no idea that this would blow up into some leftist orgy of blame. But not the family of course.
The reaction is ugly and mean. What is the objective of such invective and personal attacks on me? Perhaps to discourage others who might get it into their heads to do the right thing undertake a similar effort. I can't say. To appease their overlords? I don't know, but it is disturbing to read Selley deride me and in the same malodorous breath refer to the number stamp on Aqsa's grave this way, "her remains currently lie beneath a simple steel plate bearing the
number 774" as if this were somehow an elegant, suitable tribute to this terrorized child. And while Selley is a sorry little man, he opened up the door to the jackals laying in wait to pounce. And they have. I have been working quietly on this for months - why suddenly are the charlatans expressing disgust? Disgust. Imagine that.
Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them. Leave them alone.Ayn Rand
For reasons best known to himself, The National
Post's Chris Selley chose to pick a fight with the few people who
want to ensure that Aqsa Parvez's short life is memorialized by something more
than the plot number of an unmarked grave. Pamela Geller and Kathy Shaidle can
take care of themselves, and have done, but the reality is that if
it weren't for the frothing loony ranting wackjob haters of the blogosphere a
16-year old girl murdered for not wanting to be imprisoned by her family's
culture would be entirely forgotten.
So what's more offensive? The moral outrage of Pamela Geller at
the westernization of "honor killing"? Or the mainstream coverage by
a politically correct media? Here's what the lunchtime poll at Toronto's CITY-TV
thought was the big issue arising from Aqsa Parvez's murder:
Do you think society discriminates against women who wear
a hijab?
To be honest, I’ve not read much or heard of Chris Selley before
(more here), though Google says he has written for MacLeans, and
dislikes TorStar Islamist Harpoon Siddiqui. Hmph.
That there is a problem, Mr. Selley apparently
denies; that trying to make a decent memorial for a murdered teen is worse than
the act that likely put her there (and thousands others like her– it’s heardly a
unique and inexplicable event), he seems to assume. Giving him the benefit of
the doubt, he’s a clueless liberal and not a deliberate liar or an Islamophile.
A Scaredy-Mouse, not a pro-cat mouse. Or maybe a journalist who thinks that
unless he thinks it’s a big deal, it isn’t. Whatevers.
That Pesky Body-Count
That still leaves us with the problem of
slaughtered women and the degrading position of women in jihadist culture. The
cat’s standing right in front of us, and demanding more and more space.
Will we look at what’s there, or deny it? On
that, Mr. Selley, hangs the future of the culture which includes the clueless
such as yourself, the slaughtered, such as Aqsa and her sisters worldwide; and
the truth and principle that says all people are created equal under God, and
have the rights of freedom, free speech, citizenship, equality under the law,
the good things of this life, and the actual life with which to enjoy them.
My Sister Aqsa
As a proud donor to the Aqsa fund, I will not let
anyone leave her unremembered, nor her memory and example deliberately erased,
because we’re afraid of confronting a death-dealing religion– and some of its
societies– with the higher and better claims of the West.
Even if we’re not directly related, we are
connected by our common humanity, and our Canadian citizenship:, and the moral
claim of the hurt or helpless on all of us. So I am honoured to call this
discarded young woman a sister, if her own family would rather have her
forgotten and her memory neglected, for the ’shameful’ attitudes they judged to
be dishonourable to their religion and homeland norms. So back in the day, I
referred to Afghan Christian refugee Abdul Rahman as my B-FAM– ‘Brother From
Another Mother’– for the same reason, plus he’s a Christian, and thus my brother
in the Lord.
Decisions, Decisions
So either Aqsa is our sister, or we’re in on the
murder and coverup. It’s part of being a morally-aware and awake person. The
moral claims of the mere existence of ‘another-such-as-I’ lay hold upon me, and
if I should shrug that duty off, I shrug off my very humanity, and that for
which 3500 years of religion, philosophy, and law has prepared me to be.
Feminists might claim her as a sister– only if he
has the right opinions. They’re sad liberal tribalists anyway.
I am– at least according to the gutless,
soulless, witless commandments of political correctness– a sh*t-disturber.
Where are the horrified Muslims taking to the streets against the violence against women? Phyllis Chesler here:
Daniel Pipes just
called my attention to something a reader of his blog recently shared:
There is another case which resembles that of Muzammil Hassan’s. It
took place in India. Mohammed Suhaib Ilyasi,
“is a famous journalist who started the TV Show “India’s Most Wanted.”
He also married a non-Muslim, Anju Singh, and converted her to Islam.
She became Mrs.Anju Ilyasi. He took all her property, cash and jewelry.
She came to know his real face and his connections with the Muslim
Mafia. So he managed to murder
his wife by slitting her throat with a blade. He was caught by Police
and was in prison. But he managed to escape as his father is leader of
the All India Islamic Cleric Association.
Now he is released with the help of politicians who are begging for
Muslim community votes in elections. He is back in the media. Anju lost
her life…and people forget.”
They knew, and apparently kept silent. "Muslim community knew of Hassan's abuse," by Mylous Hairston for WIVB, February 19 (thanks to Axel):
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) - A grand jury will now decide
whether the founder of Bridges TV will go to trial for the decapitation
murder of his wife, Aasiya Zubair Hassan.
"Everyone in the Muslim community was aware that she was indeed going through abuse," said Attorney Nadia Shahram." [sic]
Did anyone in the Muslim community report Muzzammil Hassan to authorities?
Although not evident in family pictures, investigators say
the 37-year-old mother endured abuse at the hands of her husband,
Muzzammil Hassan.
Hassan is accused of beheading his wife last Thursday at Bridges TV in Orchard Park.
He walked into Orchard police headquarters and told them that his
wife is dead. "Well, obviously that statement is part of the case and
will be part of the proof the prosecution has," said James Harrington,
Hassan's Defense Attorney.
Hassan founded Bridges TV following the 9/11 attacks against
America. He wanted to dispel stereotypes about Muslims and to bridge
cultures.
"We have to make sure act of one Muslim does not create any doubt on the religion of Islam," said Shahram.
Shahram added, "This act has no roots in the religion of Islam. It's
just unfortunate that we have a bad practioner [sic] of Islam."
Yeah, there are so many of those -- Muslims who believe that
violence against women is justified. The Pakistan Institute of Medical
Sciences has determined that over ninety percent of Pakistani wives
have been struck, beaten, or abused sexually — for offenses on the
order of cooking an unsatisfactory meal. Others were punished for
failing to give birth to a male child. Dominating their women by
violence is a prerogative Muslim men cling to tenaciously. In Spring
2005, when the East African nation of Chad tried to institute a new
family law that would outlaw wife beating, Muslim clerics led
resistance to the measure as un-Islamic.
The Qur'an says: “Men shall take full care of women with the
bounties which God has bestowed more abundantly on the former than on
the latter, and with what they may spend out of their possessions. And
the righteous women are the truly devout ones, who guard the intimacy
which God has guarded. And as for those women whose ill-will you have
reason to fear, admonish them; then leave them alone in bed; then beat
them…” (4:34)
The Islamic prophet Muhammad was once told that “women have become
emboldened towards their husbands,” whereupon he “gave permission to
beat them” (Sunan Abu Dawud, book 11, no. 2141). He was unhappy with
the women who complained, not with their husbands who beat them.
Muhammad even struck his favorite wife, Aisha. One night, thinking
she was asleep, he went out. Aisha surreptitiously followed him. When
he found out what she had done, he hit her: “He struck me on the chest
which caused me pain, and then said: Did you think that Allah and His
Apostle would deal unjustly with you?” (Sahih Muslim, book 4, no. 2127).
Nothing in there about killing one's wife, of course. But when it
comes to honor killing, there is the fact that some majority Muslim
countries, even modern, moderate Jordan,
have lesser penalties for honor murders -- it is understood that such
crimes are justified in the right circumstances. This is the kind of
thing that has to be confronted, or there are going to be more Aasiyah
Hassans in the United States.
Aasiyah had recently filed for divorce and got a court order of protection.
"Divorce means shame for Muslim woman," said Shahram.
And shame, of course, leads others to try to restore their honor.
Sandeela Kanwal, 25, was found dead on her bedroom floor last July. Her
father told police he strangled his daughter with a bungee
cord because she wanted a divorce.
Morsal Obeidi (stabbed to death 23 times by her brother - for "turning away from her family").
Hatin Surucu Germany Muslim brothers gunned her down for adopting Western ways.
Hina Salem Italy ("Mohammed Saleem cut his daughter’s throat because she
refused an arranged marriage and instead wanted to integrate into
Italian society".)
Methal Dayem, a 22-year-old Cleveland State student, USA.
Zahida Peeveen at
29, before the malicious attack by her husband. At the time of the
attempted honor killing, she was six months pregnant. After attack: WARNING GRAPHIC
The
killing of Ghazala Khan in Denmark by her brother may be the only
instance where an 'honour' killing has been photographed while being
perpetrated. This picture was captured on cell phone camera and shows
the woman's brother aiming the gun at his sister, lying on the ground.
Her fiancee, also seen, was wounded, but survived. The killing was
planned by her entire family, and Pakistani taxi drivers were used as
spies to spot her and alert her family.
As a 13-year-old girl in Turkey, Rojda was raped, then forced to marry her rapist under Islamic law. Her face was mutilated by her "husband's" family when she refused to prostitute herself after he was imprisoned for raping another child.
Rim Abu Ghanem 19 (Dr. Suliman Abu Ghanem, a 33-year-old pediatrician at
Assaf Harofeh Hospital, who along with his three brothers decided to murder his sister for refusing an arranged marriage) Israel
1/3 of the women murdered in Jordan are a result of Islamic "honor" killing. And yet I could not find one picture of a murdered girl in Jordan.
"It was a brutal scene. One victim's head was nearly cut clean off," an official is quoted as saying. (here)
And the thing is, this is the end - the final act, the culmination
of the subjugation, oppression, violent abuse of women in Islam. The
terror that precedes the murder is almost unimaginable. Living in fear,
every day, living in fear of physical and mental abuse and still, standing up and living their own lives -- only to be murdered for it.
UPDATE:
Sabia Rani 19 UK (not only did four members of her husband's family do nothing to help her, they
turned a blind eye as he continued the beatings and ultimately murdered the
helpless young woman at the house they all shared).
Have you seen this? It is a disgusting pack of lies. This dhimmi tool, Chris Selley at The National Post, did a hatchet job on yours truly. No good deed goes unpunished, especially by a witless asshat who does nothing to help. Leftists have no conscience. He piles on lie after lie to discredit me and my motives.
My motive? To honor this girl. But what is this vulture's motive in smearing me? My readers and I raised funds for a gravestone. Period.
I cribbed the headline from a comment Robert Spencer left over at The National Post: To call Pamela Geller an "anti-Muslim maniac," and to dismiss her noble
effort to stand up against honor killing and memorialize one of its
victims, and to do so over the bones of Aqsa Parvez, is the bitterest
irony of all.
That’s pretty much how I feel about the battle over Aqsa Parvez’s
spartan gravesite at Meadowvale Cemetery in Brampton, Ont. Aqsa was the
16-year-old Mississauga girl murdered in December 2007, prosecutors
allege, by her father and brother. Because the family is Muslim, and
because Aqsa fought bitterly with them over her adopting a more Western
lifestyle—most notably refusing to wear a hijab—some have suggested
this was, as Toronto Lifeput it,
the city’s “first honour killing.” Her remains currently lie beneath a
simple steel plate bearing the number 774, and this anonymity
understandably dismays many of her friends. But as teenagers of limited
means, they haven’t been in much of a position to do anything about it.
Enter the blogosphere.
Enter the bloviating, corrupt big media dinosaur doing nothing but slinging arrows.
As the Toronto Sun’s Joe Warmington reported
last week, the online campaign to properly memorialize Aqsa has been led by one
Pamela Geller, proprietor of the blog Atlas Shrugs, with support from
other prominent right-wing bloggers on both sides of the border. It hasn’t been
going so well. Geller raised more than $4,000 US for a headstone—it was to read,
“Loved, Remembered, Free”—but apparently you can’t just plunk down whatever you
want atop somebody else’s daughter’s grave.
"Somebody else's daughter's grave" -- the murderer's daughter's grave. Selley stands with the murderers.
A correspondent reasonably suggested
paying for a tree, bench and memorial plaque to be installed in the arboretum at
the University of Guelph, but again, no dice. The manager of the arboretum
replied that as it would “draw much public attention,” it would be “inconsistent
with [the area’s] current use” as a sort of oasis.
Warmington, Geller et al profess bafflement at all this, the former
suggesting last week that “the politically correct police seem to be winning
out.” I have another theory. I think the cemetery and arboretum managers typed
Geller’s name into Google, backed slowly away from their computers and decided
they weren’t touching this thing with a ten-foot pole. A wise choice, I’d say;
in my non-professional opinion, she's at least a few chickpeas short of a
falafel.
Falafel? Anti-semitic too, eh, Chris?
What's his gripe? That I report news that this coward won't? What has Selley done to fight the misogyny in Islam? What has Selley done to fight Islamic supremacism?
She seems to believe, just for example, that the presidency of Barack
Obama—whom she refers to, variously, as “Obambi,” “B. Hussein” and “the
Jihadists’ President”—is the result of a calculated infiltration of the U.S.
government by radical Muslims.
This is a lie. Where?
In December, when Obama advisors indicated he was
considering delivering a foreign policy speech in an Islamic capital, she
declared “America will be unrecognizable after Hussein’s first and last term (if
we live through it).”
True. The man is President a month - and the country's economic and foreign policy is unrecognizable.
She does not think highly enough of Muslims to expunge
words such as “raghead” from her comment threads.
This is a lie.
She reacted to a particularly
gruesome report of an honour killing
last year in Pakistan, in which three teenage girls were apparently buried
alive, as follows (her italics): “The bodies of the five women … were desecrated
by the wild animals. This is Islam. … I have utter contempt for any human
being who will not call this death cult what it really is. Pure evil. The
horror.”
Honor killings are pure evil. What has Mr. Selley done to fight this terrible evil? What succor does Mr. Selley provide to Muslim girls living in homemade concentration camps looking to the West for any escape? No, instead you have apologists like Selley apologizing for the murdering family and choosing instead to vilify me.
Perhaps not surprisingly, given the foregoing, she also advocates banning all
Muslim immigration to the United States.
Jihad legislation, yes. I never said what he is accusing me of.
Her most prominent Canadian blogging
supporter, who calls Arabs “violent retards,” advocates the same in Canada. The
irony is overwhelming. The people leading the charge to memorialize the
purported victim of Toronto’s first honour killing would have preferred she grow
up in Pakistan—which, you will remember, is the place where the punishment for
teenage uppitiness is being buried alive, without so much as a trial for those
wielding the shovels.
I have never called Arabs "violent retards" - why is he associating me with this? "The people leading the charge" care deeply about women who want to escape oppression and brutality. What's your excuse, Selley? Who's paying you, Selley? Who'd you sell out to, Selley?
Just so we’re perfectly clear, I can certainly understand Aqsa’s still-young
friends latching onto anything that would honour her memory, and I’m sure many
who donated to Geller’s quest had the most honourable intentions. And hey, if a
tasteful memorial is eventually erected, 20 years later it might not matter who
came up with the idea. I don’t know. I do know that as an anti-Muslim maniac,
Geller makes a very poor spokeswoman for the cause, and that it’s no help to
anyone to pretend, as Warmington did, that her motives are pure.
UPDATE: I am humbled by wonderful comments left at Smelley's "blog" and here at Atlas. Smart, reasoned, passionate rebuttals. G-d bless you. And to blogger supporters - thank you! If you missed Kathy Shaidle's priceless post - go. Now.
Dear Ms. McParland,
RE: Chris Selley's post yesterday regarding Aqsa Parvez and Pamela Geller:
The commenters have already done a fine job castigating Mr. Selley for his perceived sins.
I only wish to add that, the next time Mr. Selley and your newspaper decide to call me out in public, I request that you
spell out my name, the name of my blog, and give me a link.
I realize that the National Post and other newspapers make what's left of their revenue by ripping off bloggers, but the
least you can do is give us credit.
It gets better. Go, read it all.
UPDATE: Nidra Poller over in Paris weighs in:
Selley wrote:
"Perhaps not surprisingly, given the foregoing, she also advocates banning all Muslim immigration to the United States. Her most prominent Canadian blogging supporter, who calls Arabs “violent retards,” advocates the same in Canada. The irony is overwhelming. The people leading the charge to memorialize the purported victim of Toronto’s first honour killing would have preferred she grow up in Pakistan—which, you will remember, is the place where the punishment for teenage uppitiness is being buried alive, without so much as a trial for those wielding the shovels."
The overwhelming irony of this comment is lost on its author. He begins by taking a slap at you "The people leading the charge to memorialize the purported victim of Toronto’s first honour killing..." and goes on to accuse you of wishing uppity teenagers like Aqsa Pervez would stay in Pakistan where they could be murdered impunitively. The fact is, her parents were allowed to immigrate to Canada AND remain in Pakistan at one and the same time. They killed their daughter, like they would have done in the old country, and if people like Selley, leading the charge against Pamela Geller, have their way, the relatives who murdered her will be allowed to prevail over her dead body, hidden for eternity in an unmarked grave.
I did not assist Norman Traversy -- no one came to me with the idea of honoring Aqsa. Norman sent me the Joe Warminton article that ran in the Toronto Sun back in December, reporting on Aqsa's unmarked grave. I was so outraged that this poor defenseless girl was lying in an unmarked grave that I decided to do some thing about it, and created the Aqsa Parvez Memoral fund with the support of Robert Spencer at JihadWatch.
In the course of raising the money, Norman Traversy wrote me and asked what I thought of the University of Guelph. I liked the idea, and he volunteered to look into for me. He was and is wonderful. But he was not alone. So many other readers were and continue to be enormously helpful in scouting for a place for Aqsa. Norman is but one of many readers who have worked to help make this happen.
I would be remiss not to thank the legions of readers who have been looking and continue to look into various locations. Two stand out for their extraordinary efforts. Gerry Vincent has been working diligently for weeks in the city of Surrey to see what is available in the Crescent Beach area. He has been scouting White Rock as well, an idea I like very much. If nothing suitable can be found near there, Gerry has volunteered to research the Vancouver and North Vancouver waterfront areas.
I also must thank Scott McLeod, Fire Chief for the town of Pelham in the Niagara Region of Ontario. Scott is a wonderful man who contacted one of his Municipal Councilors regarding this issue.
Councilor Cook presented a motion to offer an area in the Pelham Peace Park for a suitable
Memorial. Scott strongly suspects that the Council, and more importantly
the entire community, will support this effort. On February 11th, Councilor Sharon Cook made a 'notice of motion' regarding the
memorial for Aqsa, to be placed in Pelham Peace Park. Scott will provide pictures of the park for us at a later date, (he says it's snowing out now).
I have been reticent to write of all these efforts. I did not want to hurt any opportunity to pay tribute to Aqsa. And while Norman has been wonderful, there have been a great many other wonderful souls working so very hard to try to make my goal of a memorial possible.
Lastly, let me stop and thank Robert Spencer who was crucial in raising the money and working with me on the headstone and in dealings with the cemetery. He was a rock.
As far as the University of Guelph, they don't deserve Aqsa's memorial. What cowards. What dhimmis. I am glad we found out first what slaves they were. Someone ought to send those fools who wrote me this letter killing the memorial this photo gallery.
University spokesperson Chuck Cunningham said Geller's blog is "politically
charged" and voices strong views against Islam. The university was leery that a
memorial could be seen as an endorsement.
"We don't want the Arboretum to become a vehicle for someone's political
agenda,"Cunningham said yesterday.
"The Arboretum serves many purposes in the community -- it's a place for
quiet reflection and contemplation. We will not let our Arboretum get caught up
in controversy."
Cunningham said since Traversy and Geller learned the news, the university
has received several nasty emails and phone calls "calling us spineless cowards
and worse. It's upsetting our staff here. But it confirms that we made the right
decision," he said.
Sly Castaldi was not surprised Traversy would have trouble erecting a
monument for Aqsa.
Castaldi is executive director of Women In Crisis and one of five local
authors who wrote the book Remembering Women Murdered by Men, which outlines the
difficulty and the importance of having visible reminders that women are often
victims of violence.
"This is not unlike any of the memorial sites we documented in the book,"
Castaldi said. "Violence against women and children is really hard to accept.
When you stick up a memorial, that's hard.
"Not one of the monuments we profiled came about in an easy way. It takes
work and negotiations -- and perseverance."
I wonder if they see how foolish and sad they look.
Rest assured, I am looking into donating a portion of the contributions to the Youth
Without Shelter emergency shelter in Etobicoke, which is an area of
Toronto near to many poor and new immigrant families. Much thanks to JT for sending me the info. It was a safe
place for Aqsa, and had she stayed there, she might be alive today.
Muzzammil “Mo” HASSAN,
the founder and chief executive officer of Bridges TV and moderate Muslim who chopped his wife's head off yesterday, did so in a culture that sanctions depraved Islamic law. The USA. Islamic culture thrives as a culture within a culture here. Media silence and both their reluctance and law enforcement reluctance to prosecute Islamic crime is a stunning victory for creeping Islamic supremacism - special rules for a special class. This New York honor killing was not committed by some recent third world immigrant. This was a successful business man, assimilated into Western culture (as much as Islam allows). He committed no crime according to sharia law. In the heinous Texas honor killings of Amina and Sarah Said, Amina feared that her father would take her to
Egypt to kill her (because, he repeatedly told her, "honor killings are legal there").
One can only imagine the homemade prison, the abject terror the beheading victim, Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37, had to live in (and die under). She sought to obtain an order of protection from her Muslim husband. To no avail. It was, sadly, her final act of bravery, for which she paid with her head.
HONOR KILLINGS SHOULD BE A CAPITAL CRIME. Period. Because this is war ...... and the war is about women, power, ownership, ..... dominance.
You can judge the health of any political system by how they treat the women. Is this what America fought long and hard for? Why hasn't this received the kind of coverage that Natalee Hollaway, Jesse Davis, Stacey Peterson received?........ You think it's just Muslim girls who are at risk? We are all at risk.
These girls, these women are ignored, relegated to the dustbin of irrelevant news stories, so as not to insult Muslim men?
Check out his you tube channel. Here is the last segment the beheader produced for Bridges TV. This segment promotes Islamic financing - a destroyer of free markets and tool to finance jihad - and an Islamic interview with notorious Jew hater Jimmy Carter.
My point is, this was not some deranged lunatic. This was a"good" Muslim who followed the book.
He cut her head off for disobeying him
District Attorney Frank A Sedita III said "Obviously,
this is the worst form of domestic violence possible." The man is clueless.
Davod points out, "
This type of decrepitude could be called "dhimmestic violence." We should not be surprised - here's a so- called moderate who either in the heat of the moment of when the shit hits the fan reverts to his true baser undeniable unavoidable islamic instinct and all the moderation goes out the window, it was all a veneer (or what you might call a veneereal disease). The messages overt and subliminal that he absorbed in his youth stayed just under the surface, hovering, maybe just itching to get out. Adds fuel to one's suspicions about O's madrassa youth and how it may be influencing him. Scary."
Davod is right, lessons in his youth stayed with him even as he became more sophisticated
and subtle.
And now for the obligatory mainstream media exoneration of Islam:
It would be a mistake to link an act of domestic violence to the couple’s religion, he added.
“There is no place for domestic violence in our religion — none,” Qazi said. “Islam would 100 percent condemn it.”
The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences has determined that over
ninety percent of Pakistani wives have been struck, beaten, or abused
sexually — for offenses on the order of cooking an unsatisfactory meal.
Others were punished for failing to give birth to a male child.
Dominating their women by violence is a prerogative Muslim men cling to
tenaciously. In Spring 2005, when the East African nation of Chad tried
to institute a new family law that would outlaw wife beating, Muslim
clerics led resistance to the measure as un-Islamic.
Why do things like this happen?
Because Islamic clerics worldwide have spoken approvingly of wife-beating.
In 2004, an imam in Spain, Mohammed Kamal Mustafa, was found guilty
of “inciting violence on the basis of gender” for his book Women in
Islam, which discussed the methods and limits of administering
“physical punishment” of women.
Muslim men bring this religiously sanctioned violence with them when
they immigrate to the West, even to the United States. The prominent
American Muslim leader Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former president of the
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), has said that “in some cases a
husband may use some light disciplinary action in order to correct the
moral infraction of his wife…The Koran is very clear on this issue.”
In 1984, Sheikh Yousef Qaradhawi, who is one of the most respected
and influential Islamic clerics in the world, wrote: “If the husband
senses that feelings of disobedience and rebelliousness are rising
against him in his wife, he should try his best to rectify her attitude
by kind words, gentle persuasion, and reasoning with her. If this is
not helpful, he should sleep apart from her, trying to awaken her
agreeable feminine nature so that serenity may be restored, and she may
respond to him in a harmonious fashion. If this approach fails, it is
permissible for him to beat her lightly with his hands, avoiding her
face and other sensitive parts.”
Why do they say such things?
Because the permission to beat one’s wife is rooted in the Islamic holy book, the Qur'an, and Islamic tradition.
The Qur'an says: “Men shall take full care of women with the
bounties which God has bestowed more abundantly on the former than on
the latter, and with what they may spend out of their possessions. And
the righteous women are the truly devout ones, who guard the intimacy
which God has [ordained to be] guarded. And as for those women whose
ill-will you have reason to fear, admonish them [first]; then leave
them alone in bed; then beat them…” (4:34)
The Islamic prophet Muhammad was once told that “women have become
emboldened towards their husbands,” whereupon he “gave permission to
beat them” (Sunan Abu Dawud, book 11, no. 2141). He was unhappy with the women who complained, not with their husbands who beat them.
Muhammad even struck his favorite wife, Aisha. One night, thinking
she was asleep, he went out. Aisha surreptitiously followed him. When
he found out what she had done, he hit her: “He struck me on the chest
which caused me pain, and then said: Did you think that Allah and His
Apostle would deal unjustly with you?” (Sahih Muslim, book 4, no. 2127).
Nothing in there about beheading, no. But the man was talking about domestic violence.
Why does this matter? Because as long as no one has the courage to
call Muslim leaders like Qazi to account for statements like this, and
ask them about the clear justifications for domestic violence that do appear in Islamic tradition, what can possibly be done to combat the prevalence of domestic violence in Islamic communities? Ignoring the Islamic justifications for domestic violence harms Muslim women.
Sandeela Kanwal, 25, was found dead on her bedroom floor last July. Her
father told police he strangled his daughter with a bungee
cord because she wanted a divorce.
Morsal Obeidi (stabbed to death 23 times by her brother - for "turning away from her family").
Hatin Surucu Germany Muslim brothers gunned her down for adopting Western ways.
Hina Salem Italy ("Mohammed Saleem cut his daughter’s throat because she
refused an arranged marriage and instead wanted to integrate into
Italian society".)
Methal Dayem, a 22-year-old Cleveland State student, USA.
Zahida Peeveen at 29, before the malicious attack by her husband. At the time of the attempted honor killing, she was six months pregnant. After attack: WARNING GRAPHIC
The killing of Ghazala Khan in Denmark by her brother may be the only instance where an 'honour' killing has been photographed while being perpetrated. This picture was captured on cell phone camera and shows the woman's brother aiming the gun at his sister, lying on the ground. Her fiancee, also seen, was wounded, but survived. The killing was planned by her entire family, and Pakistani taxi drivers were used as spies to spot her and alert her family.
As a 13-year-old girl in Turkey, Rojda was raped, then forced to marry her rapist under Islamic law. Her face was mutilated by her "husband's" family when she refused to prostitute herself after he was imprisoned for raping another child.
Rim Abu Ghanem 19 (Dr. Suliman Abu Ghanem, a 33-year-old pediatrician at
Assaf Harofeh Hospital, who along with his three brothers decided to murder his sister for refusing an arranged marriage) Israel
1/3 of the women murdered in Jordan are a result of Islamic "honor" killing. And yet I could not find one picture of a murdered girl in Jordan.
"It was a brutal scene. One victim's head was nearly cut clean off," an official is quoted as saying. (here)
And the thing is, this is the end - the final act, the culmination
of the subjugation, oppression, violent abuse of women in Islam. The
terror that precedes the murder is almost unimaginable. Living in fear,
every day, living in fear of physical and mental abuse and still, standing up and living their own lives -- only to be murdered for it.
UPDATE:
Sabia Rani 19 UK (not only did four members of her husband's family do nothing to help her, they
turned a blind eye as he continued the beatings and ultimately murdered the
helpless young woman at the house they all shared).
Sonay Mohammad, beaten unconscious by her father and thrown in the harbour in Præstø, Denmark, in 2002. She was 14 years old. Her 'crime' was living like most Danish girls live. The story has made the headlines again, because her father, a Kurdish Iraqi, is due to be released after having served s-e-v-e-n years, half the 'life' sentence he received."The reason being a rule that says that perps who will be deported from Denmark after having served time can be released after half the time, and then be deported immediately." His wife has supported him all the way. At least they will be sent back to Hellholistan, surely a worse fate than being in a Danish prison and living off social benefits. Oh yeah, social benefits from the Danish state have enabled Mrs. Mohammad to buy no less than TWO houses in Kurdistan.
"When Fagirad left the home, his wife fled and went to the 109th Precinct
stationhouse, where she filed a domestic violence report, prosecutors said. She
then returned home.
"When Fagirad returned, he demanded his wife's cell
phone and called police to file a counterclaim, prosecutors said." What was his claim, that he didn't finish the job?
During the attack, Fagirad bit, slapped, choked and beat the 22-year-old
woman with a belt, pushed her down a flight of stairs and sat on her chest,
prosecutors said.
At one point, prosecutors said, Fagirad threw his wife up against a wall,
held her there by the neck and then let her drop to the floor, where he beat her
with a belt.
Fagirad told police his "wife was a dog and he was going to treat her like a
dog," prosecutors said.
When Fagirad left the home, his wife fled and went to the 109th Precinct
stationhouse, where she filed a domestic violence report, prosecutors said. She
then returned home.
When Fagirad returned, he demanded his wife's cell phone and called police to
file a counterclaim, prosecutors said.
The woman, who was not named, was hospitalized for bruises and scratches to
her neck and back.
We have an entrenched judicial system that is based on Divine Law and not
personal whims. This is the reason why I could not understand two recent court
verdicts handed out on the same day.
In the first ruling, two thieves who stole two rams were sentenced to three
years imprisonment and 1,000 lashes each.
The second ruling of two years imprisonment and 200 whiplashes was for a
husband who beat his wife until she swallowed her tongue and died.
I could not find any explanation for the great difference in the two rulings
although they were reached under the same law. Are the two rams more valuable
than the woman or is the life of a human being cheaper than that of
livestock?
I am not evaluating the judicial system or delving into the parameters of the
rulings. I’m just trying to understand how some judges think and issue their
verdicts? It might be true that the woman was killed unintentionally and the
rams were stolen with intent, but this will not answer the questions that arise
from the two verdicts.
I doubt very much the Ministry of Justice will include the two verdicts in
its records because they contradict the picture that the ministry is trying to
draw that court verdicts are based on principles of fairness and not the
personal views of judges.
AMMAN: A Jordanian man has been charged with
premeditated murder for killing his sister while she was asleep over her alleged
“suspicious behaviour,” a judicial official said yesterday. “The 21-year-old
man stabbed his 24-year-old sister 10 times in different parts of her body with
a kitchen knife while she was asleep on Tuesday night over her alleged
suspicious behaviour” in Sahab, south of the capital Amman, the official said.
Three days ago, the unidentified suspect, who has confessed to the crime,
“heard some men talking about his sister, who was a trainee lawyer, and decided
to kill her without checking the truth,” according to the source, who did not
elaborate.
“He said he regretted murdering his sister, particularly after
forensic tests proved that she was virgin,” the official said. He added that
the suspect will “undergo a psychological examination to determine his mental
state.”
The murderer "wanted to improve the image of Muslims."
I wonder if he videotaped it - you know - jihad porn.
These were moderate Muslims, right? "A prominent Buffalo area Muslim businessman who founded the BridgesTV network to
improve the image of Muslims in the U.S. has been arrested and charged with
murdering his estranged wife – by beheading her at his company’s office in
Orchard Park, N.Y., on Thursday."
We are throwing our women out like so much chattel. Where is the wall to wall television coverage like you get with Natalee Holloway and Callee Anthony, Jesse Davis? ..... Because the vulture media has already submitted to Islam and the women who experience the worst abuse at the hands of shariah are on their own. Rule of law has been trampled and discarded for multi-garbagism.
13 February 2009:Muzzammil “Mo” HASSAN,
the founder and chief executive officer of Bridges TV, a Buffalo, NY based
Islamic television Network he helped pioneer in 2004 amid hopes that it would
help portray Muslims in a more positive light, reportedly admitted to police
that he beheaded his wife at the television station yesterday afternoon.The
victim was identified as Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37, who just last
month, filed for and received an order of protection against her husband.
According to police, HASSAN walked into the Orchard Park police station
shortly after 6:00 PM
yesterday and admitted that he murdered his wife earlier in the afternoon.
While Erie County, NY District Frank A. Sedita III stated about the murder that
“”…this is the worst form of domestic violence possible,” it is more pertinent
to understand that the act of beheading in Islam is frequently and closely
associated with “honor killings.”
The intentional mainstream media obfuscation of honor killings and the act of
beheading as both relate to Islamic fundamentalist practices & beliefs is
anticipated, especially in this case. (For a good primer about Islam and honor
killings, please read this 2008 article written by Robert Spencer).
HASSAN and Bridges TV of Buffalo has been a focus of investigation by the
Northeast Intelligence Network in the past. The Northeast Intelligence Network
made several inquiries
to HASSAN and Bridges TV about their relationship with al Manar
television - inquiries that HASSAN and his station refused to answer. (Photo: Aasiya Zubair) (HASSAN)
Meanwhile, HASSAN was charged with second-degree murder and has been
arraigned by Orchard Park, NY Village Justice Deborah Chimes. He is currently in
custody at the Erie County Holding Center
Searing piece on the Aqsa Parvez tragedy in today's Canadian news paper, The Toronto Sun. Huge props for Joe Warmington of the Toronto Sun for shining the media spotlight on the gross injustice that Aqsa Parvez suffers in death -- as if her life wasn't tortured enough. Joe Warmington first reported the story of Aqsa's unmarked grave that set in motion my call to readers to memorialize this honor killing victim. Atlas readers did a wonderful thing and contributed generously, and Robert Spencer of Jihadwatch was enormously helpful. Everyone responded to this terrible injustice. Canadian Atlas reader Norman Traversy, who has been helping scout memorial locations, put Warmington in touch with me - thank you.
Let's pray that the family that murdered her is shamed into doing one small act of kindness for this girl.
Notice how now the family is refusing it -- when, in fact, the cemetery had told us the family wanted to make changes to the headstone. Their refusal is new. I wonder who advised them to change their story.
Remember this:"The family want changes and is planning on coming in to see
me. They did not book an appointment yet but I hope to see them soon."
"How could they let her rot in an unmarked grave?"-- U.S. blogger Pamela Geller
Aqsa Parvez has been gone 14 months and still, according to the
frozen ground in Lot 17 of Brampton's Meadowvale Cemetery, she's
nothing more than No. 774.
If not for two flowers placed there recently, you would not even know this is a grave.
"We had no idea we would not be able to build a memorial to this girl," said a disappointed Pamela Geller from New York City.
Geller proudly boasts being the 34th best-known blogger on the
web -- her Atlas Shrugs site of stories that may have escaped coverage
in the play-it-safe, middle-of-the-road mainstream media.
When she saw my column on the anniversary of this shocking Dec. 10, 2007, murder, she jumped all over it.
"I am always concerned about creeping Sharia law," she said,
adding that her main interest is making sure people knew this girl did
exist.
It hasn't been proved in court that Parvez was the victim of a
heinous, cultural honour killing, but it has been well reported that
both her father and brother are currently before the courts facing
first-degree murder in what Peel Police have described as a "planned
and deliberate act."
There has also been extensive media coverage of how she had
clashes at home over her not wanting to wear the traditional Muslim
hijab and had been staying with friends as a result.
When the story, and award-winning photographer Michael Peake's
stirring front-page picture of the little 774 marker, hit Atlas Shrugs,
Geller responded immediately. "I wanted to do something for her."
She set up a pay-pal system and started taking up a collection -- starting with her own $180 donation.
"People sent in $5 and $10," she said. "Some sent in $500."
So far $4,000 US has been raised and a small but tasteful stone
has been designed with the inscription "Loved, Remembered, Free" under
her name and dates of birth and of death.
Still Aqsa Parvez is no closer to getting a proper gravestone than she was before.
The Meadowvale Cemetery has indicated the family does not wish
to accept the money and will handle the grave site however they see
fit. Geller says suggestions of buying a separate plot or erecting a
memorial were also rejected.
"They don't seem to have any interest," the cemetery's
assistant manager Patty Harris said yesterday. "The family wants to do
this on their own. Sometimes people take a long time in making their
decision -- if in fact they put one on."
Not having a stone is what Geller and others are afraid of.
"It is sad," she says. "It is not acceptable. It appeals to basic humanity."
Enter Norm Traversy, a former Mississauga firefighter who has
done talks about fire safety at Aqsa's school and "with three daughters
in the same age range," wanted to do something for her and had a pretty
good idea.
There's an arboretum at the University of Guelph where he wanted to plant a tree and have a bench and a plaque in her name.
"Something low-key and tasteful," he said.
They had the money and were all set to go when suddenly, the people at the university stopped calling back or taking his calls.
"Even the people at the women's studies office," he said.
A call to the University of Guelph yesterday hasn't been
returned. They'll have their opportunity to explain their point of view
in this space in the future if they choose.
"There are times when I feel like beating my head against the
Islamist wall, partly in despair, but mostly in anger," said Tarek
Fatah, author and founder of the Canadian Muslim Congress, who has
called what he says is the hardline, radical Islamist approach to this
girl's death disgusting.
Although some say it's Muslim tradition to not mark a grave,
Fateh points out that the Taj Mahal was built to honour a Muslim woman.
You'd think sooner or later somebody would have the guts to
ensure this girl is afforded some normal dignity. Instead, the
politically correct police seem to be winning out and just when we need
them, the women's rights movement seems shockingly silent.
But Traversy and Geller aren't giving up. They have $4,000
collected and are determined to make sure it somehow goes to mark and
celebrate the life of Aqsa Parvez.
"Maybe we will do something for her in Israel," Geller said.
"Although, it would be a shame there is not some sort of memorial for
this girl in Canada, the country in which she lived."
And the country where she was allegedly murdered for wanting to be Canadian.
As of today, all that highlights Aqsa's existence is that cold grave marked by a number.
The West should build a shrine to this girl and every girl who tried to escape Islam. The garden is dead. I think I am going to be sick:
Dear Ms. Geller:
The prime purpose of The Arboretum in the University
setting is to provide a living outdoor laboratory for education, research and
outreach. As such it has developed into a well used multi-faceted department as
part of the institution. As you have discovered one aspect is the memorial
program. However from its inception, success of The Arboretum dedication program
has been due to it being a space dedicated to quiet reflection and meditation.
It is because of the peaceful nature of The Arboretum that, over the years, many
individuals have chosen to dedicate benches and to plant trees in memory of
loved ones. I believe that, no matter how worthy, a memorial to Aqsa Parvez
would draw much public attention and would thus be inconsistent with current use
of The Arboretum.
"Let the trees be
consulted before you take any action" John Wright
Were the trees consulted, dhimmi?
This girl can have no peace. No peace! Is it possible that Islam has us in such a choke hold that a headstone, a garden any tribute to an honor killing victim is controversial? Even a basic headstone?
What spinelessness!
Just for knowing, the cemetery has stopped responding to both Robert's emails and mine. I wrote this to them on January 13, responding to an email from Philip at the cemetery:
Hi Pamela,
I just had a conversation with my boss and the conclusion is that the only option to memorialize Aqsa is the marker for her grave. We do not have a Memorial tree option and the land on Section 17 does not allow for a bench as you need a large open space for it and the section does not have that space.
Thanks,
Philip
Philip, The family is not going to memorialize this girl. She has shamed the family. Sharia law will not allow this girl a headstone. Am I to understand that if the family does not sign off on the headstone that the cemetery in this free, western nation will submit to the barbarity of a misogynist barbaric code and allow this girl to rot in an unmarked grave?
Yours in liberty, Pamela Geller
And Spencer wrote this earlier today to the Meadowvale Cemetery:
Dear Mr. Porter:
The email address from which I corresponded with
you before seems to have stopped working, so I am writing to you again on the
off-chance that you wrote me and the email bounced back. It has now been three
weeks since I have heard from you; I don't know if you have met with the family
of Aqsa Parvez or not, or what their objections could possibly be to the
headstone we had hoped to place at her gravesite. In any case, we are pursuing
other options, but it is extremely unfortunate that we were apparently blocked
in placing this headstone, and the implications of this are perhaps larger than
you realize.
Not only is this a tacit endorsement of the honor killing
of Aqsa Parvez and of honor killing in general, but please be aware also that
the Islamic Society of North America, which apparently owns a good deal of your
cemetery, was named an "unindicted co-conspirator" by the U.S. Justice
Department in a case involving funding the jihad terrorist group Hamas. It was
also named as an allied organization in an internal document of the
international jihadist group the Muslim Brotherhood -- a document outlining that
group's strategy for North America, in which it declared its intention of
"eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within and sabotaging its
miserable house...so that Allah's religion is victorious over other religions."
I'm aware that our request may have put you in a difficult position.
These are times that call for hard decisions and moral
courage.
Cordially Robert Spencer
I will not be deterred. I will not stop. She will be remembered. You have my word.
UPDATE: My thinking is this: Robert and I are going to enlist help in contacting the city council of Mississauga (where Aqsa lived). Perhaps we can identify a spot, a location that will be more meaningful and more direct for Canadians, where we can plant a tree as a memorial.
But I am leaning toward a grove, an orchard of trees in Israel. The Aqsa Parvez Orchard - In honor of All of the Victims of Honor Killers. In addition, the designated name would be inscribed in American Independence Park in Jerusalem. It's $5,000, so we'd have to raise $1,000 more.
Although it is condemned by helping organizations around the world, wife beating
is common
in many places. What’s worse is when health workers facilitate or condone it
as recently reported in a study done in Turkey. In
Turkey which has wife-beating virtually institutionalized, a high percentage
of health workers don't respond or work with the victims of domestic violence in
sympathetic ways. That’s because the culture accepts wife- beating. On a
questionnaire 69.0% of the female and 84.7% of the male health workers stated
that the agreed to or partially agreed to at least one reason to excuse physical
violence.
The accepted grounds for beating one’s wife in Turkey includes
criticizing the man, lying to him or refusing to care for the children.
Deceiving the husband is the most serious offense with over half of female
doctors agreeing that the man should be able to punish the wife physically if
the wife deceived him. These are accepted grounds also for honor
killings.
Because of the cultural rigidity on the matter of approving
wife-beating most health care workers in Turkey don’t know the legal issues nor
is there any real training in the country to help medical personnel identify and
report signs of physical abuse.
Canadian Atlas reader Norman helped scout locations in
Canada for an appropriate memorial to Aqsa Parvez near where she lived.
It was Norman who suggested "an arboretum on the grounds of the University of Guelph. The more I see of it - the more I love it. His wife collected some of the pictures she has taken at the Arboretum and posted them to a blog.
Do I think this is a better and more fitting tribute to a young girl viciously murdered for refusing to subjugate herself to the soul crushing misogyny of Islam? Yes. Yes, I do.
The Guelph Arboretum is currently being
considered as a site for the placement of a bench and the dedication of a
beautiful tree with a plaque to honour the life of the young Aqsa Parvez, killed
over a year ago in Mississauga. For those of you who don't know this beautiful
location, it is in the city of Guelph, on the University of
Guelph campus. These photos were taken over the past few years and show you
the beauty of the location.
Several features of The Arboretum
include:
1) The World of Trees is our major botanical collection,
with over 400 species of woody plants. 2) Free from pesticides, the shrub
roses in the Frances Ball Rose Garden continue to bloom. 3) The Leslie
Hancock Memorial Rhododendron Collection is in bloom during May and June. 4)
The Dwarf Conifer Collection javascript:void(0)is a texture, colour and
sculptural delight. 5) Maple, Oak and Pine collections feature a wide range
of species from the northern hemisphere. 6) Wildlife friendly is the theme of
the Gosling Wildlife Gardens. 7) The Wall-Custance Memorial Forest offers a
living legacy of beauty for lost loved ones. 8) A peaceful Zen garden awaits
visitors to the David G. Porter Memorial Japanese Garden. 9) In the Edna and
Frank C. Miller English Garden you are greeted by two perennial flower
beds.
Development of the University of Guelph Arboretum began in 1970
when the Board of Governors approved a master plan that dedicated 330 acres of
campus property to provide a living laboratory for research and teaching at U of
G and an important resource for the community and the province.
With a
mandate to promote education, research and outreach, the Arboretum currently
includes almost every tree and shrub indigenous to southern Ontario (more than
1,700 different kinds) in an area covering 165 hectares (408 acres). The grounds
are open to the public year-round, and include more than 8 km of nature trails,
ideal for walking or jogging.
I want to thank magnificent Atlas readers for continuing to give to Aqsa's Memorial Fund. Today I received the following generous donations. The complete list is here. We have raised close to $4,000 - we will be able to do the flowering tree and the bench and perhaps some pretty flowering plants around the tree - I will know more as soon as the pictures and prices arrive.
Anonymous $500 (mensch!)
Frank Salvato $50
JJ Solari $50
and these recent contributions from
Puneet Madaan $50
Lydia Van Houten $100
Jose Llerena $20
David Cohen $20
Frank and Leslie Shelley $20 I am moved beyond words. Here is what we are going with. It is going to be gorgeous. Much thanks to reader and horticulturist for his valued input.
I am thinking of a Flowering Dogwood, scientific name: Cornaceae Cornus florida.
I chose it because it is beautiful year round - spring time flowering, bright red foliage in autumn, small colorful (red) fruit after flowering, year round very interesting bark ........
Also, I 'd like a few smaller woody/hardy flowering shrubs to surround this tree.
Rose family - Flowering, interesting colorful bark, etc.
Physocarpus opulifolius Common Name: ninebark, eastern ninebark, common ninebark Rose family http://www.evergreen.ca/nativeplants/search/view-plant.php?ID=00496&list_ID=00015
With even a few - yet smaller shrubs/or even flower type plants filling in or extended from the escort plants.
And TC recommmeded a curved bench. Yes, that would be lovely .......
Here's part of a home movie taken in 2003 of Amina and Sarah Said filmed by the Muslim father who murdered them in an honor killing. One big happy family --
Apparently it's edited -- working on getting the original. Yaser should not be spared -- capital punishment. Islamic law will not be tolerated in America. Vote for politicians who speak to that. Vote for politicians who value women more than they pander to their Islamic paymasters.
Murdering the women -- cold blood. "The reason he took his daughter's life," according to the Sergeant on the case, "by his
own words was that she wasn't being true to her religion....." And Muslim community? -- talking the jive taqiya of course ............
Shahid Malik is a local representative of Atlanta's Pakistani
population and one of the very few willing to speak about the Rashid
case. He
says that the killing has nothing to do with Islam.
"Whatever
this case is or not, this is not an honor killing," he says. Chaudry Rashid loved his daughter."
"Police believe Rashid killed his daughter because she wanted a divorce and he felt that it would bring shame on his family. Schindler says Rashid told him killing his daughter was a right given to him by God, and that God would protect him. To police, in other words, this was an honor killing."
Police in Atlanta have been investigating
the death of a 25-year-old Pakistani woman, who was allegedly murdered
by her father in the name of family honor.
She wanted out of an arranged marriage, but her father thought a divorce would bring shame to the family.
Honor
killings are old rites of murder within families, committed because of
some perceived dishonor or shame. The United Nations estimates around
5,000 deaths occur each year — mostly of women, mostly in South Asia
and the Middle East.
Atlas reader and godsend, Norman, has been scouting locations in Canada for an appropriate memorial to Aqsa Parvez near where she lived. I was leaning towards planting trees in Israel until Norman suggested this, "an arboretum
on the grounds of the University of Guelph. Guelph is not far from Mississauga
where a lot of kids from Mississauga go."
Yes, yes, a place in Canada, near where Aqsa lived where lots of young people go. Perfect.
"The Arboretum, an integral part of the University of Guelph, has
a mandate to promote education, research and outreach." -- (Arboretum Master
Plan, December 2004)
The
Arboretum at the University of Guelph is somewhat modeled after the Arnold
Arboretum of Harvard University which is 100 years older.
Plantings
started in 1971 and are now maturing to produce a beautiful landscape, within
which The Arboretum continues to develop specialized gardens, botanical
collections, and gene conservation programs. Labels are maintained at the base
of all woody plants in the collections that are listed on The Arboretum
map.
The
Arboretum spans 165 hectares (408 acres) with 8.2 km of signed trails. Observed
at The Arboretum are 38 species of mammals, 188 species of birds, 39 species of
butterflies, 18 herptiles (reptiles and amphibians) and 1,700 types of trees and
shrubs. Almost every tree and shrub indigenous to southern Ontario is growing at
The Arboretum.
The Arboretum offers a pleasant stroll or a study of the
fabulous diversity in plants. It is a great place for weddings, dinner theatre
or memorial services and dedications. The Arboretum offers Docent-led
tours as well as naturalist / horticulturist-led tours throughout the year. A
wide array of adult and children's educational programs are also offered
covering art, botany, gardening and wildlife.
The Arboretum has benches,
trees and gardens dedicated to various individuals. They all have plaques
attached to them in various styles. We know a brilliant woodcarver who could be
commissioned to carve a plaque.
Wonderful right? I asked Kathy Shaidle what she thought (she's in Canada and totally gets it) and she said she thought "the Guelph plan
may be a blessing in disguise. Surely more people will see it there than
in an obscure cemetery where the stone could easily be removed or
vandalized, which is a great thing! The ideal solution."
I will be picking a flowering tree this week with a bench. I will show you pics of everything as it develops. Just so you know, I am moving forward on this ........much thanks to Norman.
We lived in Guelph for over 10 years – my parents for 25 years. I know the Arboretum well. I assure you it is absolutely magnificent in every way. Guelph is a beautiful city, with warm, friendly and caring people. The University Campus is lovely, and the Arboretum is breathtakingly beautiful. In every respect the location is perfect. Aqsa can rest in peace, lovingly surrounded by nature’s beauty, and the joyful exuberance of the nearby University students.
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has declared murder to save a
woman’s honour not a crime, a private TV channel reported on Thursday.
According to the channel, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa ruled this while
hearing a murder case. The court acquitted Ghulam Nabi and his son
Iftikhar, saying murder to save a woman’s honour was not a crime. The
accused had killed one Yasin while saving a female relative’s honour.
The trial court sentenced them to 10 years’ imprisonment but the LHC
acquitted them. daily times monitor
"Saving a female relative's honour" ............ there are no words for this death cult.
Robert Spencer and I have pursued the headstone marker furiously. We approved the headstone back on December 23rd (here), The bottom line is that the family (her alleged murderers) has to "sign off" on it. We are still waiting for them to look at the headstone. Clearly they are the obstacle. We have tried to pursue purchasing a plot near, around or in the vicinity of her unmarked grave. The Islamic Society owns them all. *sigh*.
Here is the last exchange with the cemetery:
Hi Pamela,
I just had a conversation
with my boss and the conclusion is that the only option to memorialize Aqsa is
the marker for her grave. We do not have a Memorial tree option and the land on
Section 17 does not allow for a bench as you need a large open space for it and
the section does not have that space.
Thanks,
Philip
Philip, The family is not going to memorialize this girl. She has shamed the
family. Sharia law will not allow this girl a headstone. Am I to understand that
if the family does not sign off on the headstone that the cemetery in this free,
western nation will submit to the barbarity of a misogynist barbaric code and
allow this girl to rot in an unmarked grave?
Yours in liberty, Pamela Geller
I refuse to be subjugated by the inhumanity of these barbaric "customs". One of my readers is scouting other locations in and around where Aqsa lived. I have also asked one of Aqsa's close friends if Aqsa had a favorite spot. She wrote, "I'm sure we can plant a tree or ............ maybe start an Aqsa foundation against abuse towards women within the family, call it Aqsa's wings or something...
I'm sure we can think of something = )
Or if we plant a tree or a bench by Lakeshore in Mississauga to represent her free spirit and refreshing personality, kind of like the lakeshore in summer. The waves are always coming and going and it gives off the refreshing breeze."
My preference is to plant 16 trees (Aqsa was 16 years old when she was murdered) and 18 more (chai for life) in Israel overlooking Jerusalem. I would love to plant a grove, but it's $5,000, and I ain't got that much green ......
I would donate whatever monies left over to Geert Wilders' legal defense fund. Robert Spencer, who has worked with me on the initiative to memorialize Aqsa
from the beginning, loves the idea of a tree-planting dedicated to Aqsa, and
also supports donating any remaining money to a defense fund for Wilders. Let me know your thoughts on this.................
UPDATE: I have been reading through the comment section and there are some important ideas. I think it speaks volumes to how far down the rabbit hole the West has gone that the family that murdered her in the name of Islam, can stop a marker or headstone in the name of Islam.
That said, raising awareness with ads calling attention to this gross injustice is a fine idea but it doesn't memorialize Aqsa which is what we set out to do. Canadian reader Norman has been scouting out locations near Aqsa's home and I think we have found the perfect spot. Yes, I too think it should be in Canada. I will update as I firm this up.
These girls, these girls........ the cult of misogyny, murder and depravity. This ideology must be destroyed. What is it going to take? If we do nothing, it makes us as barbaric as the savages.
(IsraelNN.com) A 15-year old Israeli Arab Muslim from the city of Kalansawa has
admitted to murdering his 20-year-old sister. The teen said he stabbed his
sister on Monday morning in a so-called “honor killing”--a killing in which the
victim is accused of tarnishing family honor by violating the tenets of Islam or
flouting cultural norms.
The teen and his sister fought on Sunday night. The 15-year-old strongly
objected to his sister's expressed wish to leave the home more often and
purchase a cell phone.
The murder took place the next morning, as the sister slept in her bed. The
parents, who were out of the house at the time, returned home to discover her
body.
Police were called to the scene, and found the brother covered in blood. “I
murdered my sister,” he told them. The youth was arrested. His remand was
extended on Monday evening.
The murder is hardly the first of its kind to take place in Israel. Several
young Israeli Muslim women have been murdered in recent years for allegedly
dishonoring their families.
Police believe the previous victim was 16-year-old Dalia Abu-Ghanem, who was
reported missing in December of last year. The teen was allegedly murdered for
leaving her abusive husband. Eight other women belonging to the 2,000-member
Abu-Ghanem clan have been murdered by their male relatives in the past
decade.
Well, I read Atlas Shrugs, Power Line, National Review blogs ...... ... Ambassador John Bolton
I'm a fan! - Mark Steyn
Fearless, intelligent, beautiful -- Pamela Geller wears her Supergirl
costume well.
Pamela Geller is a dynamo of energy and
a paragon of courage and fearlessness.
-- Robert Spencer, JihadWatch in his book Stealth Jihad
You do great work with your blog. -- Geert Wilders
"Courageous insights from a pulchritudinous pundit!!" Dr. Andrew Bostom, Leading Scholar on Islam
"Great site," Dick Morris
"Indeed, some of Israel's best friends and most articulate defenders can be found in the blogosphere .... Atlas Shrugs, [et al] all provide a refreshing alternative to the moral relativism and politically correct anti-Israel blather of the media. Michael Freund, Jerusalem Post
"The best there is," Beryl Wajsman, President Institute of Public Affairs
