The Big Picture: Developing Story

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Developing Story

CNN.com just put up a link to the story from Toronto of a teenage girl allegedly murdered by her father in a dispute over wearing her hijab, which is a traditional Islamic headscarf.

Friends of the teenager identified her as Aqsa Parvez and said they were shocked by her death but said her family was very strict. “She got threatened by her father and her brother,” Dominiquia Holmes-Thompson told the newsaper. “He said that if she leaves, he would kill her.”

While this is not a case of spousal abuse, the threats above are eerily reminiscent of those leveled at women living in violent situations. This case illustrates why sweeping social change is so important if women are to be viewed as full human beings who have the right to live and make their own choices without fear.

So-called "honor killings" are not condoned by Islam regardless of the situation. This type of violence can only blossom if the surrounding secular cultural ideas support it. Women may be able to drive, but we are still in large part viewed as property which is why these terrible murders happen even in the West.

We at The Big Picture will be keeping tabs on the development of this story as details become available.

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Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is the establishment of control and fear in a relationship through physical, sexual, emotional, and/or financial abuse. Both men and women are capable of misusing power and perpetrating violence, and male victims are often just as afraid to call the police. More resources for female survivors exist, however, because overwhelmingly women and children suffer the most severe consequences (medical, legal, social, and financial) and therefore require the most intensive interventions.

Many women choose to stay in abusive relationships because they do not want their relationship to end...just the violence. Women often remain in, or return to, abusive relationships because their partners threaten to harm them and their loved ones if they attempt to leave. Commonly, women choose to leave when they become convinced that their life is at risk, or that their children are in danger.

Domestic violence is not just a "family matter". The violence will not stop until men and women come together with a common attitude of non-tolerance. We must speak out for those who may not feel safe speaking up, and our children must learn through our words and example that violence is never justified.