Thursday, December 13, 2007

Update on Aqsa Parvez

This morning the Herald Sun published this story highlighting more details of the tragic case of Aqsa Parvez which we first brought to you in a post yesterday.

It appears from the story that Parvez's father has been charged with second-degree murder and her brother has been charged with obstruction of justice. Reports from her friends also indicate that this was an on-going conflict and that Parvez had already moved out of the residence a few weeks prior, and only returned home on Monday to collect the remainder of her things.

At the very least, Canada's leaders (secular and Islamic) are recognizing this as part of a pervasive societal problem rather than an indictment of one religion.

But a spokesman for the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) said he is dubious of opinions the girl's death resulted from a clash of cultures.

"Teen rebellion is something that exists in all households in Canada and is not unique to any culture or background," CAIR-CAN's Sameer Zuberi told AFP.

"Domestic violence is also not unique to Muslims.''

The death of Parvez "was the result of domestic violence, a problem that cuts across Canadian society and is blind to colour or creed", echoed Shahina Siddiqui, president of the Islamic Social Services Association.

The two groups and 18 other Muslim groups in an open letter to prosecutors asked for the strongest possible prosecution of her killer, and "zero tolerance for violence of any kind against women or girls".

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