My last post relayed the true story of a young pregnant Pakistani woman who was stoned to death a few days ago by her own family members because she married a man of her own choosing and not the cousin that her family had picked out for her.
In light of new information that has surfaced regarding the man she married, I thought an update was in order.
I, for one, was feeling sympathetic for the 45 year-old widower, Mohammad Iqbal, that 25 year-old Farzana Parveen Iqbal had married. He had been widowed a few years ago and left with five children to raise, and now with Farzana's death, he became a widower yet again.
But any sympathy I may have had for this man has been erased since I learned that he himself strangled his first wife to death six years ago because he was in love with Farzana and wanted to marry her. Basically he himself got away with murder. In Pakistan, as in several other countries, blood money can be paid or forgiveness can be given by immediate family members of the victim in order to absolve the murderer/killer of guilt.
Initially Iqbal was arrested in 2009 for the murder of his wife, however the charges were dropped when one of his sons forgave him. What I don't understand is that Iqbal is Muslim, and Islam allows men to marry up to four women at any one time. Why on earth did he opt to murder the mother of his five children when he legally could have taken on another wife? Or why didn't he just divorce her? What kind of Muslim does what he did? I am sickened by this turn of events.
So far, only Farzana's father has been arrested in her death. All the other participants in her stoning - about 20 men - have disappeared.
In another cruel twist to this story, Farzana becomes the second daughter in her family to have been murdered by her male relatives in an "honor killing." Four years ago her sister Rehana was poisoned by her own family when they became disenchanted with the family she had married into - even though it was an arranged marriage, approved by each family. Rehana's family demanded that she leave her husband, but she refused, so they killed her.
At least many people in Pakistan are outraged and have protested, calling for reform and justice.
In this sad tale alone, three women are dead at the hands of their own husbands, fathers, and brothers. This is utterly barbaric and sick behavior that has no basis in religion whatsoever. What is wrong with these stupid men that they would rather kill their own daughter than to see her happy in marriage? Why don't these men value the women of their family? Women deserve better! Heaven help us all.
In light of new information that has surfaced regarding the man she married, I thought an update was in order.
I, for one, was feeling sympathetic for the 45 year-old widower, Mohammad Iqbal, that 25 year-old Farzana Parveen Iqbal had married. He had been widowed a few years ago and left with five children to raise, and now with Farzana's death, he became a widower yet again.
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| The murdered Farzana Parveen Iqbal |
Initially Iqbal was arrested in 2009 for the murder of his wife, however the charges were dropped when one of his sons forgave him. What I don't understand is that Iqbal is Muslim, and Islam allows men to marry up to four women at any one time. Why on earth did he opt to murder the mother of his five children when he legally could have taken on another wife? Or why didn't he just divorce her? What kind of Muslim does what he did? I am sickened by this turn of events.
So far, only Farzana's father has been arrested in her death. All the other participants in her stoning - about 20 men - have disappeared.
In another cruel twist to this story, Farzana becomes the second daughter in her family to have been murdered by her male relatives in an "honor killing." Four years ago her sister Rehana was poisoned by her own family when they became disenchanted with the family she had married into - even though it was an arranged marriage, approved by each family. Rehana's family demanded that she leave her husband, but she refused, so they killed her.
At least many people in Pakistan are outraged and have protested, calling for reform and justice.
In this sad tale alone, three women are dead at the hands of their own husbands, fathers, and brothers. This is utterly barbaric and sick behavior that has no basis in religion whatsoever. What is wrong with these stupid men that they would rather kill their own daughter than to see her happy in marriage? Why don't these men value the women of their family? Women deserve better! Heaven help us all.
ignorance is a disease
ReplyDeletethis is very sad story
and this kind of act will happen again and again if the authorities don't act and stop those so called honor killing and i dont even know were is the honor when you kill someone not even your own sister ,daughter or wife
Hi Mohamed - When a man's perceived honor takes precedence over the lives of the women in his family, nothing good can come of it. Honor has nothing at all to do with it.
DeleteBarbaric is the correct word..Unbelievable and so sad.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanette - And this type of thing continues to happen year after year. These men need to get the message that this is not acceptable. Maybe the men need to be tried and found guilty and put to death in order for it to be taken seriously. And the forgiveness and blood money options need to be eliminated since it only perpetuates this behavior, because they know they can get away with it.
DeleteThe customs and practices in Pakistan are appalling, but as others have pointed out, it is not the only country that permits such despicable or analogous behaviour in the name of religion or some perverted notion of "honour".
ReplyDeleteYou are perhaps aware of other very recent cases in India and Sudan. In India two young girls were gang-raped by numerous men (amongst whom were a number of policemen it seems), then murdered and left to hang on a banyan tree for several days, with the police unwilling to investigate the matter until silent protests by many people outside the police station forced action. Stomach-churning! In Sudan a lady is currently in prison under sentence of death, to be carried out in two years, once her recently-born child is weaned completely (this and the other child are in prison with the mother); the woman was handcuffed during the birth. The woman's 'crime' is that she has married a Christian Sudanese man, having been brought up herself as a Christian by her mother, although her own father is a Moslem. Her refusal to become a Moslem is regarded as apostasy and her marriage to her husband is regarded as invalid for similar reasons, so the children were in law married out of wedlock, itself another crime. In the face of international condemnation from the UK, USA and other countries, it seems that the lady may soon be released, but until or if this happens one must remain vigilant.
Finally of course, there is the ongoing cases in Nigeria where more than 200 young schoolgirls, again Christian, have been kidnapped by Boko Haram, with the threat of being forcibly converted to Islam and sold into slavery/marriage; it is believed this has already happened to a number of the girls.
Unfortunately exploitation of women and girls (usually for sexual purposes) occurs in Europe too, with girls and young women being trafficked mainly from eastern Europe to western Europe for prostitution; I believe the same occurs with people from Latin America being trafficked into the US.
All utterly appalling practices! If the recent nomination of a Ugandan anti-gay minister to a UN role is not stopped for the farce it is, then it will only serve to prove that the world remains a pretty sick place.
Hi Bill - I could make posts daily about the oppression and aggression against women around the world. It's very depressing to know that this behavior towards women continues in this day and age. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteI agree with your outrage. I never will understand people loving their honor more than they love their children. Evil!
ReplyDeleteEvil, exactly - in fact it is utterly devoid of honor.
ReplyDeleteCan someone house arrest that entire family until they get all involved in the murder of the two women. These people should be dealt with just as barbaric terms as they dealt with the ladies... would have they treated a MALE of that house if they did not like who he was marrying/did not like his wife. I know we aren't supposed to follow the "eye for an eye" but this is human life and it looks like they have no value for it. Wonder how the rest of the 'innocent' people in their family are living?
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous - No doubt the rest of the "Innocent" people in the family are living in fear for their own lives every single day. The men in this family are intimidating bullies who know they can get away with murder.
Deletethank you
ReplyDeleteمدير موقع مؤسسة التنظيف الدوليه
You say you are "sympathetic for the 45 year-old widower Mohammad Iqbal" but Mohammad Iqbal admitted to strangling his first wife so that he could be with the woman who was just killed.
ReplyDeleteAt least all were sentenced to death. And although I don't believe in the death penalty (it is that kind of eye-for-eye mentality found in islam) death is better than freedom for these people.
The main problem in all of this is the holy books. As long as they are respected people will follow their commandments like this with impunity.
Hi Anonymous - No, I am not sympathetic for Iqbal. I think he is a scumbag and a murderer himself. Initially I may have had a little sympathy for him, but that quickly vanished when I learned about how he became a widower because he himself killed his first wife. No sympathy for him from me.
Delete