News Article

Honor killings?

Summary:

In 2009 an Afghan family was convicted of four counts of first-degree murders of three teenage girls and a middle aged woman. This Afghan family moved to Canada two years before the killings, in June 2007. Mr. Shafia claimed that the girls disgraced the family by dating and wearing revealing clothes. The prosecutors described these killings as honor killings. Mr.Shafia, the father, and his wife, Ms. Yahya, along with their son Hamed killed the three teenage girls and Mr.Shafia’s other wife, Rona Amir Mohammad. One of the girls was so frightened by Mr. Shafia that she actually called the police and asked if she could be placed in foster care along with her sisters. This effort, however, was unsuccessful. Mr.Shafia’s plan was to kill the three teenagers and his wife, and make it look like an auto-accident. Justice Robert L. said that Mr. Shafia’s twisted concept of honor made him kill four innocent people. He also said that Mr. Shafia’s notion of honor is founded upon the domination and control of women.

Response:

This news is really shocking. I never thought that a father or a mother would gie death as a punishment to their children. Honor killing? Really? I always though that honor killing are only conducted when both parties agree, and in this case the girls didn’t want to die. This is no honor killing, it is murder. Things like this makes the world look down on Muslims. Muslims are making their own faces black. When they are in Canada, or any other country which has a totally different culture they need to respect that. I am not suggesting that they change completely, I am simply saying that some of the things that are okay in maybe Iran, are definitely not okay in countries like Canada. Mr. Shafia deserves to die. He violated every law of Canada. What he did should actually not be allowed anywhere, let it be India, Iran or Afghanistan. It is irritating to read news like this, because this news is uncivilized, and unacceptable. Everybody knows that, but still we have to debate it. Why? It is about time we stop talking and take some really serious action, because talking is clearly just wasting time.  

Vocab:

1. Heinous

• “It is difficult to conceive of a more despicable, more heinous, more despicable, more honorless crime.”
• Definition/Origin: Utterly odious or wicked. Originated from Old French word Haineous.
• Sentence: Fortunately there was no heinous crime ever reported in Woodstock school.

 2. Parole

• “Under Canadian law, first-degree murder carries a compulsory sentence of life in prison, with no chance of parole for the first 25 years.”
• Definition/Origin: The temporary or permanent release of a prisoner before the expiry of a sentence, on the promise of good behavior. Originated from originated from the French parole meaning “voice”, “spoken word”.
• Sentence: Wonder if Woodstock would appoint anybody out on parole as staff!

3. Affluent

• “The victims belonged to a family of Afghans who had moved to Canada two years before the crime, in June 2007, under a program for affluent immigrants.”
• Definition/Origin: wealthy. Originated from Latin word affluentem, meaning flow towards.
• Sentence: Most of the students in Woodstock come from affluent backgrounds.