A hijab is a headscarf worn by Muslim women, sometimes including a veil that covers the face except for the eyes.
A teenage girl, Aqsa Parvez, 16 yrs old, an 11th grade student of Applewood Heights, in Mississauga, Ont., was killed by her father for not wearing a hijab.
The reports came out earlier that Aqsa was in critical condition after being choked by a man, at the time unidentified but believed to be her father, for not dressing appropriately to their customs.
The latest reports are that she died late last night from her injuries.
Muhammad Parvez, Aqsa's father, 57 yrs old, has been charged with murder, earlier reports stated he had not been charged because the police were waiting to see if the charge would be murder or attempted murder. Her 26 yr old brother, Waqas Parvez, has also been arrested for obstructing justice.
One of her classmates, Krista Garbhet, told the National post (linked above) that "She wanted to live her life the way she wanted to, not the way her parents wanted her to" and then went on to say "She just wanted to be herself, honestly she just wanted to show her beauty, and not be pushed around by her parents telling her what she has to be like, what she has to do. Nobody would want to do that.”
She was originally rushed to Credit Valley Hospital and was later transferred to the Hospital for Sick Children, where she died.
Other friends from her school had expressed shock, said she was likable and also that she has been threatened by her family previously.
Dominiquia Holmes-Thompson, a friend of Aqsa's since they started high school together stated "“She got threatened by her father and her brother, He said that if she leaves, he would kill her.”
Another friend, Ebonie Mitchell said that the trouble came to a head regarding her wearing the Islamic dress, at the beginning of the year and "“She just wanted to dress like we do.
“Last year she wore like the Islamic stuff and everything, the hijab, and this year she’s all Western. She just wanted to look like everyone else. And I guess her dad had a problem with that.”
Further accounts say that she had left home before for a two week period and that thing only got worse when she returned and that last week she left home again.
The stricken girl’s friends said the fights with her father got so bad that she had left the family home to live with friends about a week ago. “She was going back, but just to get her stuff,” said friend Krista Garbutt. “She was scared to go home, but she had to get her clothes and stuff.”
Michael van der Galien, from the PoliGazette states, correctly so, in my opinion:
This man - whether Aqsa survives or not - should be put in jail for the rest of his sorry life and the other family members, such as Aqsa’s brother, should be deported if they don’t have the Canadian identity.
Personally I am speechless over this.....
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