Canadian Court Says No “Honor” in Murdering Women

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Two and a half years after the bodies of four women were pulled from a car that had plunged into the Rideau Canal at Kingston Mills, Ontario, their murderers have been found guilty. Mohammad Shafia, 58, his wife Tooba Yahya, 42, and their son Hamed, 21, will spend the rest of their lives in prison.

The drama began June 30, 2009, when a black Nissan Sentra was discovered near the Kingston Mill Locks. Inside were the bodies of three daughters of Mohammad Shafia and Tooba Yahya: Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, and Geeti, 13. Their aunt (Mohammad’s first wife), Rona Amir Mohammad, 50, was found with them.

Mohammad Shafia and his wife reported their daughters missing. When the bodies were retrieved, the pair made a show of grief, but on July 22nd police arrested them and their son as they were heading for Montreal’s international airport. A tip from one of the girls’ relatives, along with evidence the deaths were suspicious, prompted Kingston police to arrest the trio before they could flee the country.

Abuse Escalated As Girls Became Westernized

The Shafia family was originally from Afghanistan. When Mohammad Shafia’s first wife, Rona Amir, proved unable to bear children, he took a second wife. Tooba Yahya bore him seven children. Though Amir requested a divorce, Shafia refused.

When the family moved to Canada after a decade in Dubai, they claimed Amir was a domestic servant so they could bring her with them. As the older girls adapted to western culture, their father became increasingly abusive. Amir and the girls lived in fear for their lives.

Finally, Zainab secretly married her boyfriend to escape the family. The marriage was annulled after one day, and Zainab was returned to the family home. For Mohammad and his wife and son, Zainab’s defiance was unforgivable.

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Photo 1: Zainab Shafia and boyfriend Ammar from trial documents; Photo 2: Zainab Shafia, from trial documents; Photo 3: Sahar Shafia, media handout

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Cheri L.

7:55AM PDT on Mar 29, 2012

There is no consulation here but all three were given life sentences with no hope of parole for 25 years.

send a green star

Annmari L.

11:01AM PST on Feb 20, 2012

Same results with the teabag women haters. Control of women and if they don't comply they will be punished.
Religion is, and have always been, an opium to the people.

Ira H.

4:19PM PST on Feb 16, 2012

Yes it is so sad. The girls and their mother must have been terrified. There is no excuse and no reason that anyone could do this horrible act.

We all hope never to hear of this kind of thing again.

We do not have to go back in time to see that people of all kinds did terrible things. That is history and we hope that all will learn from the horrible events from the past and not bring them into our future.

Jackie A.

7:06AM PST on Feb 16, 2012

Words cannot express how utterly sickening this is. How can anyone kill their own children? Very sad :-(

Mark S.

3:06AM PST on Feb 6, 2012

"Religion" is just an EXCUSE to do bad things. You cannot justify wrong.

Sian R.

5:20AM PST on Feb 5, 2012

George M - 'Religion' isn't what these people are doing. I know of no religion that condones murder.
Incidentally, did you know that the term 'honour killing' was first applied in respect of SICILIAN catholics? It was commonplace in small commuities there up until around the 1950s-60s, I believe.
And 'shotgun weddings' were also once common in America, I think.

5:14AM PST on Feb 5, 2012

We need freedom from religion.
What is the story here. A crazy man, his wife and his son kill 4 people and say god made me do it. People start arguing about religion. My religion is better than yours. Blah Blah Blah.

It does not matter what someone reads in a book. Any book except the civil penal code is irrelevant. All the religious text are fantasy. Stories, that's all. If you want to worship Aslan from the wardrobe or JC and the 12 apostles or Snow White and the 7 dwarfs then good for you. I do not respect religion. I am not Buddaphobic, Islamaphobic or Christaphobic. I do not care what or how you believe as long as you behave. There is only civil law.

I do not care who you pray to. I do care however what you do!

Are you a good person? Do you help people then you are good. If not then you can pray 5 times a day with your nose to a mat and your butt in the air and you are not a good person. You can go to church every morning at the crack of dawn and if you hurt others and stand in the way of their civil rights then you are a bad person.

If you kill in the name of some god then you should be in prison. Simple!

Quoting scriptures to prove a point is meaningless. The logic is circular. Believe in god because the bible tells you to. Who wrote the bible - people. It does not matter what Christ or Buddha, Moses or Mohammed said or did not say. The law says it is illegal to kill. So do not kill. How easy is that?

I like rituals and enjoy the art. I think the ph

bob m.

9:20AM PST on Feb 4, 2012

@ Charli S. There's a eternity of difference tween the gospel and islam...
Your use of a few abortionists ; as well as being a questionable diversion is hardly comparable.
At the root islam refuses the Lamb of God.
The rest flows from there.
And ; I follow the Lord of Salvation ... I find my life in Him... ....in Him.....through Him..He Lives...I am forgiven ...In Him.
No other name.. there is NO comparison. Period.

Charli S.

11:08PM PST on Feb 3, 2012

Bob M. Any religion can become twisted. Look at the fanatic Christians in this country that kill people "in the name of God". Fanatics are fanatics. Islam and the Qur'an come out of the same place that Jesus and the Bible came from. Many of the same prophets and stores show up in both. Both are based on the idea of one god. Bob, do you actually follow all the teachings in the Bible? Would you kill your child for not showing you the proper respect? Would you sell your daughter as a slave? These examples are in the Bible. And believe me the Bible is twisted just as the Qur'an is. People take things out of both books in order to do what they want. Look at all the people killed for preforming abortions when the Bible doesn't say abortions are bad. In fact the Bible doesn't recognize a fetus as a human being with a soul until it can breath on it's own. Look at all the wars fought in the name of religion.

Human beings are very talented at twisting any idea to their own desires.

11:07PM PST on Feb 3, 2012

What kind of person takes away a woman's right to control her own life and then punishes them if a man rapes them or they happen to fall in love? No person has the right to control another persons life in the manner that this family did. I personally think that prison is too good for them. Why did this man move to the west if he didn't want his family to become westernized?