Shafilea Ahmed, honor killing unpunished

Shafilea Ahmed born in 1986, was a British teenager from Great Sankey,Warrington (a large town near the Mersey Estuary) who was murdered in late 2003.
A student who wanted to become a lawyer, during a trip to Pakistan in 2003 she swallowed bleach in what was later reported as a suicide attempt although her father claimed that it was during a power cut and she drank it thinking it was a bottle of fruit juice. According to a wide range of media reports after her disappearance, Shafilea turned down a suitor in an arranged marriage during the trip, her parents though denied any attempts to pressure her into agreeing to the marriage.

"Police then learned that shortly before her disappearance Shafilea had travelled to Pakistan where she rejected an arranged marriage partner and had swallowed bleach badly scarring her throat - an injury which required constant medical attention when she returned home."

Shafilea disappeared on September 11, 2003 and had been missing for a week before her teachers informed the police; subsequently there was a major campaign to urge people who had any information to come forward. Actress Shobna Gulati was persuaded to front the media campaign, and read some of her poems on television.

"A nationwide hunt was launched but when Shafilea failed to seek treatment for her damaged throat detectives became convinced she had been murdered - possibly in an "honour killing" connected with her rejection of her Pakistant suitor." Det Chief Insp Gerraint Jones stated to The Mirror: "Her family say a suitor had been found for her in Pakistan but she was free to make her own decisions."

In February 2004, Ahmed's corpse was found in the River Kent near Sedgwick, Westmorland, in proximity to Kendal in the Lake District (70 miles away from Warrington). After heavy flooding in the area, police said the corpse was deliberately hidden; a gold "zigzag" bracelet and blue topaz ring found with the body were identified by her parents. Due to decomposition, the cause of death could not be determined by the coroner (Home Office pathologist Alison Armer) at post mortem, leaving the Police to believe that it had probably been there since the day she disappeared or not long after. Shafilea's body was also found to have been dismembered (a femur was found). Detective Sergeant Mike Foster stated at a hearing "The pathologist could not determine the cause of death, but did say the body was that of a young female. Obviously because of the condition of the body, she was unable to give any further findings."

A second post mortem ordered by South Lakeland Coroner Cyril Prickett was ordered , but failed to add anything further.

Inspector Mike Forrester of Cumbria Constabulary at an inquest hearing stated '"It was unclear whether all of Shafilea's body parts had been found."' He went on to state that '"DNA tests on the right thigh bone of the body found on the east bank of the River Kent made it a one in a billion chance that the remains were those of anyone other than Shafilea."' The lower jaw of the body found was also shown to Shafilea's dentist, who said he was 90 per cent sure that it was hers after examining dental work that had been carried out on it.

Shafilea's parents, Iftikhar Ahmed, a taxi driver, and Farzana Ahmed, were released without charge after briefly having been arrested along with five other members of her family from her extended family.

There were several poems written by Shafilea that interested the police in their investigations, notably the poem I feel trapped. The poem is said to reflect Shafilea's utter despair and emotional state, describing a hopeless life, a familiy that ignored her, and that she had run away from home several times in the past due to tensions with her family. This was reported: "She has been reported missing twice before and been found staying with friends."

Neighbour Sheila Costello,was quoted "We heard they had an argument over an arranged marriage and that Shafi had run away. I hope nothing terrible has happened to her."

The investigation by Cheshire Constabulary into the murder of Shafilea remains ongoing and after three years has not established a suspect, although 8 members of her extended family are awaiting trial for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in relation to the case, in addition there is still confusion regarding exact events of the trip she made to Pakistan.

Inquest into death

In January 2008, the Coroner's inquest held that Shafilea was the victim of a "very vile murder", having been taken from her home. The verdict was unlawful killing.

The police case remains open and they have "several suspects". Shafilea's family left the inquest without making any comment.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• islam
• honor
• killing
• murder
• innocent
• girl
• pakistan
• pakistani
• arranged
• marriage

[sahista786]

it is very sad wat has happend to this girl and this shoudnt happen in this stane age its disguisting. islam dosnt allow these kind of things and nor does the quran state it either so there is no need to critasise islam or the holy quran.........................­.............

[sandybeaches1234]

of course islam commands honor killings, muhamad himself commanded people to be stoned for having sex outside of marriage - read ibn ishaq's sirat rasoul allah

[DRmehr0]

@sandybeaches Its said half knowledge is always dangerous..plz dont base your judgements on wat u see .. coz there are a lot of ppl now even muslims who disgrace islam ..if u really want to understand how islams treats women and wat are the benefits they are given then go thru the teachings of Quran...and then base ur judgements

[sandybeaches1234]

yes i went through quran and there is no other more disgusting cult than mohamedans. such perverted and immoral being like muhamed (pricks be upon him) i couldn't imagine that existed. i could believe the satanical obsession of death only after reading quran and sirat rasoul allah.

im spitting on mohamed, the devil worshipper, who leads masses into hell. and im sorry for you who believe in him. read the sources and wake up, or be damned

[spiritofwicca]

My guess is that her family got away with murder.

[Kieronoldham]

.. 'follow her own life in her own way'...and pay for it with her life! Her own parents didn't report her missing. Taken to Pakistan to marry someone she didnt want to marry, swallowed bleach in protest: her own Dad said she swalloewd it by accident and not in protest! If you dont agree with Western lifestyles, then dont raise children here: theyre naturally going to want to be like their peers! Hope Shafilea gets justice: I'm 95% certain her parents did it, or at least approved of it happening.

[annabelrosehunchy]

@angellicvoices

i agree wif u sum men can be like that but not all of them

[angellicvoices]

@annabelrosehunchy Go marry a Muslim man and experience it yourself. Then you ca tell me if Im truthful or not.

[annabelrosehunchy]

@angellicvoices

so that does not mean all muslims r like that i don't think that the people from ur religion r all as stupid and as dopey as u hav some respect 4 people

[angellicvoices]

@annabelrosehunchy OoooOooooh you scare me over the internet...hahahahahahaha. Not just one female has been abused by ugly muslims. Every week, a woman is murdered by honor killing or beaten to death or forced as a sex slave by a hairy muslim man. Im not being racist, Im being truthful. Sometimes the TRUTH HURTS.

[annabelrosehunchy]

@angellicvoices

u betta shut up and get ur facts right oh and i hope u get killed by a christian terroist

just because one girl dies doesn't mean her religion is evil lots of muslims r lind caring people so stop being racist

[angellicvoices]

@annabelrosehunchy Hahaha, very funny when you say there are more Christian killings. I hope you get killed by a Muslim terrorist, then you will know which religion is evil.

[annabelrosehunchy]

@angellicvoices

well good 4 u u have no clue at all about islam it does not say to go killing children so how is it evil in fact there r more christian killings then anything just because a girl dies doesn't mean her religion is evil if anything christianity is evil there is more killings from christianity than any other religion so shut up and go and find something better to do in life then comment on something u do not have a clue about

[angellicvoices]

@annabelrosehunchy Why not? All the evidence is in the news almost on a weekly basis. I understand that in youre Islamic country, you may have NOT have the right to call a religion evil. But I come from a free Democracy, I will tell you that a religion is evil because it is!!

[annabelrosehunchy]

@sandybeaches1234

u have not gone through the quran u hav no right to say that ur not even a muslim and u do not know anything about our culture so shut up and go and comment on someting that u know

[annabelrosehunchy]

@angellicvoices islam is not pure evil ur not even a muslim u do not know anything u do not have a right to call someone's religion evil get