Aqsa "Axa" Parvez (; April 22, 1991 – December 10, 2007) was the victim of a

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. During the murder trial, Superior Court Justice Bruce Durno acknowledged the slaying as an

honour killing An honor killing (American English), ''honour killing'' (Commonwealth English), or ''shame killing'' is a type of murder in which a person, usually a woman or girl, is killed by or at the behest of male members of their family or their male ...

, stating, that he found it "profoundly disturbing that a 16-year-old could be murdered by a father and brother for the purpose of saving family pride, for saving them from what they perceived as family embarrassment". Aqsa's brother, Waqas, had strangled her. Aqsa's death was reported internationally and sparked a debate about the status of women in

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. The ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'' stated that the father's perception of himself being unable to influence his daughter's behavior was a major factor in the death, and that "Media in Toronto and around the world immediately reported and continues to report that Aqsa was killed because she refused to wear the hijab. But it was much more complicated than that."

Background

Parvez was a student of

Applewood Heights Secondary School Applewood Heights Secondary School is a public secondary school in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada and is part of the Peel District School Board. It offers a Specialist High Skills Major in sports (SHSM), and a regional sports program (RSP). Notabl ...

, Canada. Her father, Muhammad Parvez, was a

taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

driver. She grew up in a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

family of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

i origin. A week before her death, she had moved in with the family of a neighbour, Lubna Tahir, to escape tension with her family. Parvez had academic difficulties at her school, but refused pleas to be moved to an Islamic school. After leaving home the first time, partly for disliking the hijab, her father sent her a letter promising to allow her more freedom. She later left home a second time.

Murder

Parvez was killed around 7:30 a.m. ( EST) on December10, 2007 in her family's home in

. There were 12 people in the house at the time of her murder. At around 8:00 a.m. ( EST),

Peel Regional Police The Peel Regional Police (PRP; ) provides policing services for Peel Region (excluding Caledon) in Ontario, Canada. It is the second largest municipal police service in the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, and the third largest municipal force b ...

responded to a

911 911, 9/11 or Nine Eleven may refer to: Dates * AD 911 * 911 BC * September 11 ** The 2001 September 11 attacks on the United States by al-Qaeda, commonly referred to as 9/11 ** 11 de Septiembre, Chilean coup d'état in 1973 that ousted the ...

call from a man who had said he had just killed his daughter. When officers arrived at a single-family detached home, they found Parvez suffering from life-threatening injuries. She was immediately taken to

Credit Valley Hospital Credit Valley Hospital is a regional hospital located in Mississauga, Ontario. Officially opened on November 5, 1985, it is now part of the Trillium Health Partners hospital group and primarily serves the communities of north Mississauga: Streets ...

and later transferred in critical condition to the Hospital for Sick Children where she died. It was learned in court in 2010 that it was her brother who had strangled her, causing her to die from neck compression. One student reported that her father was threatening her, causing her to fear for her life. Parvez's friends also said she wanted to run away from her family to escape the conflicts with them.

Guilty plea

Muhammad Parvez was charged with

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...

and denied

bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when ...

. The victim's older brother, Waqas Parvez, who was ordered by his father to not communicate with police, was originally facing a charge of

obstructing police Obstruction may refer to: Places * Obstruction Island, in Washington state * Obstruction Islands, east of New Guinea Medicine * Obstructive jaundice * Obstructive sleep apnea * Airway obstruction, a respiratory problem ** Recurrent airway obst ...

and placed in custody. He was released on bail and was ordered to reside with his

surety In finance, a surety , surety bond, or guaranty involves a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. Usually, a surety bond or surety is a promise by a person or company (a ''sure ...

and surrender his

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

. However, on June 27, 2008, Waqas Parvez was charged by Peel Regional Police with

. On June 15, 2010, Muhammad Parvez and Waqas Parvez

pleaded guilty In law, a plea is a defendant's response to a criminal charge. A defendant may plead guilty or not guilty. Depending on jurisdiction, additional pleas may be available, including '' nolo contendere'' (no contest), no case to answer (in the ...

to the

second-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excus ...

of Aqsa Parvez, and a statement of agreed-upon facts was released. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment, with no eligibility for parole until 2028. Muhammad Parvez died of natural causes in February 2017 while in custody.

Reaction

Though the murder is considered to be a case of

, some Islamic leaders claimed that it is only a case of

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

. Her death has also sparked a debate about the status of women in Muslim and South Asian communities. A statement her father made to her mother immediately after the crime was later cited in support of the honour killing theory: “My community will say you have not been able to control your daughter. This is my insult. She is making me naked.” A public

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

was to take place for Parvez at 1:30p.m. (EST) at a Mississauga mosque on December15, 2007. However, hours before the funeral, her family decided to instead have a private funeral. Parvez was buried at the Meadowvale Cemetery in

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

; her family refused a donation of a gravestone and a memorial made by anti-Islam activist

Pamela Geller Pamela Geller (born 1958) is an American anti-Muslim, far-right political activist, blogger and commentator. Geller promoted birther conspiracy theories about President Barack Obama, saying that he was born in Kenya and that he is a Muslim. ...

. Syed Soharwardy, head imam at the Calgary Islamic Centre and national president of

Islamic Supreme Council of Canada The Islamic Supreme Council of Canada (ISCC; ) is a Canadian Muslim organization based in Calgary, Alberta. It was founded in 2000 by Sufi Imam Syed Soharwardy with the aims of fostering Canadian understanding of Islam, contributing to society i ...

, went on a

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

for two days to denounce family violence, which he described as completely against the teachings of

. Mohammad Alnadui, vice-chairman of the Canadian Council of Imams, denounced the murder and called it "un-Islamic." Parvez's death was profiled in Shelley Saywell's 2010 documentary film '' In the Name of the Family''.Olivia Ward, "When families prey on their own: A filmmaker lays bare the misogyny behind honour killings, avoids demonizing Islam". ''

'', May 1, 2010.

References

External links

* http://www.thestar.com/amp/news/crime/2010/06/16/i_killed_my_daughter__with_my_hands.html
20 Muslim Groups Urge 'Zero Tolerance' for Domestic Violence - CAIR

Picture of Aqsa Pervez
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parvez, Aqsa 2007 in Ontario 2007 murders in Canada Child abuse resulting in death Filicides in Canada History of Mississauga Honour killing in Canada Incidents of violence against girls Child murder in Canada Sororicides Violence against women in Ontario