Look beyond the culture

The family of the murdered Mississauga teenager decided to have a private burial, without the media or anyone else knowing. This sad story is following the same pattern: hushing, minimization, dismissals, contempt of the public, hiding, lies.

What angers me is the attempt by many individuals and organizations to divert the attention from or dismiss the importance of this case. This is definitely not just yet another episode of domestic violence. Neither is it the straw to break the camel's back in the cultural bruhaha being kicked around by whoever isn't too lazy.

It is an episode of intolerance first and foremost. An episode of intolerance of individual freedom and blatant contempt of life and the Law. Secondly it is an episode of violence, aggravated by premeditation, complicity and futile motives. The third aspect of this matter is the alarming mix of both denouncement and concealment, with the father turning himself in and the following hiding of the core motive for his frenzy, although the coldness of the planning stages of this assassination don't warrant the use of such a word.

The multiple facets of this issue do not reflect merely culture and criminal responsibility, as such events can occur in any household where those above do not know the basic rules of respecting other people's desires, who regard their children (or spouses, or younger relatives) as property to dispose of at their will. This can happen both in Islam and outside of it, and Canadians should wake up to this if they haven't already done so.

As usual, I reiterate that the issue is not merely religion but the underlying culture of rights, or absence thereof. With proper civic rights education for all Canadians and immigrants many of these tragedies can be averted.

Let me conclude with a remark about others giving or not giving warning of such events brewing up in their community. A greater involvement of citizens with the State forces such as the police and the prosecution service can be achieved when the media and politicians stop looking at cultural or religious characteristics in criminal events but say once and for all that murder is murder, premeditation is premeditation and futile motives are just that: futile motives. Full stop. Who's got the ears to listen will understand.