Islamic Society Of Kingston: Canada

Shafia Dept: Imam Sikander Ziad Hashmi of the Islamic Society of Kingston felt compelled to give a sermon during the first week of the Shafia trial, attacking the idea that Islam endorses such appalling mistreatment of women. The crime, he noted, had been committed in his community s backyard, according to The Star. Now Muslim groups across Canada including almost 60 organizations and two dozen imams and scholars have issued a joint statement that says in part: Domestic violence and, in the extreme, practices such as killing to restore family honour violate clear and non-negotiable Islamic principles, and so we categorically condemn all forms of domestic violence. Next Friday, imams across the country are to deliver sermons in their mosques condemning the abuse of women and the horrifying details revealed in the Shafia trial the tragedy of four female relatives drowned in a car just outside Kingston has so shocked Canada s Muslim community that imams, scholars and Islamic leaders are decrying so-called honour killings and abuse against women. They are right to speak up strongly and denounce crimes that are often assumed, unfortunately, to be part of the Islamic faith. Let me be very clear, killing a girl or a woman, for having an affair, a relationship, a boyfriend, not wearing a hijab, and so on as dishonourable as they may be considered to be is not a just cause, he said. Murder is an extremely serious crime; it is haram prohibited to the severest degree and cannot be justified in any way, especially for girls who are under the care of their parents. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.