Muslim family in Toronto. Photo: CIJnews
Jim Watson, the Mayor of Ottawa, responds to the open letter sent by Shabnam Assadollahi, an Iranian Canadian human rights activist who protested the planned Hijab Day at Ottawa City Hall on Thursday, February 25.
“I am not in a position to intervene in this difference of opinion you have with the event organizers. This volunteer initiative seems to be focused on removing perceived stigma around an article of clothing. It is not my role to tell people what they should wear,” wrote Watson.
The Mayor emphasized that “the event bookings do not constitute an endorsement of content by City Council” stating that “Ottawa City Hall has several public event spaces that are available to book by residents and groups, as long as the event follows relevant booking policies.”
In her open letter to the Mayor, Assadollahi said that wearing the hijab is not a free choice of the Muslim woman, but an religious obligation imposed on her. She reminded that that “Muslim women, including Canadian women, who have been killed for not wearing the hijab and believe that to celebrate the wearing of the hijab would be to do them a disservice.”
ICNA Canada’s online syllabus on wearing hijab and honour killing in Islam
ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America) Canada is an Islamic nationalwide organization striving “to build an Exemplary Canadian Muslim Community” by “total submission to Him [Allah] and through the propagation of true and universal message of Islam.”
Located at 391 Burnhamthorpe Rd., East, Oakville, Ontario, ICNA Canada emphasizes that “the propagation of true and universal message of Islam is only possible in Canada when whole Canadian Muslim Community transformed into a Dawah community by practicing and propagating the true Islamic Way of Life. With the vision of building an exemplary Canadian Muslim community it is very important to spread the word of Islam…”
On its official website ICNA Canada shares with its members, followers and supporters the book “Riyad us Saliheen” (“The Gardens of the Righteous” رياض الصالحين) compiled by Imam Zakaruya Yahya Bin Sharaf An-Nawawi, a Sunni Shafi’ite jurist and hadith scholar who lived in 13th century.
The Gardens of the Righteous (Arabic: Riyadh as-Salihin), is a compilation of verses from the Qur’an and hadith by Al-Nawawi. It contains a total of 1905 hadith divided across 372 chapters, many of which are introduced by verses of the Quran.
The book “Riyad us Saliheen” (“The Gardens of the Righteous”) which appears on ICNA Canada site adds modern commentary to the verses from the Qur’an and hadith.
The following are excerpts from the book which deal with honour killing:
“[Hadith]1628. `Uqbah bin `Amir (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “Avoid (entering a place) in which are women (uncovered or simply to mix with them in seclusion).” A man from the Ansar said, “Tell me about the brother of a woman’s husband.” He replied, “The brother of a woman’s husband is death.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].”
“Commentary: This Hadith tells us an extremely important point in respect of the veil about which the majority of Muslims are unaware or negligent. The point that it tells us that a woman must observe the veil from the real brothers, cousins etc., of her husband because their visits in her home are very frequent and there may occur several occasions when they come across each other alone. For this reason, there are greater chances of mischief with them. This explains why the husband’s male relatives have been regarded as “death”, that is from the religious point of view they are fatal.
“In other words, if they commit the mischief, it will prove fatal because in an Islamic state this crime is punishable by Rajm (stoning to death).
“This can also be fatal in another way. If the husband begins to suspect that his wife has illicit relations with someone else, he might kill her or divorce her out of his sense of honour. Even in case of divorce, her life will become desolate. Another meaning of it can be that one should be as much afraid of meeting such women in seclusion with whom any kind of contact is not permissible as one is afraid of death.”
“When a woman is required to observe the veil from the real brothers of her husband, why would it not be essential to observe the veil from the husband’s friends. Slackness in this matter is also very common nowadays. Although the dangerous consequences of this fashion come to our notice everyday through newspapers, people do not learn any lesson from them, and the fashion of non-observance of the veil is spreading fast like an epidemic. May Allah save us from this evil!”
Protective jealousy” in Islam
The book “Fragile Vessels,” authored by Muhammad Mustafa al-Jibaly, and available and even recommended in Islamic bookstores in Toronto, serves as guide for Muslim couples to improve marital relationship in accordance to the Islamic Law (Sharia).
In his book al-Jibaly ruled that the wife must follow her husband’s naturally destined leadership and in cases she becomes disobedient and rebellious her husband is allowed in certain conditions to use force against her. He also noted that “depending on her conduct, the wife can be a source of honor or depravity for the whole family.”
The husband must provide protection to his wife and is also obliged to have “protective jealousy” towards her. In pages 28-29 of this book al-Jibaly wrote the following:
“Protection
“An Important Obligation Upon the Husband
“Security and safety are most important for a human being. One needs to feel reasonably secure in order to function normally and perform one’s regular tasks.
“The wife is usually the weaker of the two spouses and looks to her husband for protection. Thus, one of the husband’s most important obligations is providing protection for his wife. This is part of his responsibility as leader of the family:
“Men are in charge of women by (right of) what (qualities) Allah has given one over the other and what they spend (in support) from their wealth.” [An-Nisa 4:34]
“This ayah [verse] shows that Allah gave leadership (or qawamah) to the man, because of certain qualities that would normally enable him to conduct such a responsibility. A most important quality of a leader is his ability to protect his followers and provide for them an atmosphere of security and harmony.
“Protection is a general term that covers physical, emotional and other forms of well being. The husband must strive to protect his wife in all of those respects. Some details in this regard will be discussed in the subsequent sections.
“Ghayrah [or ghirah, protective jealousy]
“As a demonstration of a man’s toward his wife, he should have ghayrah for her. Ghayrah is the great concern about her well being and the zeal to protect her from anything that might harm her person, such as an evil touch, word or look.
“But ghayrah should not reach the point of distrusting and suspecting her without reason, not should it be for the purpose of finding possible mistakes. Jabir Bin ‘Atik reported that Allah’s Messenger said:
“Indeed, there is a form of ghayrah that Allah loves, and a form that Allah hates. Ghayrah that Allah loves is that which is based on (valid) suspicion. And ghayrah that Allah hates is that which is without (valid) suspicion.
“A person without ghayrah is called dayyuth [ديوث]. A dayyuth is a person who has no sense of protection or honor regarding his wife. As we discussed in the second book of this series a dayyuth will not enter Jannah [paradise].”
Cases of alleged honour killing in Canada
In 2007, Aqsa Parvez, a Muslim of Pakistani origin, was strangled to death by her father and brother when she chose not to wear a hijab and traditional Pakistani clothing. Her murder sent shock waves prompting heated debate on the hijab ad integration for newcomers. Muhammad Parvez and Waqas Parvez pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Aqsa Parvez and were sentenced to life imprisonment, with no eligibility for parole until 2028.
In 2012, Afghan-born Mohammad Shafia, his wife Tooba Yahya and their son Hamed were each handed an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years for “honour killing” Mohammad’s three daughters Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, and Geeti Shafia, 13, as well as Rona Mohammad Amir, 50, Mohammad’s other wife in a polygamous marriage. According to evidence heard in court, the daughters were murdered because they wanted to wear western clothes and resisted pressure from their parents and eldest brother to wear the hijab.
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