MP: ‘My mum killed the man who abused her – but we’d see her as a victim today’
MP: ‘My mum killed the man who abused her – but we’d see her as a victim today’
Labour MP Naz Shah shared her mother’s story with Sky News, revealing how years of abuse led to a tragic act of violence. She described her mother’s experience as a reflection of broader societal attitudes toward honor and shame in South Asian cultures.
Her mother’s ordeal
Ms. Shah recounted that her first memory was of her father physically abusing her mother. When she was six, her father fled with a neighbor, leaving Zoora, the mother, to face further hardship. She endured sexual exploitation at the hands of a man she called “uncle,” who became a source of instability in her life.
“Imagine a woman in her early 20s, raising three children in rented housing, living in poverty, and struggling to understand the language. That’s when she becomes vulnerable to abuse,” Ms. Shah explained.
The case that changed everything
Zoora’s situation worsened as Azam, the man she trusted, began sexually abusing her over an extended period. Fearing her children would suffer, she took matters into her own hands by poisoning Azam with arsenic. Despite her actions, she was convicted of murder and received a 20-year sentence.
“The justice system punished her for defending her family, not for her survival. She was seen as someone who failed to protect her dignity, rather than a woman fighting for her children’s future,” Ms. Shah said.
A call for systemic change
Ms. Shah criticized the unequal treatment of women within the legal system, emphasizing the need for reform. She highlighted that many organizations support imprisoned women who have acted in self-defense against domestic abuse.
“Women are still burdened with shame for their actions, while men receive credit for their strength. Today, we’d recognize her as a survivor, not just a victim,” she remarked.
Revisiting the concept of honor
Ms. Shah linked her mother’s silence to the honor system, which pressured her to maintain family reputation. She noted that the jury foreman later admitted he might have ruled differently had he understood the full context of her struggle.
“The idea of ‘izzat’ meant Zoora sacrificed her own voice to save her family’s honor. We need to reverse that, just as Gisèle Pelicot did for rape survivors by placing the blame on men,” she stated.
Advocating for a new perspective
With her memoir Honoured: Survival, Strength And My Path to Politics, Ms. Shah aims to challenge the patriarchal norms that perpetuate gender-based shame. She urged the South Asian community to embrace a shift in perspective, ensuring accountability for men’s actions while supporting women’s resilience.
