12°c Overcast
18°c Cloudy with sunny breaks
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Did daughter's romance spark killings?
Dad upset with Pakistani boyfriend: family
The 56-year-old businessman is charged -- along with his wife Tooba Mohammad Yahya, 39, and their 18-year-old son Hamed -- with four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of conspiracy to commit murder.
The charges stem from the June 30 deaths of Shafia and Yahya's daughters -- Zainab, 19, Sahari, 17, and Geeti, 13 -- and Shafia's first wife, Rona Amir Mohammad. The bodies of all four were discovered in a car found submerged near the Kingston Mills Locks on the Rideau Canal, near Kingston, Ont.
Kingston police said Thursday they are pursuing allegations the slayings were carried out as honour killings, a homicide where the victim is killed by their own kin for a perceived violation of a religious code.
In an interview with the Kingston Whig Standard, Diba Masoomi -- a woman described as Mohammad's sister -- said Shafia "believed his daughter had dishonoured him and the family by having a romance with a young Pakistani man in Montreal."
Joyce Gilbert, a St. Leonard, Que., resident and neighbour of the Shafia family, said Zainab ran away from home for a couple of weeks a few months ago. At issue with her parents was her relationship with a young man they did not approve of, Gilbert said. "It was during the spring. I don't know where she went. Her parents could not accept it. But she eventually came home."
Masoomi is believed to be the author of an e-mail sent out to the media and the Kingston police a week after the vehicle was discovered.
The author of the e-mail obviously possessed intimate knowledge of the Shafia family, including the fact that Shafia first married Mohammad in either 1979 or 1980, and then married Yahya in the late 1980s. Both marriages took place in Afghanistan, where it is legal for a man to have more than one wife.
The author of the e-mail alleged Yahya "was the privileged one" because she could have children.
"The girls were not allowed to go out alone, for example, neither to the cinema nor to meet friends and they were not able to dress freely. (Shafia) often criticized the influence of the Western culture on his family since they were not living in an Islamic country anymore," the e-mail read.
On Friday, Quebec's Youth Protection Services confirmed reports that the organization was involved with the family in the months preceding the murders. The government organization is now taking care of the couple's three other children.
-- Canwest News Service
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 25, 2009 A10
More Canada
- Back to Top
- Return to Canada
More Canada
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Manitoba government says Elijah Harper's body will lie in state at legislature
05/18/2013 6:50 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular Canada
- Quake shakes Ontario, Quebec
- Sen. Pamela Wallin, target of expense audit, latest to leave Conservative caucus
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford nixes weekend radio show in wake of video controversy
- Crack-cocaine video allegations 'ridiculous,' Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says
- Father and two children fighting for lives after Montreal area house fire
- Calgary man charged with murder of woman and her five-year-old son
- Crack-smoking claim dogs mayor
- Tirades won't stop global warming: Harper
- Another senator leaves Tory caucus
- Ford allegation plays big in U.S.
- First-degree murder charge to be laid in test drive death; remains badly burned
- Crack-cocaine video allegations 'ridiculous,' Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says
- Duffy bailout by Harper's chief of staff prompts allegations of coverup by PMO
- Duffy quits Conservative caucus over expenses as colleagues began turning on him
- Liberals blaze to stunning B.C. victory, but Clark loses own seat
- Quake near Ottawa rattles residents across wide swath of Ontario, Quebec
- Sen. Pamela Wallin, target of expense audit, latest to leave Conservative caucus
- Conservative senator Duffy claimed expenses while campaigning in 2011 election
- Duffy's public salary, benefits don't paint picture of man down on his luck
- Arrest made in case of Hamilton, Ont., man missing after pickup truck test drive
- First-degree murder charge to be laid in test drive death; remains badly burned
- Multiple fatalities after serious crash near U.S. border
- Canadian tourist dies after falling from hotel in Mexican resort
- Engineer charged in mall collapse
- Crack-cocaine video allegations 'ridiculous,' Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says
- Arrest made in case of Hamilton, Ont., man missing after pickup truck test drive
- Leaving Saskatoon: police mourn homeless drunk they considered a friend
- Man with no arms plans to fight seatbelt ticket, wants apology from police
- Suspects arrested in Via train terror plot linked to al-Qaida in Iran: RCMP
- Duffy bailout by Harper's chief of staff prompts allegations of coverup by PMO
- Secret CSIS source, allied intelligence cited in high-profile terror case
- Quake shakes Ontario, Quebec
- U.S. bill would give Canadian snowbirds more time to spend in the sun
- Duffy bailout by Harper's chief of staff prompts allegations of coverup by PMO
- First-degree murder charge to be laid in test drive death; remains badly burned
- Search on for living creatures far beneath Canadian Shield
- Quake near Ottawa rattles residents across wide swath of Ontario, Quebec
- Effort afoot in court to sue Canadians for illegal downloads
- 'Not looking for blame,' grieving father says of fatal rugby tackle
- Federal Court to test expedited hearings for some visa-rejection reviews
- Conservative senator Duffy claimed expenses while campaigning in 2011 election
- Grade 5 kids urge Harper to drop mean attack ads against Justin Trudeau
- U.S. bill would give Canadian snowbirds more time to spend in the sun
- Foul fascination: Edmonton plant beautiful, but stinks like diapers, dead animals
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- Man with no arms plans to fight seatbelt ticket, wants apology from police
- Suspects arrested in Via train terror plot linked to al-Qaida in Iran: RCMP
- Leaving Saskatoon: police mourn homeless drunk they considered a friend
- Commanding officer of Canadian Forces base in Alberta charged with sex assault
- Duffy bailout by Harper's chief of staff prompts allegations of coverup by PMO
- An in-depth look at not criminally responsible through the eyes of a patient
- Engineer charged in mall collapse
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.