Pakistani-American Aasiya Hassan was recently found beheaded in the Buffalo-area Bridges TV studio her husband founded and owned, just days after she filed for divorce and received a restraining order against him. Her husband, Muzzammil “Mo” Hassan, was later arrested for second-degree murder. Although many in the press are deeming it an honor killing, Wajahat Ali argues that we should instead be concerned with the larger problem of domestic violence:
Contrary to some spurious reporting, this was not an “honor killing”, a barbaric practice that has its own unique motivations and historical culture, rather it personifies the all too common phenomenon of domestic abuse. Asma Firfirey, the sister of the deceased, stated her sister suffered last year from injuries that required nearly $3,000 worth of medical bills—allegedly the result of spousal abuse.
According to Zerqa Abid, the first cousin to Mr. Hassan’s first wife, “Both of his earlier wives filed divorce on the same grounds of severe domestic violence and abuses…it took [my cousin] several years to get rid of the fear of living with a man in marriage.”
Despite his shameful history, Mr. Hassan mind-bogglingly remained a prominent and often-adulated figure in Muslim American circles for his contributions to the media. His example, amongst several others, highlights the egregious failure of foresight and insight of American Muslim leadership to carefully vet, screen and ultimately renounce appointed representatives with reprehensible backgrounds.
This horrific tale serves as an exaggerated and grotesque microcosm of a pervasive epidemic of violence against women that has been intentionally ignored by all communities—not just Muslim and Pakistani. For example, in the United States, domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44.
Read his full post here.