In Canada Honour killing over hijab gets life term

Toronto: Just days after a Punjab man was jailed for life in honour killing of his daughter-in-law, a Pakistani father, along with his son, here too faces life behind bars for honour killing of his young girl for her refusal to wear the hijab.

In what was a first case of honour killing among Pakistanis in North America three yeas ago, 16-year-old Aqsa Parvez was strangulated by her father Muhammad Parvez, 57, in the family home in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga in December 2007. Appearing in a court here on Tuesday, both Parvez and his son Waqas, 29, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of Aqsa.

Man held for killing daughter for honour

The duo, who were arrested after the sensational murder, admitted before the jude that they killed the grade-11 student by compressing her neck. After strangulating his daughter for bringing shame to his family by refusing to wear the hijab, Parvez had called police to confess his crime. Police found his daughter's blood on his hands. The DNA of his son Waqas was also found the girl's finger nails. The girl was found lying fainted. She was rushed hospital and put on the life support system. But she didn't survive.

The court heard how the young girl ran away twice to avoid living under strict Muslim customs at her home. She was not allowed to wear jeans and hang out with friends or talk to boys on the phone.

When she returned home, her father, a local taxi driver, allowed her to wear jeans and shirts, but forbade her from speaking to boys and hanging out with friends. Just days before she was strangulated, Aqsa had told her school mates that her father had sworn in the Koran to kill her if she ever ran away from home again.

When questioned by police, the girl's mother admitted that her husband thought his daughter's behaviour had brought disgrace to the family. 'This is my insult. My community will say you have not been able to control your daughter. This is my insult. She is making me naked,'' Parvez had told his wife.

Tradition no excuse to back honour killings: NHRC

Shockingly, the court also heard how the girl's brother - who is a tow truck driver - in a electronically-recorded conversation with a fellow driver had admitted choking his sister till she died. The fellow driver named Steve Warda also revealed that the girl's brother had asked him to get a gun to kill his sister.

Now one in FOUR Americans believe Obama is Muslim as Ground Zero mosque row intensifies

Nearly one in four Americans are convinced that Barack Obama is a Muslim, according to a poll. Up to one in four people, or 24 per cent, said they think Mr Obama, whose middle name is Hussein, practices Islam after he announced his support for a the building of a mosque near the site of the 9/11 attacks.

The Time poll released today also revealed that more than 70 per cent of those questioned believed that to build the mosque would insult the memory of victims . In a second poll, the proportion who correctly say he is a Christian is down to just 34 per cent.The largest share of people, 43 per cent, said they don't know his religion, an increase from the 34 per cent who said that in early 2009.

The second survey, conducted by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center and its affiliated Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, is based on interviews conducted before the controversy over whether Muslims should be permitted to construct a mosque near the World Trade Center site.

The poll emerged as the mosque developers refused to rule out accepting funding for the plan from Iran and Saudi Arabia.

When asked, spokesman Oz Sultan said 'I can't comment on that'. Last night Mr Obama said he has 'no regrets' over the comments he made about the right of Muslims to build an Islamic centre near Ground Zero. He was asked about his comments while he was concluding a meeting with the public on the economy in Ohio yesterday.

Mr Obama sparked outrage from Republicans and the families of 9/11 victims after supporting the right of developers to build the mosque. He inserted himself into the debate over the mosque last week when he said Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in the U.S.A day later, he told reporters that he wasn't endorsing the specifics of the mosque plan.

Emergency crews who dealt with the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks have condemned his support for a mosque near Ground Zero and accused him of deserting them.

New York firemen, police and ambulance workers said the President was happy to speak up for Muslims but not support the crews in their fight for decent healthcare. Since the terrorist attack by Islamic extremists, many who risked their lives saving others have been plagued by serious health problems. A bill which would give them £4.6billion compensation is stuck in Congress.

Their call came as a poll showed that Mr Obama was deeply out of step with the American people in his backing of the mosque, which will be two blocks from where the twin towers once stood.