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 a lifelong cycle of abuse led to a tragic outcome. She emphasized the need to challenge the cultural concept of ‘izzat’—or honor—in South Asian communities, likening it to the societal shift sparked by French activist Gisèle Pelicot.
Ms Shah’s new memoir, Honoured: Survival, Strength And My Path to Politics, recounts the life of her mother, Zoora, who faced relentless exploitation. Her earliest recollection was of her father physically abusing her mother, a pattern that continued when her father abandoned the family at age six, fleeing with a neighbor.
Zoora’s ordeal escalated with the arrival of Azam, a man she knew as “uncle.” Initially, he seemed like a savior, helping her secure a home with a deposit paid from her savings. But over time, he became a source of torment, sexually abusing her for years. The mother’s courage was tested when she feared Azam might turn his attention to her children.
“You have a 23-year-old with three young children… and then you’re exploited sexually. Now we understand, you know, the vulnerability of that woman.”
The abuse culminated in Zoora killing Azam with a fatal dose of arsenic. Despite her actions, she was convicted of murder and received a 20-year prison sentence. Ms Shah explained that the justice system viewed her mother as a woman who had “just” fought for a house, rather than acknowledging her desperation.
“She gets sentenced to 20 years in prison because she’s seen as a woman who was just trying to have this house, rather than the destitute, desperate woman that she actually was at the time,” the MP said.
Shifting Perspectives
Ms Shah highlighted the lingering stigma around domestic violence, noting that the honor system once silenced her mother. She recounted how the foreman of the jury expressed doubt after learning about her mother’s plight, suggesting a potential acquittal if the story had been known earlier.
Zoora’s decision to kill Azam was driven by a desire to protect her family, yet she suppressed the truth to preserve their reputation. “The idea is that the women bear the burden of shame and men bask in honour,” she stated, advocating for a reversal of this dynamic.
She urged the South Asian community to embrace change, inspired by Pelicot’s campaign against rape. “It’s just literally like Gisèle Pelicot was talking about, we need to flip the shame,” Ms Shah added, calling for a broader recognition of men’s accountability in cases of abuse.
