Dear Editor,

I refer to the letter by Vishnu Bisram captioned “Father kills daughter in Toronto over refusal to wear hijab” (07.12.13). While that is a horrendous act, Bisram should not use any and every excuse to attack Islam, as he has done before.

No one knows the real cause of the brutal crime. School friends are saying that the teenager did not want to wear head covering, and that is her right. However, none of us can say the real reason for the criminal act of the father until we hear from the other side, or it comes out in court.

It is alleged that the young lady slept away from home for a few nights and then returned to get her things. Could it be that she was caught up in “bad company” and the peer pressure got to her to be like the friends? Could a boy-friend be involved in the changes to her lifestyle.

Please do not get me wrong here, no one has the right to kill, whether intentionally or unintentionally. No one is blaming the victim here. The Koran specifically states the punishment for taking a life. I am not a scholar in Islam, nor is Bisram, so I cannot quote the verse.

However, what would be Bisram’s reaction if he had a teenage child who slept out for a few nights?

This possibly has nothing to do with Islam proper, but with the inability to handle such family matters. This is where society has failed the family. The Muslim community has failed the family. Most of the Mosques, especially in North America, are mostly interested in the donations that they receive, they do not have any social programmes to handle family matters and issues of culture clash. Many of the leaders who manipulate themselves onto the management committees of these mosques are not qualified to hold those positions.

This is a wake up call for families of all religions and races. Seek help when you cannot handle a problem. Do not try to sweep it under the rug.

Yours faithfully,

R. Khan