Jenny EriksonWe’ve all dated guys our dads or brothers didn’t like. In fact, looking back at my dating past, I’m impressed with my dad for the composure he maintained when I introduced him to a couple of my squeezes. While he may have been thinking, “No daughter of mine will ever end up with spiky-haired mama’s boy like you,” he managed a cool, “Have her back by 11. And I’m friendly with all the cops. And I’m an attorney. Just so you know.”

I was always home by curfew.

As a teenager, I hated that my parents didn’t ‘trust’ me enough to let go of the reins, but at the ripe old age of 27, I’ve wisely figured out that they understood teenaged boys a lot better than I did. They were protective of me because they cherished me as their daughter, and couldn’t bear to see me get hurt.

It boggles my mind when I read stories like Afshan Azad’s. The 22-year-old Harry Potter star recently had to flee her home after being attacked by her old brother and receiving death threats from him and their father.  Her offense was dating a non-Muslim man.

Richard Vardon QC, prosecuting, said the actress was "the victim of an unpleasant assault by her brother" at the family home in Longsight, Manchester, in May.

He added: "The reason for the assault, apparently her association with a Hindu man, that apparently being disapproved of by her family who are Muslim."

Mr. Vardon said Abul Azad had been woken up by his son, Ashraf, shouting: "Sort out your daughter! She’s a slag."

He went on: "He continued to further assault her, shouting, 'Just kill her!'"

Reading from the victim’s statement, the prosecutor added: "My father began saying he would do it, a reference to kill her, as he did not want his sons to have her blood on their hands and he would do time for it. Then she began to feel very scared."

Ms. Azad is currently seeking refuge in London, and has decided not to prosecute the case further, for fear of her own safety. She said, “The proceedings have caused me no end of distress, and if it goes ahead, it will make things much worse for me.”

What kind of Religion of Peace issues a death warrant for apostates (those that leave the faith), or women who dare to date outside of their religious circle? What is peaceful about the constant mistreatment of women? Why are we told not to question any of this in the name of political correctness?

Followers of Islam say that men are tough with their women for their own protection. I fail to see how any good can come from attacking your sister because you don’t like her boyfriend.

True love of a sister or daughter is to warn her boyfriend that there will be consequences if he hurts her. Every girl should be fortunate enough to feel protected, not persecuted, by her family.

 

Photo via TechAskew