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 has shared her mother’s harrowing experience with abuse, revealing how it culminated in the killing of the man she knew as “uncle.” She argued that society still clings to traditional views of ‘izzat,’ or honour, which often blames women for their suffering.
“Her earliest recollection was of her father physically abusing her mother,” Ms Shah said, reflecting on a childhood marked by domestic strife and cultural pressures.
Ms Shah spoke to Sky News during a discussion about her memoir, *Honoured: Survival, Strength And My Path to Politics*, which delves into the trauma her family endured. She highlighted the isolation her mother faced, compounded by poverty and the lack of support systems.
“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,” she explained, emphasizing the systemic neglect of women’s experiences.
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“Azam initially seemed the ‘knight in shining armour’—helping Zoora secure a home when she couldn’t get a mortgage,” Ms Shah recalled, describing how the man’s support masked years of sexual abuse.
Zoora, the mother, faced relentless exploitation, and the fear of her children suffering the same fate pushed her to take action. She administered arsenic to Azam, leading to his death and her conviction for murder. The court sentenced her to 20 years, framing her as a woman who prioritized domestic stability over self-preservation.
“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 she actually was at the time,” Ms Shah said, criticizing the justice system’s gendered approach.
Ms Shah emphasized that the concept of ‘izzat’ places the burden of shame on women, even when they fight back. She pointed to France’s Gisèle Pelicot as an example of how societal attitudes can shift to hold perpetrators accountable.
“It’s just literally like Gisèle Pelicot was talking about—we need to flip the shame. It is exactly the same concept,” she said, urging the South Asian community to challenge patriarchal norms and support women in their struggles.
The Bradford West MP stressed that progress requires rethinking how women are perceived in domestic violence cases. She believes changing the narrative around ‘izzat’ could lead to a more equitable justice system for survivors of abuse.
