15-year-old Afghanistan girl beheaded for turning down marriage proposal

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
11/29/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Two men have been arrested in connection with girl's murder

A 15-year-old Afghanistan girl was beheaded for turning down a marriage proposal. The girl was reportedly decapitated by a knife while she tried to gather water near her village. Two men have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Human Rights Watch has said women's rights are increasingly at risk in the run up to the scheduled draw-down of NATO forces. Early and forced marriage, impunity for violence against women and a lack of access of justice are just a few challenges the female population still faces.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The victim, only identified as Gisa, was murdered in the Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province earlier this week. Two men, named as Sadeq and Massoud, are now in custody in connection with the killing. The men are understood to be close relatives of the victim.

Her father told reporters that he had not wanted his daughter to get married as she was far too young.

Extreme violence against women remains rife, even with the Taliban being ousted in 2001.

The Elimination of Violence Against Woman law in 2009 was introduced in Afghanistan, criminalizing child marriage, forced marriage, "giving away" a girl or woman to settle a dispute, among other acts of violence against the female population of the ultra-conservative Islamic nation.

The United Nations says that there is still a "long way to go" before the rights of Afghan women are fully protected. Comprehensive official statistics on the number of incidents of violence against women in the country are difficult to establish, with the majority of cases going unreported. Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission registered over 2,000 acts of violence against women last year.

The NATO-led International Security and Assistance Force has given high priority to re-establishing women's rights that were eradicated under the Taliban as part of its efforts to create a security strategy for Afghanistan.

With international troops scheduled to pull out of the country at the end of 2014, activists have warned that the outlook for the female population remains bleak.

Human Rights Watch has said women's rights are increasingly at risk in the run up to the scheduled draw-down of NATO forces. Early and forced marriage, impunity for violence against women and a lack of access of justice are just a few challenges the female population still faces.

So-called honor killings remain relatively commonplace in the war-torn Islamic nation. This past summer saw a spate of so-called honor killings in Afghanistan.

� 2012, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Afghanistan, women's rights, girls, decapitation, forced marriages

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1 - 5 of 5 Comments

Gabriella
6 months ago
Dear Michael Duncan,

you are absolutely correct saying that all things work for the greater glory of God and it is God, God only who can do it. I would be curious to know what made you leave the Catholic Church. You think like a Catholic. God bless you.
Sharia law is a devil's invention and the results prove it, over and over again. Life under the Sharia must be horrible.
Bernadette
6 months ago
I am STILL Catholic and could Never leave the church founded by Jesus with Peter as first pope and unbroken succession. PLease pray that all nationas convert and know JESUS
twan jim
6 months ago
The father said NO, I really doubt these two butchers will be brought to justice in the traditional sense of the word even though they are under arrest.
Richard Barnes
6 months ago
The entire middle east moves from problem to problem. Assad the dictator of Syria remains in power and Iran continues unwavering on it’s march in the development of nuclear weapons. Current intelligence seems uncertain of when Iran will get the bomb and Israel cannot afford to gamble with this. A touchy cease fire in Gaza has been added to the list of issues in this region. If this situation does not drastically change soon, I believe the war in Isaiah Chapter 17 will likely take place. Damascus Syria would be destroyed. The worlds economy would likely collapse as a result and usher in a one world government. I wrote a small 6 page book that outlines what I believe the Bible states will take place soon. I don’t accept donations and it’s free. It’s a short read. I encourage you to have a look: http://www.booksie.com/religion_and_spirituality/book/richard_b_barnes/after-the-rapture-whats-next/chapter/1
Michael Duncan
6 months ago
I used to be a Catholic until I was a teenager and I hold true to many tenets of the faith, there are none that conflict with my utter horror with the shameful slaughter of this poor child. In my view, a fifteen year-old girl IS a child without the adult faculties to make such a decision such as whom she will marry. All things work for The Greater Glory of God, and His Purpose is indeed done in this and I believe it is to make us all the more aware of what sort of people we are dealing with when we speak of fundamentalist muslims who live in a Sharia-governed society. We must stay strong in the Blood-Bought Salvation our Saviour Gave to us, and take solace in the faith of His Salvation.

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