Earlier this week, a Pakistani woman was tried for killing 17 people with poisonous milk intended for her husband. The woman, named Aasia Bibi, who is 21 years old, had been forced into marrying a relative, by her parents, even after rejecting multiple proposals from him. Bibi had a boyfriend whom she actually loved, who was also was the person who helped her acquire the poisonous substance that she used later on. Aasia Bibi had poured the poison in the milk, but the husband never drank it; days after, his mother used the same milk to make yogurt, that his extended family then proceeded to consume, causing the death of 17 of them, and 10 others landed in the hospital.
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“I repeatedly asked my parents not to marry me against my will as my religion, Islam, also allows me to choose the man of my choice for marriage, but my parents rejected all of my pleas and they married me to a relative,” said Bibi.
It is sad to see how this twenty-one year old woman felt like her only escape out of this unwanted marriage was by committing murder. According to a reporter named Diaa Hadid, many girls are often seen as worthless to their families, and the family pretty much controls everything the girls do — including who they marry, which is often someone who is much older, and definitely wealthy.
Though reportedly, scenarios in which women are used as currency are occurring less and less in urban areas, there are remaining areas in which women are mere objects to be sold, shared or traded off for something that “benefits” the family as a whole. It’s dehumanizing to know women are simple pawns, in an economical game, where their feelings aren’t valued nor taken into account. This is why feminism is so important — it makes people understand how women, much like any other gender and/or person, have value. That their lives are worth more than any money, or any object.
In light of these events, Hadid also commented how unusual it is for women to be the ones trying to murder their husbands, when it’s more common for it to be the other way around. She pointed out how dangerous Pakistan actually is, but this isn’t a problem solely tied to Pakistan. As recently as November 6th, a man killed his girlfriend in Shakopee, Minnesota and, while there is no reason reported yet, the man did have two current girlfriends at the time of the murder, and even had a criminal record with a charge from 2014 for domestic violence.
While murder has never been, and will never be, justifiable, a big red light flashes when, someone who lives in a culture that reinforces oppression, feels so voiceless, that they feel like their only way out of it, is committing this crime like murder.