Okaz

THE victim of what has been dubbed in the local media as “Jazan murder”, Fatima Al-Malki, was actually killed by hate-mongers in our society with their unfair speech before her husband killed her with a sharp weapon.

Her husband had left her to drown in a pool of blood without any mercy. He even abandoned her children in the car after committing the horrifying crime. The children grabbed the attention of passersby when one of them shouted, “My father killed our Mama.”

Fatima died leaving behind three young girls and a boy. These children will grow up remembering the horror of their mother being murdered in front of their eyes. This will be a very painful memory that will haunt them all their life.

Fatima was murdered in cold blood and there are many other women like her who die in silence. How many other Fatimas will be killed in our society in this manner?

If we do not start acknowledging a crime by its names, then we will witness a more worrying transformation in the kind of crimes being committed in our society.

When we started describing the assaults happening inside homes as “domestic violence”, we have seen how society used this phrase to cover up every crime that happened inside homes. We need to admit the fact that we, like humans all over the world, do not live in an ideal society.

Isn’t it time for our country to declare a new charter that protects human rights in the family? Such a charter will make every person responsible and put him or her in charge of their own freedom and security. It will also punish anyone who tampers with the peace and security of any citizen.

A horrible crime like the murder of Fatima in Jazan shakes society and makes people defy governmental authority, which was supposed to protect them from criminals.

Let us go back to the crime scene and analyze the case. According to a report in alarabiya.net, the victim’s brother had previous knowledge of the psychological condition her husband had been suffering from. He also knew about the financial condition of the family. The brother, who described the culprit as “psychologically ill”, already cleared him of responsibility for what he did in such a mental state. Psychological illness has always been the ruse for anyone who commits a horrible crime such as murder. Here I want to ask what measures the health and security authorities have taken to identify the threats from such people to the public, especially family members, as well as to protect them against such threats.

Did the Fathima’s brother come to the conclusion that her husband was “psychologically ill” based on a medical report? Or is it just his hunch or the result of his moral support for the man, who happens to be his cousin? Or is this a repetition of the unacceptable justifications prevalent in our society all the time?

Thankfully the brother volunteered to support the children of her sister financially. This opens a question on the role of the Interior Ministry in dealing with children of criminals and convicted prisoners. Who will take care of such children and who will make sure those who care for the children are fit to do so?

Back to the crime scene again, I would like to ask what was the weapon used to kill Fatima? I wonder what type of weapons people keep inside their homes and are they fit to own them?

In England, for example, a person is asked to produce his or her ID when they buy a knife or other weapons, and the purchase is registered with the product type and the details of the buyer in the records. Under no circumstances, sharp weapons are sold to people who are below 18 years of age.

Has the Ministry of Commerce conducted any joint study with the Interior Ministry to find out the consequences of selling sharp weapons freely in the local market?

As for the media, women issues are almost always discussed by men. Even academic studies on women’s issues are led by male researchers.

The media describe a criminal driver on the street as reckless, while they curse women drivers who make mistakes as incompetent. It seems as if these people are united in against the country’s vision for the future. They feel helpless in the face of a government that gives unlimited support to women, so they unleash their anger on everything that concern women’s affairs. This is a clear evidence for such men losing their manhood. These men cannot stand women freely voicing their opinion about problems they face, but they will not mind discussing the details of a woman’s looks, her eyebrows and the curves of her body in public.

At this stage, we need to be wary of groups that oppose women empowerment and judicial reforms because of ideological reasons. They are using women empowerment and judicial reforms to play with people’s sentiments and to influence their way of thinking. Our media should pay attention and rectify messages sent out to society in general and women in particular.

The monitoring authorities that are delaying the decision to ban the publication of any material that undermine women’s interests must review their stand. Some media channels do not want to celebrate women’s achievements and instead they mobilize all their resources to undermine them for reasons we do not know.

May Allah rest the soul of Fatima in peace and help her children. May Allah help every woman who is suffering from bad treatment and live under pressure, fearing what society might think and say about her.

Despite the strong societal connection, such cases, if not dealt with properly at the right time, will lead to criminal and security issues that will be difficult to deal with later.