Al-Madinah newspaper

A heartless father killed his three innocent daughters aged between two and six in cold blood. The man was supposed to be their hero but turned out to be their murderer. Using a sharp knife, he killed his three innocent daughters one after the other.

This is a harrowing story and I cannot explain it. I tried to visualize what took place, but it is impossible to think about this without a broken heart. Islam ended female infanticide some 1,400 years ago. However, it seems that this is still unfortunately taking place today.

This was a tragic incident that took place in Makkah and it has shocked the Kingdom. This father beheaded his three young daughters despite his wife screaming and begging him not to. The case is now with the authorities who are aware of the details.

If the father is not mentally ill then I truly hope that he is punished in a way that is commensurate with the ugliness and brutality of his crimes. If he is, on the other hand, found to be mentally ill, which is often the case in tragic incidents like this, then there must be special agencies to investigate why he had access to these young children.

It is a must for couples when they marry in the Kingdom to ensure that they are psychologically well. It is a must to ensure that both sides are not addicted to drugs or entertain extremist ideologies. Individuals like this should never leave hospital unless they are completely fit. If serious attention is not given to these types of people, then we will, naturally, witness cruel incidents of this sort.

Families who are aware that their sons are mentally unwell have a responsibility to take action. Furthermore, I fail to understand how some families know that their sons are unwell, yet they seek wives for them. They believe that if their mentally ill son were to get married, then he would be cured. When things go wrong, then these families should know that they have contributed to the situation.

I call on the authorities to investigate and hold accountable every single person responsible for these inhumane murders. I call on the authorities to pass laws with regard to the mentally ill. I totally believe that such people need to be sectioned off and kept at a distance away from vulnerable people.