Punjab, father shoots daughter who refused to fast for Ramadan

The victim  Umme Samina  was 18 years old. She refused fasting for health reasons. Do not refrain from drinking and eating is allowed by the Islamic tradition in different circumstances.


Islamabad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A Pakistani from the province of Punjab killed his daughter because she did not want to fast for Ramadan. It happened late yesterday evening in the 71 / D village of Malka Hans, in the Pakpattan district. The victim was called Umme Samina and was 18 years old. According to investigators, the young woman had refused to observe the sacred fast for Islam for health reasons.

The police of Malka Hans arrested Gulzar Ahmed, Samina's father. The case came to light thanks to the complaint of Mukhtar Ahmed, the girl's uncle. He said his brother had been furious that his daughter had not woken him up for the Sehri, the morning meal h eaten before the sun came up. The murderer is a man with alcohol addiction and a criminal record, for which he served two years in prison. Faced with the 18-year-old's opposition, he took a gun and shot her. The girl died instantly.

Ramadan, which began on May 6, is the sacred month that Islam dedicates to fasting and prayer. It is one of the five pillars (duties) of Islam together with the pilgrimage to Mecca, the canonical prayer, the testimony of faith and the payment of almsgiving. For almost a month, Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset; smoking and sexual relations are also prohibited. The Iftar, which breaks the fast, is the main meal within 24 hours and is consumed in the evening.

According to Islamic tradition, every person who has passed puberty and is healthy in body and mind must follow the precept. Those with psychological problems are exempt, children under the age of puberty, the elderly, the sick, travelers and pregnant, nursing, or just entering the menstrual cycle.

Although non fasting is permitted in the cases mentioned, those who do not abstain from food and drink during Ramadan are the object of discrimination, or even persecution, in most countries where Islam is a state religion.