MP: ‘My mum killed the man who abused her – but we’d see her as a victim today’

MP: ‘My Mum Killed The Man Who Abused Her – But We’d See Her As A Victim Today’

Labour MP Naz Shah has shared her mother’s story with Sky News, recounting how the abuse she endured shaped her decision to take a life. The discussion unfolded during an interview with Sarah-Jane Mee on the UK Tonight programme, where she spoke about her upcoming memoir, Honoured: Survival, Strength And My Path to Politics.

“My first memory was of my dad beating my mum,” Ms. Shah said. “At age six, her father fled with a neighbor, leaving her to face a new cycle of torment.”

The abuse intensified with Azam, a man she referred to as “uncle.” Over years, he exploited her sexually, compounding her struggles as a young mother in poverty. “Imagine a 23-year-old with three young children, stranded in a foreign country, struggling to understand the language, and living in rented housing with no financial security,” she explained.

Ms. Shah described how her mother, Zoora, felt trapped by the concept of ‘izzat,’ or honour, which weighed heavily on her actions. “Azam appeared as a savior at first,” she said. “He helped her secure a home, but that came at a cost—years of sexual exploitation.”

Zoora’s defiance led to tragedy. After more than a decade of abuse and fear that her children would suffer, she killed Azam using arsenic. The case shocked the public, resulting in a 20-year prison sentence for Zoora. “She was seen as a woman who fought for a house, not as a survivor of domestic violence,” Ms. Shah said.

“The justice system still places the burden of shame on women, failing to recognize their desperation,” she argued. “If the jury had known her story, they might have viewed her differently.”

The Bradford West MP emphasized the need for cultural change, urging the South Asian community to challenge patriarchal norms. “Just as Gisèle Pelicot in France redefined shame for victims of rape, we must reverse this stigma,” she stated. “Women should not bear the brunt of honour systems that silence them.”

Ms. Shah highlighted how Zoora’s actions were driven by survival, not vengeance. “She lost her dignity when her husband left her, and the idea of ‘izzat’ made her hide the truth,” she said. “Today, her story would be understood as a fight for justice, not a crime of shame.”