A woman who forced her daughter to marry a violent older man who then killed her with a kitchen knife told her: ‘I can make decisions for you.’
Sakina Muhammad Jan was found guilty in Victoria County Court on Thursday of forcing her daughter Ruqia Haidari, 20, to marry Mohammad Ali Halimi, who turned 25 in November 2019.
Just six weeks after the wedding ceremony in January 2020, when Haidari turned 21, Halimi slit her throat twice and left her to die on the floor of her Perth home.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
A Federal Police investigation into the horrific domestic violence murder finally uncovered the disturbing trail of events that led to the tragedy and the role of Muhammad Jan.
Ruqia Haidari was only 20 years old when she was forced to marry a man who murdered her.
Sakina Muhammad Jan (pictured being arrested) has been found guilty of forcing her daughter into marriage.
The two-week trial saw Halimi travel from Perth to meet Haidari’s family in Shepperton in May 2019.
The match had been created by Shukria Muqudas, a local matchmaker from the Hazara community, who was also a former friend of Muhammad Jan. ABC News reported.
The court heard Mrs Haidari did not want to get married.
Social worker Kerrie Young, who knew the girlfriend, had contacted police to express concern that Ms Haidari was being forced to join the union.
‘I remember Ruqia indicating that she had been given an ultimatum. They advised her to marry this man,” she said.
Federal police traveled to Shepperton and interviewed Mrs Haidari over fears she was “at risk of forced marriage”.
Despite the concern, two Islamic religious ‘nikah’ ceremonies were held to formalize the union before the November 2019 wedding, which was attended by 500 guests.
The matchmaker told the court that Haidari wanted to end the relationship before the second nikah took place, but his mother rejected him.
Ms Haidari had her throat slashed twice by her husband and was left bleeding on the floor of their home (pictured).
The couple married in November 2019 (pictured) and 500 guests attended.
The court heard Mrs Haidari told her parents: “I don’t want to get married… I don’t want this and I’m not going to accept it at all.”
Muhammad Jan replied: ‘Are you my mother or am I your mother? I can make decisions for you.’
At that time, the mother had already handed over the dowry payment to the groom.
The mother also did not want to stop the arranged marriage because she feared it would damage the family’s reputation.
Muhammad Jan was charged in October 2020 by Federal Police human trafficking investigators.
She pleaded not guilty but the jury, which deliberated for more than a day, found her guilty.
The offense of forced marriage is covered by Commonwealth law and carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment.
Muhammed Jan was released on bail ahead of a pre-sentence hearing on July 23.