A FATHER haunted by the torture and murder of his daughter during an "exorcism" died after setting himself on fire - just days after the sudden death of his wife.
Mohammed Bashir's 20-year-old daughter, Kousar Bashir, died in June 1991 after enduring systematic beatings during an horrific eight-day ritual after Mr Bashir paid two alleged holy men é200 to rid her of "an evil spirit".
Kousar, who had a history of mental illness and had descended into depression after failing her driving test, was diagnosed by holy men Mohammed Bashir (no relation) and Nourani Sayeed as being possessed. They proceeded to beat her to death using a heavy glass ashtray, a walking stick, and Bashir's fists.
An inquest at Oldham magistrates court heard how Mr Bashir, a 56-year-old ex-machine operator of St Thomas Street North, Coppice, near Oldham, never recovered from his daughter's death even after Sayeed was jailed for five years and Bashir for life in March 1992.
Problems
His GP, Dr Kapur, of Werneth Hall Road Surgery, described how Mr Bashir had a long history of depression, mobility problems, heavy drinking and sleeping problems.
Thirteen years after the death of his daughter, his wife was diagnosed with leukaemia, from which she died a month later on April 14, 2005.
Mr Bashir's son, Shazad Bashir, said he last spoke to his father on April 28 - the morning of his death - and was told Mr Bashir was praying for his deceased wife. But, unbeknown to his son, Mr Bashir had asked some children to fill up a nine-litre can full of petrol for him.
His daughter Afshar then saw flames through the kitchen window and dialled 999. Family friend Sarfaz Saleem doused the fire, but by this time a still-conscious Mr Bashir had suffered almost 100 per cent burns.
He was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital where he died that evening.
Coroner Simon Nelson concluded that Mr Bashir had taken his own life while in a state of depression.
Haunted father killed himself in fire
March 02, 2006
DIED: Kousar.
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I completely agree. The outdated views and limited medical knowledge would fit in well with society 100 years ago, but with our present understanding of mental health issues these acts of barbaric cruelty are unforgivable. Remind me again, which religion/culture requests its followers to be beated to death with glass ashtrays?
The suffering didn't end with the daughter's death. The understandable and (I have to say) well-deserved guilt felt by the father, it seems clear to me, was the main motive for his suicide. His guilt was consuming him, like the fire he set himself on. The real problem is not religion per se but education. If the West (especially Britain and the U.S.) spent the kind of money we're spending on military intervention in the Middle East on upgrading secular education there, well.... There would at least be fewer stories like this and no more suicide bombings, to say the least.
Tragic, some people believe evil is dead.
Deception is evils greatest weapon and ignorance a close second, the worst mix, and in this case a strong mix.
Evil takes many forms and the saddest part is the road to hell is paved with good intentions, with addendum: good intentions that are misinformed.
Deception is evils greatest weapon and ignorance a close second, the worst mix, and in this case a strong mix.
Evil takes many forms and the saddest part is the road to hell is paved with good intentions, with addendum: good intentions that are misinformed.
Sue, Salford (02/03/2006 at 18:20)
Isn't it time that ALL organised religions were done away with, and people like this poor young woman can receive the treatments that they need and deserve, rather than have to suffer through religious mumbo jumbo?