Sadiqua M.
born 1978
Attempted murder: 21 May 2008
Residence: Hamburg
Origin: Afghanistan
Children: none
Perpetrator: her divorced husband, Sultan Ahmad M., age 24 at the time of the crime.
In April 2007, Sadiqua and Sultan Ahmad were married. For the perfume saleswoman with a German passport, it is her second marriage. Just one month later, Sultan beats his wife into the hospital. Witnesses call the police, but both deny the incident. It is not until Sultan knocks his wife down with a beer glass a year later and she is taken to the hospital that the police impose a restraining order. The Afghan is not allowed near their shared apartment or the Douglas store where his wife works.
But Sultan does not comply with that prohibition and beats her up again and again. Early in the morning of May 21, he calls her and asks if he can speak to her at their former joint apartment to get everything straight.
She agrees. An argument ensues. He threatens to kill her and her family if she does not return to him.
Aware of the noise, the neighbors call the police at 7:24 am. When they arrive, the officers hear gunshots. Sadiqua runs down the stairs and is hit in the shoulder and hip. A police officer is also injured. Then Sultan shoots himself.
Is this attempted murder an honor killing? Although so far no family involvement and no forced marriage is suspected, other typical features of a murder of honor can be found: Sultan suspects his wife of experiencing her own self-determined sexuality. There is no evidence for this. The suspicion is enough for him. The attempted murder has a history of stalking: for months he stalks his wife, threatening to disfigure her face with hot oil. Several times he threatens to murder her or her family (which is also not indicative of a "normal" relationship act). The danger of being sent to prison for it leaves him cold. It is said that he does not care if he has to go to jail.
A German media outlet let a young Afghan neighbor speak after the crime: He said it was okay to beat his wife if she dressed too Western. In Muslim families, Islamic law rules, not German law.
