pray that I return alive these were exactly the words of samama Shahid as she left for Pakistan to visit her ailing father does a woman have the right to control her own life or is family honor and reputation more valuable than anything else in the world Samia Shahed was born on November 15th 1987 in Bradford West Yorkshire United Kingdom Bradford is the sixth th largest city in England with an ethnically diverse population many members of the South Asian Community have made their home there it was there that a large family of Pakistani origin by the
surname Shahed lived samia's parents her father chadri Muhammad and her mother imtiaz moved to the United Kingdom from a small village called pandari in Pakistan like many others they sought better opportunities for themselves and their family in the UK Samia had a sister named mea the girls grew up in Bradford under the influence of a blend of British and Pakistani culture being second generation immigrants they oscillated between these two cultural worlds balancing the values and traditions of their Pakistani Heritage and adapting to the realities of a Western Country like the United Kingdom the Shahed family
and their relatives were quite well known in Bradford due to the number of businesses they ran the parents themselves owned a limousine and car rental business one Uncle ran a fish and chip shop and another Uncle owned a flower shop mtas had five brothers all well-known locally so Samia had many cousins nephews and nieces and she adored her large family Samia was a very friendly cheerful and Lively girl always smiling above all she loved her father and was a daddy's girl chadri Muhammad's word was law to her she was ready to do anything for him
whatever he asked and her father reciprocated that love although Samia and metha were given the opportunity to receive a western education given that they lived in the UK the Shahid family valued Pakistani culture and remained devoted to their Muslim faith they were Sunni Muslims Sunni Islam is one of the two main branches of Islam along with Shia Islam the majority of Muslims identify as Sunni so the Shahed family adhered to certain rules although samama loved driving fast she was not allowed to drive she would rent a car and drive recklessly pressing the gas pedal without
thinking she liked to take care of her appearance apply makeup and style her hair Samia worked part-time at the Bradford post office though her father actually financed her sparing no expense for his beloved daughter's wishes Samia got almost everything she wanted friends over 90% of viewers watch videos without subscribing to the channel check if you're subscribed if not please be so kind as to subscribe to the channel to support me her sister ma had somewhat different views on life but despite their differences the sister's primary and undeniable value was family in Pakistani culture family always
came first family above all and although samama seemed to get everything she wanted her family's approval was most important to her whatever decision she had to make it first had to be agreed upon with her parents and Elder family members Samia loved them deeply and didn't want to upset them so she could never be truly open with them she had to keep many things secret to avoid her father's anger for example the car races in 2012 when Samia turned 25 her parents decided it was time for her to grow up the free life in Western
Society had to end sooner or later her mother insisted that she should go to Pakistan to get married according to Traditions arranged marriages are still quite common and although Sunni Islamic faith does not strictly require it it is still encouraged it was no surprise when samia's parents approached her with a proposal to marry a specific man she agreed not because she wanted to but because she felt it was important for her family she took her culture and Heritage seriously and did not want to disappoint her parents somia wanted her family to be proud of her
so in February 2012 it was decided she would marry a man named cadri Muhammad Shaquille Shaquille was not the person samama would have chosen as her spouse he was from their Village pandari in Pakistan and was samia's cousin she had known him since childhood and always regarded him as a brother not a future husband moreover he had just been released from prison for shooting another man over a land dispute marrying distant relatives among British pakistanis is mainly to keep land ownership within the family thereby expanding family estates her parents were also cousins who had an
arranged marriage and made their marriage happy to prepare for the wedding samama was taken to various Pakistani shops to buy whatever she wanted magnificent outfits fashionable jewelry and matching accessories her father Muhammad paid for all of it samama shopped with interest and tried to get excited about planning the upcoming wedding but deep down she knew that money couldn't buy happiness she wasn't truly happy with the choice of husband her parents made for her but at that moment she had to accept it Samia knew her parents wanted the best husband for her but deep inside she
felt that marriage to Shaquille would make her unhappy at the same time she couldn't tell her family fearing to upset them so she made every effort to appear happy in mid-February 2012 when Samia boarded a plane to fly to Pakistan she wrote a message to a friend admitting she was making the biggest mistake of her life and couldn't believe it was happening later her sister metha disputed many of these claims she said somia had several marriage proposals to choose from and that she chose Shaquille herself yes it was an arranged marriage but not forced and
there is a big difference between arranged and forced marriages when samama first arrived in Pakistan to meet her future husband Shaquille she wrote to her friends that she couldn't even look at him and was happy she didn't vomit at the sight of her fiance Samia and Shaquille had a lavish wedding many guests from Bradford came to Pakistan to congratulate the young couple and celebrate the joyous event on February 27th 2012 a 4-day ceremony began with over a thousand guests as a wedding gift Muhammad gave the newlyweds their own house next to the family home in
pandari after the wedding Samia and Shaquille moved into this house and lived together as husband and wife the young wife couldn't reconcile with the idea of changing her life and settling in this small village nevertheless Samia lived in this house with her husband for 4 months before returning to Bradford in June 2012 without her husband Shaquille stayed in Pakistan waiting for immigration documents Samia returned to England to apply for a spousal visa for her husband so he could become a British citizen but she was in no hurry Amia and Shaquille's wedding in Pakistan was a
naika ceremony a formal marriage contract according to Muslim Customs according to Sharia principles this is considered a registered marriage and implies an agreement between a man and a woman made before Witnesses and a cleric however British law requires specific legal steps to recognize such a marriage one of these is holding a civil ceremony in the UK and obtaining a marriage certificate legally confirming the marriage thus the Nika was not considered a legal marriage in another country without official documentation after returning to the UK samia's friends noticed she had changed and was acting differently she clearly
harbored resentment towards her parents somia became nervous and agitated when discussing her husband Shaquille she felt he was constantly watching her even though samama was in another country Shaquille insisted she call him daily via Skype video chat and stay in touch most of the day the young wife felt trapped and in August sent a voice message to a friend saying she wanted to die hated her life and no longer wanted to be Shaquille's wife on the other hand her relatives claimed that samama boasted to everyone in Bradford about her lavish wedding and said she was
happy in her marriage otherwise why would she voluntarily take a flight back to Pakistan to Shaquille if she were unhappy these differing accounts suggested that the marriage was not as smooth as it seemed after living with her husband in Pakistan for 6 months Samia returned to the UK this time her friends saw the old samama cheerful happy smiling and sociable but there was a reason for this the young woman told her friends she had met a man named CED MTAR kazim whose friends called him Ali Ali was also from Pakistan but he had British citizenship
and worked in Dubai they initially met online and became friends then they met in person in London in October 2013 and immediately felt attracted to each other Ali embodied everything samama wanted in a man he was loving caring and kind he understood her perfectly and his feelings were mutual everything in his life made sense when samama was around they knew they risked each other's lives by being together but they felt their love was stronger than the hatred and threats they faced and worth fighting for somia told Ally about her current situation how she married someone
considered her brother and who controlled her Ally couldn't understand how a loving father could turn his own daughter into an object for sale or exchange Samia knew she wanted to be with Ally spend her life with him have children and grow old together to do this she needed to divorce Shaquille she couldn't divorce through a British Court since their marriage was not registered under British law Samia and Shaquille married under Sharia law so they had to divorce according to Muslim customs in May 2014 samya asked Shaquille for a divorce but he refused under Sharia principles
for a marriage to be valid both the bride and groom must give Mutual consent if it is found that one of them agreed to the ceremony under any physical Financial psychological or emotional coercion the marriage can be considered forced and annulled Samia approached the Islamic Sharia Council of the UK she also converted from Sunni to Shia is Islam Ali's branch of Islam she then visited a mosque to speak with a cleric under oath Samia told him her first marriage was forced done without her Free Will and under family pressure after receiving this information the cleric
wrote to samia's husband asking for his version of events but Shaquille refused to discuss their marriage leading Mr casmi who was handling the case to declare Samia and Shaquille's marriage invalid several friends were with Sam when she signed the divorce papers at that time her family did not even know this was happening this was strange considering she lived in her parents' home in Bradford soon Samia and Ali planned and organized their own wedding day they secretly married in September 2014 in Leeds with only a few friends present to help the bride prepare for the ceremony
of the two lovers the ncah ceremony was conducted by the same cleric Mr KMI who had granted her divorce from Shaquille samama and Ali's wedding day was a joyful day the bride confessed to a friend that she felt like a princess and was truly glowing with happiness the newlyweds also registered their marriage at the UK registry office but the wedding day did not Mark the beginning of a peaceful family life with her beloved husband soon after in October 2014 while walking down the street with her cousin Samia was attacked in an alley by by some
men strangely only samama was harmed she was beaten on the legs with metal rods it was clear that the attack was planned in advance and that the victim was not chosen at random the girls immediately reported the attack and the injuries to the police samia's legs were covered in red and purple bruises this attack was likely organized by people who knew her family and was likely due to her marriage to Ali the secret was apparently out at that time her new husband had to return to Dubai for work and his young wife stayed in Bradford
waiting for a visa to join him later it seems the Shahed family learned of the attack on their daughter from a phone call when she called her parents from the police station but instead of support she faced a barrage of insults the police heard the entire conversation while samia's mother imtiaz was unaware that others were listening Samia did this on purpose to show the police the toxic environment she had been living in recently she felt like a prisoner in the house where she once was happy enduring unpleasant words from the people she loved more than
life it was hard to live in a family with such strong beliefs and long-standing values sometimes Samia felt suffocated by constant control and couldn't escape the web of imposed principles she saw no way out until she met Ali for Samia who grew up in Western culture and relied on her parents for everything another life seemed unrealistic a life where she could make her own choices and decisions the secret marriage to Ali gave her the strength to hold on and not give up her parents only learned of samia's divorce from Shaquille in May 2015 and strongly
disapproved of her actions at least until then they hadn't voiced their suspicions aloud they claimed the divorce was invalid since the Islamic Sharia Council had no legal Authority in either the UK or Pakistan therefore according to them Samia was still legally married to Shaquille her mother voiced the most discontent mtas repeatedly insulted her daughter telling her to come to her senses and not disgrace the family when Ali returned to Dubai he hoped things would calm down however the newlyweds knew they would never be safe if they stayed in Bradford family disapproval could lead to tragedy
there are many stories of Honor related crimes fortunately samama received a visa to go to Dubai that same month a few friends helped her secretly buy a ticket and prepare for departure as soon as the documents were ready Samia boarded a plane and flew to Ali the next day it was a difficult decision considering how much she loved her family but for the first time she went against her loved ones for her happiness hoping this sacrifice would be justified as soon as samya left for Dubai her parents reported her as missing to the police the
family simply did not want to accept that she had made her own choice and ignored their opinions when they learned of their daughter's secret marriage they considered the second marriage fake they went to the Shia mosques cleric Mr casmi demanding explanations they refused to listen to any reasonable arguments and equated their daughter's relationship with Ali to adultery believing that under Muslim law she was still married to Shaquil the Shahed family even went so far as to threaten the cleric for aiding in samia's sin Mr casmi notified the police of the threats and the authorities gave
him some safety advice meanwhile samama was incredibly happy in Dubai she loved the Carefree free life filled with love she drove cooked and was deeply in love with her husband Ali Samia shared her happiness openly on social media they couldn't wait to become parents Samia longed for a child child and wanted to be a mother as soon as possible at the same time she couldn't let go of her family and wanted to exist in both worlds in Bradford and Dubai samama always dreamed of raising her future children in the UK she wanted them to become
British she had spent almost her entire conscious life in England surrounded by her large family and couldn't imagine that this tension between her and her loved ones would last for the rest of her life Samia talked to her parents almost daily trying to convince them she wasn't to blame and just wanted to be happy every minute of her marriage to Shaquille was a burden she wanted her parents to love Ally as much as she did and accept her choice more than anything Samia dreamed of seeing her father with Ally but unfortunately her dreams were not
to come true instead chadri Muhammad called the fake son-in-law and asked him to leave his daughter alone naturally Ali refused saying that s was now his Legal Wife and he would not renounce her in Muhammad's eyes the new husband had not become part of the family partly because he was not a Sunni Muslim also their marriage was conducted secretly without parental approval family reputation and honor are highly important in some cultures Ali and samama in the eyes of her parents and other relatives had disrespected the Shahed family and now everyone would point fingers at them
in June 2016 Samia learned that Shaquille's mother her aunt had died Samia was very upset she loved her aunt and wanted to go to Pakistan for the funeral but she knew the trip would be risky and dangerous especially since many including Shaquille's relatives felt she had disrespected them and brought shame to the family Ali advised against the trip and she agreed it was better to stay in Dubai her father Muhammad also struggled with health issues he suffered from diabetes one day samama received a call from her mother and sister metha they said that while in
Pakistan their father's Health had significantly deteriorated and he might not have much time left Samia could never forgive herself if her father passed away without her saying goodbye so after much consideration she made the final decision to go to Pakistan Ali disagreed with her choice he was very upset but felt helpless after all it was her father how could he stop her if something happened to chadri Muhammad and she wasn't there samama would never forgive herself additionally mea had already booked her a plane ticket thus feeling immense fear for his wife Ally still drove her
to the airport he said she could still change her mind excited about the upcoming reunion with her loved ones whom she hadn't seen in a long time somia assured her husband that she would be fine they said their goodbyes somia boarded the plane and on July 14th 2016 flew to Pakistan before her flight she sent a message to a friend saying pray that I return alive don't forget to subscribe to the channel if you like this video it's really important on her first night in Pakistan samama stayed at a friend's house she left her documents
and return ticket there for safekeeping throughout her stay she stayed in constant contact with Ali assuring him of her safety she spent all her time in Pakistan with her family on July 18th she visited her aunt's grave with her father on July 19th Ali told her about a bad dream he had to which she replied asking him to pray for her safe return to Dubai she was supposed to fly home in 2 days but on July 20th samama stopped responding to messages Ali's messages remained unread and this silence worried him greatly that evening a distressed
man called the pandari police station reporting his daughter's death when the police arrived at the address they found a woman's body at the bottom of the stairs she was dead and it was Samia her shoes were lying nearby her handbag was at her feet and her face was covered with a black scarf her eyes were closed and foam was coming from her mouth the caller identified himself as samia's father Muhammad he told the officers that his daughter lived in this house with her husband Shaquille and pointed to the stairs from which she had fallen and
died when the police asked where Shaquille was the father Shrugged and said he didn't know no one had seen him since samia's death a few hours later samia's mother and sister arrived in Pakistan having heard of her death an autopsy was immediately conducted after which the young woman's body was handed over to her relatives the Shahed family buried samama the same day she died since the police report stated no injuries or visible signs of violence were found on the body her death was not considered suspicious Hasty burials Are Not Unusual as Muslim traditions and Sharia
law require immediate burial if there is no dispute over the cause of death news of samia's death spread quickly but reports were conflicting some said the young woman died of a heart attack or asthma attack While others claimed she fell down the stairs and broke her neck local news agencies reported that samya committed suicide due to severe depression over not having children but her family denied this claim Ally received a call from samia's cousin telling him she died of a heart attack Ally didn't believe it at first thinking it was a sick joke that they
were just trying to keep her in Pakistan he took the first flight to be with his wife when he realized Samia was truly dead he went to the pandari police station and reported that his wife had been killed Ali explained how Samia left her first husband Shaquille and how her family was Furious about it his story clearly changed the police's perspective on samia's death they speculated it might have been an honor killing but could do nothing since the body had been buried when news of the mysterious death of a young British woman spread in England
representatives of a news channel contacted samia's father Muhammad in an interview he insisted that his daughter was happy in her marriage and that her husband's name was Shaquil he completely denied the existence of Ali calling him a blackmailer eventually Ali received a copy of samia's autopsy report it stated that a reddish brown bruise was found around her neck and the cause of death was listed as strangulation male seen was also found inside her body it is suspected that the police were initially bribed to conceal the true cause of Samia shahid's death Ali immediately held a
press conference in Pakistan showing the media photographs of the bruise on his wife's neck he wanted what happened to samama to be widely known so he could find out how she died and who was responsible following this Ally required 24-hour police protection as he began receiving numerous death threats samia's friends in the UK were also proactive they contacted a member of parliament from Bradford Naas sha through their acquaintances the MP wrote directly to the prime minister of Pakistan informing him of samia's death and daring to call it an honor killing only then did Pakistani police
begin a thorough investigation into Samia shahid's death Naz Sha's intervention had consequences two people from Bradford were arrested for threatening the MP 8 days after Shaquille fled he was found and brought in for questioning along with samia's Father chadri Muhammad Shaquille confessed that he wanted to force his wife to anull her marriage to Ali and stay with him in Pakistan he was angry that she left him and prevented him from moving to the UK on the morning of July 20th he searched samia's belongings for her passport and return ticket but found nothing Shaquille tried to
stop her from returning but samama refused enraged he pushed her onto the bed and raped her his seamen was found inside her body Samia then tried to escape the house where she felt trapped during their marriage but her ex-husband caught up with her wrapped her scarf around her neck and squeezed it tightly her father denied any involvement this time the police didn't believe the story of a happy marriage investigators believed that both the Shahed and Shaquil families disrespected samia's attempt to divorce marry another man who wasn't a Sunni Muslim and escape with him to Dubai
thereby ruining Shaquille's chances of moving to the UK and disgracing the family to them a woman's desire to live live her own life was an unimaginable luxury and a betrayal of the family when Samia tried to escape from her first husband she ran into her father who nodded to Shaquille in approval while Shaquille strangled her Muhammad held his daughter's legs then Shaquille fled and her father tried to cover up the crime as an accident the problem was the lack of evidence although samia's death was ruled a homicide it was impossible to prove who killed her
in September 2018 after 2 years in custody Shaquil was released on bail despite his police confession it was insufficient for conviction in Pakistan in 2019 he remarried a British Pakistani woman and applied for a spousal visa to enter the UK as this was his ultimate goal however MP Naz sha ensured his visa application was denied after 4 months in prison chadri Muhammad Shahid samia's father appealed to the Supreme Court and was released due to insufficient evidence the court found the evidence inadequate to hold him in custody in January 2018 he was hospitalized for kidney failure
and died in a lore hospital at 52 in October 2016 arrest warrants were issued for samia's mother and sister but they managed to return to the UK from there mea gave a completely different version of events she claimed their family was free and their parents never forced them into anything instead samama often complained to her about life with Ali saying he took all her money and she lived in hardship in Dubai she even sent photos showing her life far from luxurious it seemed samya had a different vision of her life in Dubai ma believed these
accusations destroyed their family tarnished their reputation and left them in poverty due to false claims regardless it does not change the tragic fact that a young woman was sent to her death at the peak of her life by those she trusted and loved Samia Shahed deserved the chance to make her own choices whether she made mistakes or not no one has the right to take someone else's life it's just a Pity that the men of the Shahed family never understood this this is the end of the story like the video and leave your thoughts in
the comments this was Jeremy see you soon
