The brother of a teenage girl from Mississauga, Ontario who was strangled to death, apparently for failing to wear a hijab, was charged with first-degree murder. Waqas Parvez, 27, was initially charged with obstruction of justice in the death of Aqsa Parvez, 16, in December 2007. Aqsa is the youngest of eight children. Her father, Muhammed Parvez, 57, was initially charged with second-degree murder; earlier this month, the charge was upgraded to first-degree. Police have refused to comment whether the death was over the headscarf and a fight over traditional culture. Muhammed Parvez’s lawyer, Joseph Ciraco, has said there is more to the story than just cultural issues.
