Family of stabbing victim at women's shelter demands answers from operator
Parents of Zubaria Khan, killed by another resident in July, say Nisa Homes provided no information and question how two incompatible women were housed together.
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The parents of a 27-year-old mother stabbed to death at a southwest Edmonton women's shelter last month are calling for answers and accountability from the facility operator.
Zubaria Khan was fatally stabbed on July 26 by another resident, 33-year-old Fahima Rahimi. Khan died in hospital. Edmonton police say the two knew each other from staying at the shelter together.
Khan's father, Sakhawat Khan, expressed frustration with Nisa Homes, the operator, saying the organization has provided no explanation for how his daughter could have been attacked by a fellow resident in a place meant to be safe. "We got no information from nobody why she did that to my daughter," he said. "What's going on? What's the reality? We need justice."
Khan questioned why two women with incompatible needs were housed in the same room without adequate monitoring. "They cannot leave the women like this, one psycho woman and one normal woman, and they live in one room, and they didn't check," he said. "Supposedly they're safe, right? That's what the women's shelter is for, right? They should provide security."
The family is also frustrated by Nisa Homes' lack of transparency, saying the organization refuses to disclose the shelter's address. Khan was the oldest of six siblings and a mother of a seven-year-old girl. She had been studying to be a lab assistant at NAIT and dreamed of becoming a doctor.
Edmonton police say Zubaria and the accused knew each other, but the family says they met at the shelter. The head of Alberta's Council of Women's Shelters reminded the public that violence at shelters is extremely rare. The allegations against Rahimi have not been tested in court. Reporters reached out to Nisa Homes for comment but received no response.
The facts
Who killed Zubaria Khan and when?
Zubaria Khan, a 27-year-old mother, was fatally stabbed on July 26 by fellow resident Fahima Rahimi, 33, at a southwest Edmonton women's shelter operated by Nisa Homes. Khan died in hospital.
What is the family's main complaint about Nisa Homes?
Khan's father says Nisa Homes provided no explanation for the attack and questions why two incompatible women were housed together in the same room without adequate monitoring or security checks.
