This is a slight detour from my usual blog entry but I feel that I really need to get it written out.
Picture this
How are you feeling now, after reading that paragraph?
Sick? Disgusted? Horrified? Angry?
That was how I felt when I first came across an article about 'Honour Killing' in the local newspaper when I was 14 that occurred in Middle East. All my life, I know that my family would protect me from harm and even if I was harmed, they would always be there for me, protecting. Same goes to others. All I could think was, what happen to the family constitution there? Not long after Reader's Digest published out the topic on the so called 'Honour Killing' and again I felt sick to the pit of my stomach. One of the cases that happened was about a married woman in India (or was it Pakistan? I'm not sure but it was just about there) who was trying to get a divorce due to her husband's abusive ways. She ran back to her family with the hope that they would give her the protection she needed. She got a bullet in her head instead, put there by her own mother when she filed for divorce because it would taint the family's reputation.
Recently, my cousin Dayahlent me Norma Khouri's Forbidden Love. Again, it was about honour killing but due to the authenticity of the book, it was pulled out from the shelf. Ms Khouri should have known that for an autobiography, she should not mix fact with fiction. In other case at the end of Ms Khouri's page a girl was raped by her own brother. Logically we would think that action would be taken on the brother. It happened differently. She was shot by her other brother while that other brother of hers is still alive and well. That certainly tipped me over. (For the part where Ms Khouri listed the cases that happened, it was based on real cases but the existence of her friend Dalia was in doubt because she couldn't supply enough proof that she was there at the time it happens) Nevertheless, both Dayah and I agree that we couldn't be grateful enough to be living over here instead of there.
Needless to say, in countries where honour killings are permitted - and believe me there are acts and bills to support it in some of those countries such as Jordan - women become the victim in every single way. From the National Geographic channel, it was told that this happens when women are deemed as a property, not as a person nor do they have the freedom to choose. Some even believe that honour killing is in accordance with the religion of Islam. That is a complete lie. There is no verse in the Qur'an that said anything about honour killing nor permitting them to kill women in the name of honour. In my opinion, it is an act of extreme male chauvinism and stupidity.
From my search throughout the net and books, honour killing trailed back even before the coming of Qur'an, during the dark time of the Arab or known as the Jahiliyah period where female infanticide and 'honour killing' was widely practiced for they were afraid that the female would bring shame to their family. The prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) called for an end of this barbaric practise back then but still it manage to survive through time. I am not sure about female infanticide nowadays but it is clear that the honour killing goes on.
There are no clear statics for this killings and the women who was killed for honour sake would always be buried in an unmarked grave and the family tend to wipe clean any memories of her. The saddest part of all, the family who practise this believe tend to strike out on gossip basis without even investigating the female's innocence. That would come after she was killed during the post-mortem but then again, for what purpose? When someone is dead, they remain dead. From what I read, in Jordan, the male family member who commit the killing would be jailed for the short sentence of 6 months or less and when he was being freed, he would receive the welcoming fit for a 'hero'. They have no regrets killing their female family member believing what they did was right and was even widely supported by the community. Due to that action, many female in the respective countries opt to live inside a prison to save their lives.
Knowing all that, there is no spared moment that I don't feel blessed and lucky living here. I would always have options and I could choose. Families did not tend to act out based on the gossip itself and even if there is a gossip or even if the gossip is true, I don't have to be afraid of getting home and being killed by my own family.
Picture this
A single woman returned home. Her clothes in tatters, face was badly bruised - she was raped. She came home to seek help, to seek refuge where everyone would when they are faced with the worse thing in their life. Her father and brothers went out and seek revenge - after killing her in the name of 'family honour'.
How are you feeling now, after reading that paragraph?
Sick? Disgusted? Horrified? Angry?
That was how I felt when I first came across an article about 'Honour Killing' in the local newspaper when I was 14 that occurred in Middle East. All my life, I know that my family would protect me from harm and even if I was harmed, they would always be there for me, protecting. Same goes to others. All I could think was, what happen to the family constitution there? Not long after Reader's Digest published out the topic on the so called 'Honour Killing' and again I felt sick to the pit of my stomach. One of the cases that happened was about a married woman in India (or was it Pakistan? I'm not sure but it was just about there) who was trying to get a divorce due to her husband's abusive ways. She ran back to her family with the hope that they would give her the protection she needed. She got a bullet in her head instead, put there by her own mother when she filed for divorce because it would taint the family's reputation.
Recently, my cousin Dayahlent me Norma Khouri's Forbidden Love. Again, it was about honour killing but due to the authenticity of the book, it was pulled out from the shelf. Ms Khouri should have known that for an autobiography, she should not mix fact with fiction. In other case at the end of Ms Khouri's page a girl was raped by her own brother. Logically we would think that action would be taken on the brother. It happened differently. She was shot by her other brother while that other brother of hers is still alive and well. That certainly tipped me over. (For the part where Ms Khouri listed the cases that happened, it was based on real cases but the existence of her friend Dalia was in doubt because she couldn't supply enough proof that she was there at the time it happens) Nevertheless, both Dayah and I agree that we couldn't be grateful enough to be living over here instead of there.
Needless to say, in countries where honour killings are permitted - and believe me there are acts and bills to support it in some of those countries such as Jordan - women become the victim in every single way. From the National Geographic channel, it was told that this happens when women are deemed as a property, not as a person nor do they have the freedom to choose. Some even believe that honour killing is in accordance with the religion of Islam. That is a complete lie. There is no verse in the Qur'an that said anything about honour killing nor permitting them to kill women in the name of honour. In my opinion, it is an act of extreme male chauvinism and stupidity.
From my search throughout the net and books, honour killing trailed back even before the coming of Qur'an, during the dark time of the Arab or known as the Jahiliyah period where female infanticide and 'honour killing' was widely practiced for they were afraid that the female would bring shame to their family. The prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) called for an end of this barbaric practise back then but still it manage to survive through time. I am not sure about female infanticide nowadays but it is clear that the honour killing goes on.
There are no clear statics for this killings and the women who was killed for honour sake would always be buried in an unmarked grave and the family tend to wipe clean any memories of her. The saddest part of all, the family who practise this believe tend to strike out on gossip basis without even investigating the female's innocence. That would come after she was killed during the post-mortem but then again, for what purpose? When someone is dead, they remain dead. From what I read, in Jordan, the male family member who commit the killing would be jailed for the short sentence of 6 months or less and when he was being freed, he would receive the welcoming fit for a 'hero'. They have no regrets killing their female family member believing what they did was right and was even widely supported by the community. Due to that action, many female in the respective countries opt to live inside a prison to save their lives.
Knowing all that, there is no spared moment that I don't feel blessed and lucky living here. I would always have options and I could choose. Families did not tend to act out based on the gossip itself and even if there is a gossip or even if the gossip is true, I don't have to be afraid of getting home and being killed by my own family.
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