In countries as varied as the UK, Brazil, Pakistan, Jordan and India, men of various faiths commit crimes such as rape, kidnapping and murder in order to preserve family honour. It is a worldwide phenomenon that is not restricted to one faith or creed, although it is more common in countries where illiteracy and religion are exploited and manipulated.
In the spring of 2007 in Iraq, 17-year-old Dua Khalil from the minority Yazidi faith befriended a Muslim boy of her age. When her family was made aware of the friendship, rumours spread in the community that she would marry him and convert to Islam.
In a recorded video of what looked like a festive atmosphere with a crowd of 2,000 – including official Iraqi policemen – many holding up camera phones to capture the special moments, and despite her incessant pleas for mercy, which were drowned by the cheers of the crowd, in a scene of pornographic horror, Dua was kicked, beaten, trampled on, cursed and finally battered to death by a concrete block thrown onto her head. It took Dua several minutes to die. An autopsy later confirmed that Dua was, in fact, a virgin.
In 2002, 30-year-old Mukhtaran Bibi from rural Pakistan was ordered by a tribal council of "wise" elders to be gang raped by four men and paraded naked across the village not for any fault of her own, but to redeem the "sin" of her brother, who was seen walking with a girl from an opposing clan. After the abhorrent crime was reported in the media, the reaction of the Pakistani government was to place her under house arrest because her plight was attracting negative coverage of the country.
Pakistan also happens to be the country where 20 per cent of the estimated 5,000 worldwide honour killing cases take place. Another case in 1999 involved a mentally retarded 16-year-old girl who was raped, and upon being handed to her family was executed because she had brought shame to her tribe.
In the Arab world it is not uncommon to find the same preachers of hate and intolerance – although it is only a minority – justify these sickening acts in mosques and live television phone-in shows. In Jordan, for example, the rates of honour killings are among the world's highest, with one quarter of all the country's relatively low crime rates falling in that category. Incredibly, Article 340 of the country's penal code states that a man who discovers a female relative with a man "in an unlawful bed and he kills, wounds or injures one or both of them, benefits from a reduction of penalty". Surprisingly, only in 15 per cent of the cases have autopsies proven that the victims committed sexual indiscretion.
In the Indian town of Balla in Haryana, Hindu villagers punched and kicked a pregnant woman to death, then killed the father of the child to preserve the family honour. Their crime was "incest", as they were both from the same village, although they were not actually related.
In enlightened Italy, raping a girl who has had sexual experience is less of a crime than raping a virgin, a court recently ruled; and in Catholic Brazil, where it is not unusual for men to kill women in order to "separate" them from property and claim "defence of honour", that defence was only outlawed in the 1990s.
In Britain, the victims of honour killings are mostly the daughters of South Asian immigrants whose fathers and brothers cannot reconcile the Western culture of sexual liberation with their deep rooted faith.
In Israel, a curious case involved the family of the Chief Rabbi of the Sephardic Jews, who claimed to be fast asleep while his son kidnapped and beat his daughter's boyfriend for hours to "re-educate" him and his sister.
In rural Turkey, in fear of having a man arrested for an honour crime, girls who are suspected of indiscretion are locked in a room with a pistol or rat poison for days on end so that they may end their lives "respectfully".
In the UAE, three years ago a local TV presenter was kidnapped by members of the family of a girl he was suspected of dating, taken to the desert, severely beaten and then while being filmed was ordered by his kidnappers to expose himself. The video was sent across the UAE via mobile phones as a gesture of humiliation.
An honour crime is the justification of the strong to prey on the weak, often for financial gain; a cowardly act where those who legislate, encourage or turn a blind eye are equally as guilty as those who carry out the crime. Education, along with the respect for the sanctity of life is the key to putting an end to the practice.
Courts must investigate sudden "suicides" of young girls and whether the state of property and assets has been altered in such cases. The reasoning that one man can appoint himself judge and executioner in addition to being beneficiary must be exposed for the sick logic that it is. Ultimately, killing and raping for honour brings to mind the famous anti-war line uttered by the late American comedian George Carlin: "Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity".
Sisterhood is the collective name for a mixtape project of previously unreleased songs written by young up and coming female Muslim rappers, singers and poetesses from the UK, Europe and US.
Their songs deal with a range of issues that each has been affected by on some level ranging from the war in Iraq to racism, love, romance, living in a post 9/11 world, to women's rights issues, faith and personal experiences of being young socially conscious Muslim women in the West.
"This is just the first small step towards encouraging these artists and others like them out there to pursue their dreams and hopes," says Deeyah, the founder of the Sisterhood project who selected this first volume of songs from scores submitted to her."And a way to let them know they are not alone in their struggles and hardship to get their music and message out there."
"Although some of the ladies on the project are at the very beginning of their musical journey and just starting to explore and discover their creative and artistic expression I hope that with this project they will find inspiration and encouragement from each other to further develop and hone their craft".
"Hopefully we can help create a platform to have their voices and opinions heard as both artists and Muslim women living in Western societies. Female Muslim artists face a tough time. There's very little support for them, many of them have been actively discouraged-- even by their own communities-- from expressing their thoughts and dreams through music. But they are not alone as this first collection proves...they have something to say and they deserve to be heard."
Deeyah presents Sisterhood
Not for sale. Streamed online on the world wide web from TODAY May 5th, 2008.
We have been aware of the situation that 'Sarah' has been in for a some years, but we can't divulge any identifying details for the sake of her safety. We approve and support the campaign by Sarah's friends and assure people that any donations to Sarah will directly influence the life of this young woman who has already suffered so much. We have complete confidence in the integrity of Sarah's friends and urge everyone who opposes so-called 'honour' killngs and forced marriage to take action. Sarah's case is sadly not rare; however, what is rare is that for once we have a chance to save a life in a very simple way. Please take this opportunity.
Joanne Payton Webmaster International Campaign Against Honour Killings
Sarah is a young woman from the Middle East. After undergoing horrific violence after the first marriage she was forced into, and confronted with the prospect of being forced into a second unwanted marriage, she decided that death was preferable to life on those terms. After a long period in a coma, she returned to consciousness, but she is still in hospital under intensive care. Naturally, she cannot depend on any support from her family, who have threatened to kill her on previous occasions. In fact, friends of Sarah arranged for her to be placed in a hospital in a place where her parents are unable to find her, force her into marriage or kill her in the name of 'family' honour.
With no rights or social security, Sarah depends on her friends to defray the expense incurred through her hospitalisation which has already reached several thousand Euros. Her friends are not rich and are unable to pay the price necessary to save her life and allow her to follow her desires and hopes. Therefore, her friends have launched this appeal to your goodwill to help Sarah recieve the care she desperately needs.
"Who saves the life of one saves the life of all mankind," as they say. By helping Sarah, who is suffering both from the lack of accessible healthcare common in all third-world countries, and from the weight of 'family honour', we will also bring hope to all the others who suffer, and show that solidarity and humanity are stronger than oppression and despair.
(We have used a false name to protect Sarah's identity)
Sarah* est une jeune femme du Moyen-Orient. Après avoir subi les pires violences lors d'un premier mariage forcé, elle a, après la menace d'un second mariage forcé, préféré tenter de se donner la mort que de « vivre » encore une telle expérience. Après une longue période de coma, elle est revenue à la vie, mais doit toujours être hospitalisée en soins intensifs. Bien entendu, elle ne peut compter sur aucun soutien de sa famille. Suite à sa tentative de suicide, en effet, des amis ont permis à Sarah d'être hospitalisée dans un lieu sûr pour éviter que sa famille ne la retrouve, cherche à nouveau à la marier de force ou même ne la tue au nom de « l'honneur familial ». Sans droits à la sécurité sociale, Sarah ne peut compter que sur quelques ami(e)s pour subvenir aux frais d'hospitalisation qui s'élèvent à plusieurs milliers d'euros. Salariés modestes pour la plupart, ces amis ne peuvent supporter seuls cette charge élevée et pourtant nécessaire pour sauver la vie de Sarah et lui permettre ensuite de vivre enfin selon ses désirs et aspirations. Aussi nous faisons appel à votre solidarité pour permettre à Sarah de bénéficier des soins qui lui sont nécessaires.
« Qui sauve la vie d'un humain sauve toute l'humanité » dit-on… Aider Sarah., face à l'absence de soins accessibles pour tous dans les pays du tiers-monde et au poids de « l'honneur familial », c'est aussi continuer à donner espoir à toutes celles qui souffrent, à montrer que la solidarité et l'humanité peuvent être plus forte que l'oppression et le désespoir.
Pour d'évidentes raisons de sécurité, nous ne pouvons bien entendu pas donner plus de détail en public.
*Le prénom a été modifié pour des raisons de sécurité
The Hidden Half: A Photo Essay on Women in Afghanistan
The Hidden Half: A Photo Essay on Women in Afghanistan Elizabeth Gettelman July/August 2007 Issue Photo Essay by Lana Šlezic
The plight of women under the Taliban regime provided the United States with a tidy moral justification for its invasion of Afghanistan—a talking point that Laura Bush took the lead in driving home. "The fight against terrorism is also a fight for the rights and dignity of women," Bush said after the 2001 invasion, adding that thanks to America, women were "no longer imprisoned in their homes." Six years later, the burka is more common than before, an "overwhelming majority" of Afghan women suffer domestic violence, according to aid group Womankind, and honor killings are on the rise. Health care is so threadbare that every 28 minutes a mother dies in childbirth—the secondhighest maternal mortality rate in the world. Girls attend school at half the rate boys do, and in 2006 at least 40 teachers were killed by the Taliban. For two years, Canadian photojournalist Lana Šlezic crisscrossed Afghanistan—from Mazar-e-Sharif in the north to Kandahar in the south—to document these largely hidden realities.
Once again I would like to clarify something. I keep receiving countless questions and comments about the connection between Islam and honor killings. I would therefore like to point out that honor killings are not sanctioned by Islam. In fact this practice predates Islam and is the product of patriarchal cultural customs and traditions not religion.
Having said that I hope that so called religious and community leaders will do more and take an active role in helping to combat this severe problem.
Thank you all so very much for your continued support.
Please check out ICAHK to learn more about honor based violence against women: ICAHK on Myspace
With love and respect Peace Deeyah
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Today is April 7th: a year since the horrific stoning death of Du’a Khalil Aswad. We will not forget you Du’a!
On April 7th 2007, Kurdish teenager Du’a Khalil was brutally stoned to death by hundreds of men, including her uncle and some of her closest relatives. The crime was a so-called ’honour’ killing, occasioned by art student Du’a’s romantic relationship with a local shopkeeper. The event scandalised the world, as the perpetrators filmed the violence on their mobile phones, which footage found its way onto the internet, where the world could see the murderous glee of the crowd and the collaboration of security forces.
The first step to dealing with honour killings in the UK is to criminalise forced marriage.
According to official figures, up to 17,000 women in Britain are subjected to honour-related kidnapping, sexual assault, beatings and murder every year. A new report by the Centre for Social Cohesion suggests these figures underestimate the true extent of honour-based violence. And what is even more worrying is that this crime is not limited to older, first- generation immigrants. Honour killings are now also being perpetrated, according to the report, by second and third generations of immigrants. Parents are passing on the customs they brought with them to their children.
Most cases of honour killing in Britain, such as the murder of Banaz Mahmod, involve Muslims. Twenty-year-old Banaz was killed because she refused to abide by a forced marriage. Her body was discovered in Birmingham in 2006; she had been raped and tortured by men hired by her uncle to kill her. Her father, who had unsuccessfully tried to kill her earlier, her uncle and one of her killers were sentenced to 60 years in total for her murder. Before Banaz, there was the case of Sha filea Ahmed, murdered in 2003, and before her a string of other unfortunates. Hardly surprising that, in the minds of some, honour killing and Islam go together.
In reality, honour killings are a direct outcome of forced marriage and have nothing to do with Islam. Indeed, one of the first acts of the Prophet Muhammad was to condemn and forbid such practices. In Islam, honour is connected with virtue, with righteous behaviour, obligations to one’s parents and the elderly, good works and community development. It is all about human dignity and how that dignity should be upheld.
For many Muslims, however, Islamic ideals are often subservient to tribal custom. Honour killings and forced marriages are tribal practices. Among certain tribes in Asia, honour is asso ciated with women: izzat, as honour is called in Urdu, is quite literally located on the female body. Thus, women have to be guarded, protected and passed on to another member of the tribe. A woman dishonours her family and tribe if her body is violated - even by force. The shame can be cleansed only by killing the body in question.
Such primitively brutal ideas are not uncommon among British Muslims hailing from tribal areas of India, Pakistan and the Middle East. Brit ish Asians perpetuate tribal customs through what is known as the biradari system. This system, much in evidence in Asian communities in the Midlands, combines caste and honour with notions of blind loyalty to the clan. To guard the honour of a clan, marriages take place strictly within a biradari. These are not marriages of arrangement by mutual consent, but forced marriages where one partner is coerced into a union - sometimes both.
The first step to dealing with honour killings is to criminalise forced marriage. The Home Office is supposed to be drawing up an action plan to tackle these killings and improve police response, but before anything else we need to prevent victims from becoming victims. Making forced marriage illegal will send a strong message to those who maintain this obnoxious tribal custom that it has no place in contemporary Britain. It will also encourage potential victims to come forward and report the crime.
There is equally a need, I think, for a national strategy to identify potential victims. Schools, for example, ought to be able to recognise which girls are most likely to be victims of forced marriage by their background. Airport staff should be able to spot girls who are being forcibly carted off to India, Pakistan or Bangladesh to be married off to biradari cousins. The police must be able to offer potential victims adequate protection from any retribution.
Ultimately, honour killing is a conceptual phenomenon, and to beat this loathsome practice we need to undermine the very concept of tribal honour. The notion that honour has anything to do with the female body should be erased by the basic education of every Briton of Asian or Middle Eastern heritage. Tribal practices associated with honour bring not honour to biradari, clan, family and Islam, but disgrace.
Hello, On April 7th 2007, Kurdish teenager Du’a Khalil was brutally stoned to death by hundreds of men, including her uncle and some of her closest relatives. The crime was a so-called ’honour’ killing, occasioned by art student Du’a’s romantic relationship with a local shopkeeper. The event scandalised the world, as the perpetrators filmed the violence on their mobile phones, which footage found its way onto the internet, where the world could see the murderous glee of the crowd and the collaboration of security forces.
ICAHK is asking you to remember Du’a Khalil and the thousands of other victims of so-called ’honour’ this April 7th. What you can do: Find out more about Du’a Khalil
Spread the word Write a letter to your local papers, raising the issue of so-called ’honour’ killing.
Blog for Du’a Write a blog entry for Du’a Khalil on the 7th April, perhaps using one of our graphics available here, or post about her story on your forums
Contact the KRG Send an email to the Kurdistan Regional Government asking what progress there has been in finding and prosecuting Du’a’s killers and what they intend to do to reduce the rate of ’honour’ killings in Kurdistan (there have been at least 300 other victims since Du’a’s death.)
Tell someone about it Whether your friend, relative or workmate, use April 7th to tell Du’a’s story and highlight the inhumanity of ’honour’ killings across the world
Get together Organise an event to remember Du’a, whether its a candle-lit vigil or a private gathering to remember her. You can discuss ideas and get together in this thread and please send us your photographs.
Put up a poster Print out and put up a poster in your window to show that Du’a Khalil is not forgotten
Join the Facebook event A Facebook event has been created: click here to join.
Read a good book The anthology written in honour of Du’a Khalil Nothing But Red will be launched on April 7th with proceeds going to Equality Now If you have any other suggestions about how to mark this terrible anniversary, please contact us.
Best Regards, International Campaign Against Honour Killings Staff
Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, a journalism student from Afghanistan was sentenced to death for downloading and distributing a report criticising the mistreatment of women. A religious court found him guilty of blasphemy. The Afghan Senate passed a motion confirming the death sentence on 30 January 2008. The motion was later withdrawn due to international pressure, giving Kambaksh the right to appeal the sentence.
Sayed has given his first interview since his arrest to The Independent newspaper in the UK which you can read on the following link:
The 'One Law For All' campaign has been set up by Diana Nammi and IKWRO (Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation).
"We ask our political representatives to respect and protect women's constitutionally and internationally protected human rights by ensuring access to a single, uniform family law regime. Equally, we ask that religious freedoms of the majority not be confined to the interpretation of a limited few".
Please show your support and sign the One Law For All--NOSHARIA.ORG.UK petition on the following link.
The true extent of so-called "honour" crime is being underestimated by the government, the Centre for Social Cohesion think-tank claims.
Based on some 80 interviews, its report says forced marriage, imprisonment and "honour" killings are not restricted to first generation immigrant families.
Report author Salam Hafez said this was "being perpetuated within second and third immigrant generations".
The Home Office said an action plan to address the issue was being developed.
The report, entitled Crimes of the Community, is based on interviews with women’s groups, community activists and victims of "honour"-based violence.
It argues that the extent of such violence against men and women is underestimated by the government, police and local services, and political correctness is preventing the authorities from tackling the issue.
Quote:: I don’t really see anything happening from within the community - from leaders, or from mosques - to help Gina Khan
Women’s activists who sere interviewed said teachers, police and local authorities were afraid to take action to stop honour-based violence for fear of being called "racist" or "Islamophobic".
They also said radical Islamic groups have sought to limit the activities of women’s groups.
According to the report, ethnic and religious segregation is fuelling "honour"-based violence.
Groups dealing with women from minority communities - particularly in the Midlands and northern England - claimed segregation is entrenching certain attitudes, fuelling violence against women.
’Overlooked’ crimes
Mr Hafez told the BBC the idea of honour was still important to younger members of immigrant families.
He said: "This phenomenon is kind of being perpetuated within second and third immigrant generations. And it’s a cultural thing, and it exists, and it’s going on. We’re talking about forced marriage, we’re talking about ideals, and you know, largely, it’s been overlooked."
Fellow report author James Brandon said the findings showed that "the government is still not taking honour crime seriously".
"Until this happens, the ideas of honour which perpetuate this violence will continue to be passed from generation to generation," he said, calling on religious leaders, local authorities and central government to work together to tackle the issue.
Quote:: We are developing a cross-government action plan to tackle honour based violence which includes, forced marriage, honour killings and female genital mutilation Home Office
His assertion was backed by Gina Khan who campaigns against forced marriages and the mistreatment of women.
Birmingham-based Ms Khan told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she was "manipulated into an arranged marriage" at the age of 16 during a holiday to Pakistan.
"When I wanted to get out of the marriage, that’s where I was told that if I decided to divorce him, I would be excommunicated from the family, which I was for a year or so," she said.
And, on the wider issue of combating this issue, she went on: "I don’t really see anything happening from within the community - from leaders, or from mosques - to help."
Raising awareness
A Home Office spokesman said the government welcomed the report, is "determined to tackle honour based violence" and would be "taking action to ensure that any gaps in services can be filled".
He said: "We are developing a cross-government action plan to tackle honour based violence which includes, forced marriage, honour killings and female genital mutilation.
"The plan is being developed with Acpo and other criminal justice system agencies and aims to improve the response of police and other agencies, to all forms of honour-based violence and ensure that victims are encouraged to come forward with the knowledge that they will receive the help and support they need."
The spokesman said the plan would also address the issue of raising awareness, improving training, and monitoring in communities and professional bodies.
