Jacobabad, Pakistan: Despite tall claims made by successive governments, the state of women in the country, particularly in Sindh remains unchanged where nearly 250 women are executed in the name of honour every year. Honour killing is the name given to murders where the offender claims the victim, usually a woman, has brought his family into disgrace.

In many cases, the victims held properties that the male members of their families did not wish to lose if the women chose to marry outside the family. Unfortunately, most such cases went unreported in the past. But a new trend of reporting such matters to the relevant authorities is emerging fast.

On Friday, a man lodged an FIR against his father accusing him of killing his innocent teenaged daughter on the pretext of karo-kari in Lal Khan Panhor village in Thul.

Thirteen-year-old Hanifan was at her home when her father, suspecting her of having an affair with her cousin, Mohammad Salah Banglani, strangled her to death. Later, the man, Mohammad Khan, surrendered himself to the Thul police and confessed to having killed his daughter.

Consequently, the victim's brother, Araz Mohammad, lodged an FIR against his father stating that his sister was innocent and had been murdered in cold blood.

The police handed over the body to relatives after a post-mortem examination conducted at the Thul hospital.

Observers may recall that only a few weeks back a man had also lodged an FIR against his son in a similar case.

Moula Buksh Lohar of Jafarabad had stated in the FIR registered at the Miranpur police station of Garhi Khairo area, that his son, Ghulam Shabbir, had a monetary dispute with Sobho Katohar. After an exchange of hot words with Sobho Katohar, his son came home and shot his wife dead. Later, he also gunned down Sobho Katohar and accused both the victims of having an affair, which Moula Buksh Lohar
insisted was fabricated by his son.

With the reporting of the second such case, it is hoped that a day will dawn soon when this heinous tradition will become a thing of the past.

Source:
Ferhan Mazher
Chairman (Rays of Development Organization, Sargodha, Pakistan)

At the moment I’m watching a documentary called True Stories: Forbidden Lies – about Norma Khouri. It’s an Australian documentary about a book written by Ms Khouri that she presented as truth, about a friend of hers who was killed in an honour killing. Apparently it’s all bollocks [to be SO colloquial]. The argument that appears to be going on is that Khouri is saying how she’s helped women to escape the regime of Jordan – however – there are women from Jordan who are trying to explode the lies, are ‘sick to death’ of being ‘wrongly portrayed’ in the media. At first, I thought, regardless of whether the book was a fabrication or not, she was helping people. But looking at the women of Jordan, they seem very happy with who they are and their freedom. I’m not sure, I don’t know enough about it. Apparently ‘honour killings’ are still occurring and that there are women who help them – so does it matter if it’s a invention?

Hmmm … I do find documentaries absolutely compelling. I’d much rather watch a documentary than a feature film any day. When I taught A Level Media Studies, I did a unit on documentary. Some students enjoyed it, others hate d it. But I got so passionate about ‘the creative treatment of actuality’ that occurs in documentaries, that I didn’t really care whether they enjoyed it or not! Ha ha … actually that’s not true. I tried to make sure that I included documentaries that they would enjoy watching . My part of our HOOGE DVD library is mainly documentaries – for some reason – the more depressing the better! Ha ha … actually that’s not true … but I do find them really exciting! Students used to moan that they could never watch another wildlife documentary again after I’d taught them – they’d constantly be looking for animorphious references.

So, while I’m writing this, I thought I’d give you my documentary recommendations:

Capturing the Friedmans – Quite a compelling documentary created using interviews and archive footage from The Friedmans’ own tapes. The father and youngest son were accused of child abuse – and the documentary shows the collapse of the family through their own eyes. They taped all their conversations, arguments, trials and tribulations. It’s a tough watch, but worth watching simply because of the way in which they have compiled the documentary and the story itself. In some ways it’s like watching an extended version of The Jerry Springer Show – which isn’t the best recommendation – however I do totally recommend it as a completely compelling story.

Aileen – By one of my favourite documentary film makers – Nick Broomfield. There are two documentaries about Aileen Wournos, the female serial killer who killed her ‘John’s’ and was eventually executed for the crimes. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen ‘Monster’ with Charlize Theron? She played Aileen Wournos (very well in fact) and if you watch the documentaries AND the film, you will really really wonder what the fuck is wrong with the USA (if you’re not wondering already) that they could execute a mentally unstable woman. Heartbreaking.

Paradise Lost I and II – You may have seen me mention the West Memphis Three on Facebook before – these documentaries are about them. The first documentary was commissioned by HBO when they heard about three teenage ‘metallers’ in Arkansas who had been accused of the ritualistic killings of three 8 year old boys. The first documentary is compelling as you really are not completely sure whether the three boys did commit the murders – however – when Berlinger and Sinofsky returned for Paradise Lost II, they approached it with the belief that the boys were innocent. Honestly, you HAVE to watch these documentaries – if you don’t watch the documentaries at least go to the website: www.wm3.net. I cannot believe that Damien Echols is STILL on death row, he was put there when he was 18, when I was 18, and he’s still there. All this life I’ve lived, and he’s been locked away for something I’m 99.9% sure he didn’t do [there always has to be slight doubt doesn’t there?].

One Day In September – A film by Kevin McDonald about ‘Black September’ – the Palestinian group who held Jewish athletes hostage at the Munich Olympic Games, and then killed them [Munich – by Stephen Spielberg is about the apparent Mossad hunt to take revenge on the terrorists]. The documentary is edited like a thriller. Even though you know the outcome, you are still caught up in the roller coaster ride. What is most gripping is the absolute inadequacies of the Germans in dealing with the situation. They were SO desperate to show that they were no longer the heavy-handed force that they once were during the war that they behaved ineffectually.

Touching From A Distance – Another documentary by Kevin McDonald – instead of relying on archive footage and interviews for this one – he staged re-enactments and interviews with the protagonists to move the story along. I really think that Kevin McDonald is an awesome documentary film-maker – he really knows how to grip his audience. This film is about two guys who tried to climb the Sierra Madre in Peru [I think that’s what it’s called] – and had an accident. I won’t go into the whole story – in case you do watch it – but again – COMPLETELY compelling. The characters are wholly uncompassionate but you can’t help wanting to know their stories.

DIG! – I LOVE this documentary so much – it just makes me laugh – especially the line ‘You broke my fucking sitar man’ [not sure I’ve quoted this entirely correctly but you get the idea]. This documentary was filmed over 9 years, charting the successes and collapses of the bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. As you probably know, The Dandy Warhols became fairly successful [especially in the UK] whereas The BJM imploded due to their insanity and ‘creative differences’. However, I definitely prefer BJM compared to the Dandies, they should have been SO much bigger, but the lead singer, Anton is a complete mentalist! You HAVE to watch this, even if you don’t like the music, because it’s just so fascinating.

Ok – some other documentaries (without my blurb):

Grizzly Man

Dogtown and Z-Boys

Dark Days

Supersize Me

Manufacturing Dissent [watch in conjunction with any Michael Moore documentaries – I still like Michael Moore but the guy definitely takes ‘the creative treatment of actuality’ to its full degree]

Nanook of the North [probably the first feature length documentary ever made]

Courtney and Kurt

Tupac and Biggie

Murderball

Jesus Camp

Any documentary by Jon Ronson – my favourite journalist.

J

Well there you go, the Polly guide to the world of documentaries J I’m always looking for new ones to watch so if you have any recommendations, let me know!

I’ve now got about another hour of this documentary about Khouri to watch – it’s intriguing. I’m not sure if she’s full of shit or not. She’s said that obviously a lot of the story is fabricated to ‘protect the innocent’ – and she ‘doesn’t want her [her friend who was killed] real name going public’ – however – if you’re desperate to prove that you’ve spoken the truth and to avenge the woman’s death then do it. Then be truthful. Surely? I guess I don’t understand the situation in Jordan. Now the woman is saying that the killing happened 8 years later – so it’s completely fucked up. I really don’t understand what is going on with this woman – it’s sad that she’s exploiting something so personal and painful for some people – and there seems to be little proof to her story. Hmmmmmmmm. I can go online for free after midnight so I’ll have to look up some more about this when I can.

Hmm, ok, now the woman who started the campaign against the writer, has just said that the ‘arabs’ who committed the September 11^th atrocities were [in HER quote marks] “evil” – ie: suggesting that they weren’t. She said the same about Saddam Hussein – I’m sorry – but they WERE evil. I’m not saying that the Western world isn’t evil but the bombers and Hussein WERE evil. Sorry – I’m giving you a blow by blow account of this documentary and you’ve probably seen it! –

Iactually think this woman is quite mental. She’s said that if she returns to Jordan her father would kill her – but they’ve just interviewed her with the father – and he seems fine. He said that he was strict … but he doesn’t seem like the potential murderer that she said he is.

Well – I didn’t know what to think at the end of the documentary. In fact, was I really meant to come to a conclusion? The interviewer/ film-maker seemed to get very angry with Khouri, and the ending was most interesting – by using a very, seemingly elaborate backdrop, they showed up the sham of the ‘talking heads’ part of the documentary – suggesting perhaps that everyone enjoys playing with reality????? Quite interesting.

By Rauf Klasra

ISLAMABAD: The federal government took a bold initiative on Friday in a bid to stop indiscriminate killings of women in the name of honour as inspector-generals of the four provinces have now been proposed in clear words to start invoking Anti-terrorism Act of 1997 (ATA) on the pattern of gang-rape against women murderers in the future.

The provincial chiefs have also been told that police officers should become complainant in the FIRs to discourage reconciliation in the courts. The federal government has also made a bold confession in its communication in the name of inspector-generals of police and bosses of the interior ministry that "one thing which has come out clear is the abdication of responsibility by the state".

Former Balochistan IG Tariq Khosa, who is now heading the National Police Bureau (NPB), and is head of the Gender Crimes Centre at Islamabad, has suggested steps which might help control rising trend of violence against women in the society.

The sacrifice of innocent Baloch women buried alive in the desert seems to have finally convinced authorities at Islamabad that this was the time to act and should apply a zero tolerance in dealing with the crimes against women.

The unprecedented code for the police chief has been written by Tariq Khosa after attending a meeting of the Senate committee on human rights in parliament and one in the office of Information Minister Sherry Rehman.

The two-page letter was sent to the IGs of the four provinces along with its copies to Adviser on Interior Rehman Malik and Senate body chief SM Zafar. Tariq Khosa is presently monitoring the issue of burial of women in Balochistan and this two-page letter, which he had drafted, might give a new direction to the police to deal with honour killing cases on modern lines.

As genuinely worried about the rising violence against women, Tariq Khosa seems to have tried to revive the lost morale and confidence of the police force to deal with the issue of violence against women.

Meanwhile, in his report to the four provincial chiefs, Tariq Khosa writes that recent media exposure of an honour killing case of district Nasirabad, Balochistan has generated a national debate on the reprehensible practice of honour killings.

The Senate committee on human rights debated on the reprehensible practice of honour killing, while the committee also took up the issue and the Federal Minister for Women Development has held a meeting of relevant stakeholders in this regards.

Khosa writes that one thing which has come out clear is the abdication of responsibility by the state. The police have to shoulder major responsibility in the prevention against and investigations and prosecution of the perpetrators of violence against women.

Khosa writes: "As secretary of National Public Safety Commission and member of the National Police Management Board, I implore you to act. Police has been like a silent spectator, helpless against this feudal and primitive mindset. Let us become proactive and take the initiative as leaders of the law enforcement and come down hard against all the influential people who support this medieval practice." In his report to the provinces, Tariq Khosa has recommended: "Let police or a government official become complainant in FIRs to be recorded in case of honour killing."

He reminded the police force: "Don't you remember one line FIR of murder cases recorded by SHOs before independence during the British era? On receipt of information, the police best officer may record FIR and proceed to record evidence. This will help the police in avoiding a cooked up version of killers and perpetrators of murders of our women folk."

Likewise, Khosa writes: "All honour killing cases must be declared special report cases in which progress will be personally monitored by the district police officers and DIGs. Let the DPOs hold meeting with the district judges and request them not to allow compromise during the stage of trial of the cases of honour killing. A victim mother is contracted to forgive the killer husband or son in our special environment. Let police and the judiciary try to discourage such practices.

"I propose to invoke Anti-terrorism Act 1997 in cases of honour killing. If gang-rape is an act of terror, why cold blood killings of women can't be pursued as gruesome acts creating panic and terror in our society?" Khosa told the provincial police chiefs.

"Laws enacted through parliament reflect the collective will and wisdom of the people. It is time now to request legislators to display political will and provide leadership in helping reduce violence against women in our society."

Khosa wrote: "Gender Crime Centre in the National Police Bureau will prepare a monthly assessment of violence against women, particularly cases of honour killings and post reports on NBR Web site. Kindly direct the additional IGs, DIGs of investigations and crimes branch to send monthly reports to GCC."

"This is the least we can do for the women of Pakistan who will respect the police if we show empathy. Mistrust that they have for the police can gradually lead to the trust and support, provided we are willing to make an effort," Khosa wrote. "I hope you will try and make a difference," he concluded in the letter sent to all concerned at the federal and provincial level.

thenews.com.pk

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to amend laws to check the increasing number of killing in the name of honour, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said on Wednesday.

She told reporters after attending a high-level meeting that the state would be the complainant in honour killing cases in the future. The minister added that amendments were required in the relevant law passed by the previous government. Sherry said that gender crime cells would be set up at the central and provincial levels to ensure legal assistance to female victims. She said that the law minister had been asked to formulate recommendations for amendments in the relevant laws.

The information minister confirmed reports that two women were buried alive in Balochistan in the name of honour. The families of the women had also consented to become complainants in the case, she said.

Sherry said that she had personally spoken to officials in Balochistan about the incident of the maltreatment with Firdous Bibi in Sui and had demanded an explanation. Law Minister Farooq Naik, Interior Secretary Kamal Shah, Law Secretary Agha Rafique and police officials participated in the meeting.

Sherry, who also has the portfolio the Women Development Ministry, chaired the meeting.

dailytimes.com.pk

By Rauf Klasra

ISLAMABAD: Former adviser to the ex-premier Zafarullah Khan Jamali and now the absconding district Nazim of Naseerabad, Fateh Ali Umrani, broke his two months silence on Saturday and confirmed the killing of two of his women relatives in the name of honour.

He, however, added that he would use his own resources to deal with PPP Minister Sadiq Umrani, who had actually unleashed a campaign against him, as he was not involved in this crime at all.

"Listen, this is against my traditions to use the forum of media to malign or target Sadiq Umrani, as he is doing now against me. I will deal with him in my own style," said a defiant Fateh Umrani while talking to The News by telephone.

"I am not talking about Sadiq only because my tribesmen would not appreciate, if I start targeting Sadiq and his brother Abdul Sattar in the whole affair, so I would not comment on their conduct," he said.

He said he had defeated Sadiq Umrani in the polls four times and they had an old political enmity.

Giving his side of the story, Fateh Umrani defended his own role in the whole affair, which had shocked the country.

On Friday, Balochistan IG Asif Nawaz had claimed during the proceedings of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights that Fateh was not traceable since the incident occurred in his area.

Fateh told The News that this was a big lie that he had escaped, as the police never contacted him for seeking an explanation with regard to the killing of the women.

When asked whether he would voluntarily reply to the police questions, Umrani replied that he would not meet the cops, as they were posted there on the directives of Sadiq Umrani, who was now trying to implicate him to settle his own old enmity with him.

"Listen, I don't want to attack my political opponents who are now propagating against me in the media or using the police against me, as my clan would not appreciate that. I will deal with them in my own way," Umrani said.

Giving details of the shocking story, Fateh Umrani said actually the two women, who happened to be his relatives, were declared "Kaali" after it was confirmed that they had illicit relations with people of a different tribe.

He said both the women were killed on the spot and it was untrue that a Jirga was held to decide their fate, as was claimed by the police and reported widely in the media.

He categorically denied the holding of any family Jirga and said now, the police officials sitting in Quetta were giving statements after torturing the four accused, who were in their custody.

He confirmed that the police had arrested the right people who had actually killed those women.

When asked if those girls were Kaalis, then where were those men with whom they were caught, he replied that actually, both the men had fled, so only the women were punished.

Fateh confirmed that this was a case of honour killing but said it was untrue that the women were buried alive.

He, however, admitted that this case was not reported to the police as such honour killings were not reported to the police by the tribesmen concerned.

When asked why the father/husbands of those girls had approached the police to get registered a case, Fateh said this was untrue as no one had approached the police to get the case registered.

He said actually, the police were not informed about these killings as since the conversion of this area from B to A, the body of a murdered person had to be taken to Dera Murad Jamali for post-mortem. So, to avoid this long police formality, those women were buried without the incident being brought to the notice of the police, he added.

When asked if he was innocent, then why he disappeared from his area after the tragedy struck, he replied that he was in a city for medical treatment.

He accused the media of blowing the whole issue out of proportion as now, every TV channel was just focusing on this issue as if such kind of honour killing had only taken place in Balochistan.

He questioned why did the same media not reported such honour killings when it took place in the Punjab and Sindh where women were being killed in a similar fashion. But, he regretted, no one was talking about them at all. “Why only we are being targeted and maligned,” he asked.

thenews.com.pk

Participants of the rally comprising some 300 youth walked through Rexer Line, Old Golimar, Sangho Lane and culminated at Gutter Baghicha.

They were chanting slogans against the cold blooded murder of women in Balochistan as well as against the practice of honour killing itself which they maintained was a tool to exploit marginalized sections of the society.

The participants also carried placards inscribed with slogans against perpetrators of the crime and demand to bring to task the murderers Sahar Foundation Trust Chairman Iftikhar Ghizali regretted the queer silence of religious leaders against the incident in Balochistan and people involved in the crime.

He said those threatening to stage long march and disrupt routine life also appeared to be indifferent towards an extremely serious issue with dire consequence for women-folk of the country. Zarina Baloch of Lyari Friends' Organization (Women's Wing) said Balochs are protectors of honour and not its exploiters.

"It is the manipulative sardars who have adopted brutal tactics to create scare and maintain their hold on simpleton and hapless individuals," she commented.

The activist took strong exception to inability of women legislators in the decision making bodies, selected on reserved seats, to expose Sardars (tribal chiefs) and feudal lords.

(The Post)

I remember coming across an article in the National Geographic investigating cases of honour killing in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Honour killing particularly takes place in these countries because of strong Muslim influence that requires utmost conservative behaviour. Women are not allowed to speak to other men who are not relatives, their ankles must not be shown and the mere suspicion of committing adultery can have disastrous effects on their appearances and lives. The article was accompanied by a video which followed very closely several of these families which subjected their wives to such ‘corrective’ measures. One case study showed a woman who had had acid poured over her face, based on suspicion that she was cheating on her husband. Another was subjected to stoning because she eloped with a man from another community.

Naturally, this has had women rights groups taking up arms against these acts. The Kurdish Women’s Action Against Honour Killings (KWAHK) and Women Action Forum (WAF) are some of these groups which conduct counselling as well as education programmes for women in their respective societies. Some have even brought the matter up in legislative circles, and tried to push for improved women’s rights, naturally stirring up much discontent. Their actions have been deemed as ‘shameful’ and ‘dishonourable’ to their families.

It is especially so in these societies that one can observe the inequality of women in society. It is in these conservative Muslim societies that one can truly evince the helplessness of women. Women are mainly uneducated and left to the arbitrary judgments of the men in the house, who sometimes use them to vent frustrations and emotions due to, for instance, an inability to keep a job or bad economic conditions. Women are also almost always subjected to the tradition of keeping the house. This fixes the stereotypical role of women as being the homemaker, taking care of the children and the upkeep of the house. Education is deemed as wasted on them and thus, they are often left illiterate and unaware of the rights that they possess, exacerbating their already poor position in society.

In this respect, it is my opinion that women who are willing to go against the grain and work to educate their counterparts in these countries are taking on a burden that puts not only themselves but their families in danger, especially being in a society which requires submission from women. They need to sustain a belief among themselves that is not widely supported at all and have to work doubly hard to rise up in society.

In a developed country such as Singapore, women complain of being passed over for promotions or being dropped by their companies after taking an extended period of maternity leave. By drawing parallel lines to the situation in these Muslim societies which practice honour killing, this is our modern form of discrimination against women. In a modern society, women are generally better educated and have an awareness of their rights and roles in society. They subscribe to the notion that whatever men can do, they can do too and accomplish it either as well or better than them (for example, in housekeeping). Yet, it is an inherent fault of society that causes this imbalance in society to be unresolved.

The inequality of women is not due to poorer education or less knowledge of rights. Rather, it is the mentality of society that hinders the progression of the resolution of this problem. What is required of society is not greater widespread education, rather a change in mentality. In a poll conducted by The Straits Times last year, an increased proportion of men proved to be receptive to having a female prime minister. This reflects a greater openness to the role and ability of females, which is the right direction society is taking.

In conclusion, despite greater education and representation of women’s rights in governments, it seems that inequality of women is prevalent in both developing and developed countries, albeit one very blatantly and the other in subtle nuances. Better education and representation is not the factor that needs to be altered, rather it is society’s mentality that needs to be. Men need to be more secure and open, if uncomfortable, to women rising up in society and women need to start believing in themselves.

Recently, in Riyadh, a young woman was killed by her father, a Saudi man working with the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, or Religious Police, because she converted to Christianity. The girl, who used several nicknames, including, Rania, wrote several blog posts regarding her religious conversion, and indicating her life had become an ordeal after her other family members had grown suspicious following a religious discussion with them.  Sources close to the victim indicated that Rania’s father apparently cut the tongue of the girl and burned her to death following a heated debate on religion.

The death of the girl sent shockwaves through the internet community, and the websites where the victim used to write her posts have allocated special space to mourn her, “While some others closed temporarily in protest.”

It has been common practice for Saudi religious scholars to warn against the dangers of Christian websites and satellite TV channels, which they claim, attract Muslim youngsters to change their religion.  Muslim leaders have determined partaking of such dangerous multi-media is against the teachings of Islam.

The “Free Copts” website published a message which it received from a friend of the victim, revealing that the killer, her Father, is in police custody and that he is being investigated for an honour related crime.

http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi ... 36558.html

A Question of Honour

By Farah El Alfy
First Published: August 14, 2008

What would you do if you found out the girl you love is not a virgin?” scriptwriter Amal Fawzy asks a university student in Cairo.

“I would leave her,” the student answers.

“And what if it was you she lost her virginity to, in a moment of weakness?” continues Fawzy.

“I would never marry her,” the young man replied confidently.

The eternal question of honor (‘ird or sharaf in Arabic) was lingering in the air at the screening of director Saad Hindawy’s new documentary “Malaf Khas” (A Special Report) which premiered last Sunday at the Cairo Opera House’s Artistic Creativity center.

Hindawy approached Fawzy with the idea of the project in 2001. Since then, the pair has been working on the documentary, interviewing random people in Cairo, Alexandria and Minya, as well as experts and professionals in order to understand how Egyptians perceive the concept of honor.

Most of the answers Hindawy and Fawzy received highlighted the narrow perspective which ties a woman’s honor to her virginity — a rule that accepts no exceptions.

This opinion was evident in both men’s and women’s answers.

Mothers go to extreme lengths to protect their daughters’ virginity. They act as chaperons, accompanying their daughters on dates with their fiancés, if they agree to let them out in the first place. One mother from rural Egypt says her presence is required to “keep the devil away.”

Even if it wasn’t the woman’s fault — if she was a rape victim, for instance — the social stigma persists.

Middle-class men said that they would break up with a girl if they found out she is not a virgin, even if they are in love. Why? “She lost her honor,” one correspondent said.

Fathers from rural areas, interviewed for the documentary, said a girl who has been raped deserves to die. They do not regard her as a victim, but as an embarrassment and a shame in their closed, unforgiving communities.

Really, what can I say that hasn’t been said countless times before? In my opinion, however, there is more to this than plain, simple traditionalism.

The recent “renaissance” of adhering to the most orthodox strains of Islam amongst the Muslim population, often emulating trends and traditions of the Gulf region may also be adding fuel to this fire. After all, many other rural traditions are dying out, yet not this.

As increasing numbers of young Egyptian men leave Egypt to work on the construction sites of the Arabian peninsula, I expect this trend, along with other cultural and social imports shall continue, just as the hijab, which once seemed on the way out, has made a return.

In the film, sexologist Dr Heba Kotb recalls the story of a girl who was born with a defective hymen, too thick that it constricts menstrual blood in her body.

The girl’s stomach was continually growing, so her father took her to the doctor assuming she was pregnant. The doctor reassured him that she is a virgin, and that her bloated stomach was the result of accumulated menstrual blood.

A simple medical procedure would have solved the problem. This, however, required puncturing her hymen to allow the natural flow of menstrual blood.

“So on her wedding night will she bleed?” asked the father. The answer was no, yet as Kotb explained, if the operation is not performed the girl will lose her life. “Let her die with her honor,” replied the father.

The girl died shortly afterwards.

I would be interested to know what Sheikh Abdelfattah Allam would have to say to this “pious” father. I expect such a situation would reduce even the most mild man of religion to using four letter words.

One day Egypt shall heal the deep wounds inflicted upon it by cultural stagnation, and the imported religious fervour that these acts sometimes hide behind. I yearn for this in my heart. But, deep down, I know it will not come within my years. The ideal lifetime is 110 years, so the texts say. But a lifetime for a person, even one of 110 years, is often little more than a single line in the history books of Egypt. I just hope that Hindawy's noble effort is a drop in the river that may yet restore life to the land.

For now, however, the Fourth Intermediate Period continues.

This a Bollywood film, boss?" asks the Asian market trader, hoisting himself up between his okra and his pineapples. At Birmingham's vegetable market, Bollywood producer Vivek Agrawal, stubbled and in Prada glasses, is telling curious Asians and beige-slacked pensioners that this is a public awareness film. "You have to be careful because there's unruly people out there," he says. "The other day they were shouting 'action' and 'cut'."

It is actually Agrawal's first foray into social realism, or "arthouse" cinema, as he describes it. He's chosen honour killings as the focus for Land, Gold, Women, the first Bollywood feature film on this controversial subject. The low-budget indie will be shot over the next four weeks in Birmingham - the city's ethnically mixed population, says Agrawal, is perfect for the film's cross-cultural themes.

Land, Gold, Women - named after the three elements in which tribal honour is preserved - centres on a relatively liberal Asian family in Britain. Seventeen-year-old Saira plans to study literature at university, when she'll have more time with her white boyfriend, David. Her dad, Dr Nazir Khan, is a university professor. Her mum, Rizwana, speaks only Urdu throughout the film. Nazir's conflict about his daughter's potential stray from her roots is agitated by the arrival of his strict elder brother Riyaaz from India. Riyaaz brings a marriage proposal from a family back home. No is not an option. The ending is grisly.

More:

Her husband was also admitted with bad burns to both hands. On his release from treatment, he was to spend a less than wonderful 14 hours in a Police cell not of his choice because as the only other adult in the house at the time, it was felt that he might just have had something to do with his wifes' condition.

It is amazing how quickly assumption can set in. When I did a countback on day one of her painful road to death, she had been asked the same question by the ambulance paramedic, two doctors, two police officers and four nurses. They all asked "Who did this to you?" and to each and every one, she replied along the lines of "Nobody, I did it to myself. I want to die." I don't think any of them entirely believed her.

In the following weeks we had a number of anonymous phone calls from people who wanted us to know that just before the lady was set on fire, her husband was seen by a friend of a friend going into the house with a petrol can. There were also anonymous calls that there were rumours that after we bailed him, he had made admissions to setting his wife on fire to un-named friends I got the job of chasing these vital and informative leads down.

As the "Blue Mackrel" count got to the point where either he had done it or someone was trying their best to fit him up, I did a bit of background. Turns out the unfortunate husband was a nephew of "An Important Community Leader." Turns out the information came from relatives and friends of "A Slightly Less Important and Not At All Bitter About It Community Leader." The rumours of confession were a time absorbing utter dead end. I never did find the person who saw the husband with the petrol can either. Not very surprising as her accelerant of choice was bar-b-q lighting fluid. I say her accelerant of choice because the scene and the forensics told their own sad tale. Depressed but not taking her medication for some weeks, she had gone to the loft, fetched down the bottle of lighter fluid and drenched herself in the bathroom. From there, she went to the main bedroom where a number of burned out matches on the carpet by the bed told their own tale of either frustrated failure or failure of nerve. More dead matches on the stair but no signs of ignition until we get to the kitchen.  She used a gas ring.

Well alight, she ran into the living room where her husband and two children were watching Saturday morning TV. Too late already, her husband knocked her to the floor and beat out the flames with his bare hands. Thats how he got the burns.  One child fetched a bucket of cold water and poured it over her. Another fetched the phone for the father which brings us back to where we came in.

I guess it is a lesson about a little learning being a dangerous thing. Everyone pushed the honour killing button straight away because everybody reads about honour killing and far fewer read about the actual suicide rates. You can usually tell one from the other, it just takes time, care and investigation.

Requiring Context

"I don't regret it. I had the support of all my friends who are fathers, like me, and know what she did was unacceptable to any Muslim that honours his religion"

"I have only two boys from now on. That girl was a mistake in my life. I know God is blessing me for what I did"

After his release he was given money by a local politician to dissapear for some time, until the case will be forgotten. This became a custom for the last 30 honor killings since January 2008.
His wife and mother of the girl, decided to divorce her husband and is in hiding, fearing for her life. She was severly beaten by her husband, after delivering the news about wanting a divorce, her arm is broken as an effect.

"Now, my lovely Rose is in her grave. But, God will make her father pay, either in this world ... or in the world after."

I thought that the honor killings are executed only in the case of adultery, fornication, but not after a talk. if the same law would be measured toward the man in Islam, there would be real shortage of men. The craziest thing is that the whole society is set for these types of situations, so the murderers will not be persecuted, but protected by others, including government officials. Somebody do something!!!

The whole article here.

Read more: Facebook can kill you

Update from Ellen R. Sheeley in the comments below: the mother of the victim was murdered in the mid May.

At first glance Shawbo Ali Rauf appears to be slumbering on the grass, her pale brown curls framing her face, her summer skirt spread about her. But the awkward position of her limbs and the splattered blood reveal the true horror of the scene.

The 19-year-old Iraqi was, according to her father, murdered by her own in-laws, who took her to a picnic area in Dokan and shot her seven times. Her crime was to have an unknown number on her mobile phone. Her "honour killing" is just one in a grotesque series emerging from Iraq, where activists speak of a "genocide" against women in the name of religion.

In the latest such case, it was reported yesterday that a 17-year-old girl, Rand Abdel-Qader, was stabbed to death last month by her father for becoming infatuated with a British soldier serving in southern Iraq.

In Basra alone, police acknowledge that 15 women a month are murdered for breaching Islamic dress codes. Campaigners insist it is a conservative figure.

Violence against women is rampant, rising every day with the power of the militias. Beheadings, rapes, beatings, suicides through self-immolation, genital mutilation, trafficking and child abuse masquerading as marriage of girls as young as nine are all on the increase.

Du'a Khalil Aswad, 17, from Nineveh, was executed by stoning in front of mob of 2,000 men for falling in love with a boy outside her Yazidi tribe. Mobile phone images of her broken body transmitted on the internet led to sectarian violence, international outrage and calls for reform. Her father, Khalil Aswad, speaking one year after her death in April last year, has revealed that none of those responsible had been prosecuted and his family remained "outcasts" in their own tribe.

"My daughter did nothing wrong," he said. "She fell in love with a Muslim and there is nothing wrong with that. I couldn't protect her because I got threats from my brother, the whole tribe. They insisted they were gong to kill us all, not only Du'a, if she was not killed. She was mutilated, her body dumped like rubbish.

"I want those who committed this act to be punished but so far they have not, they are free. Honour killing is murder. This is a barbaric act."

Despite the outrage, recent calls by the Kurdish MP Narmin Osman to outlaw honour killings have been blocked by fundamentalists. "Honour killings are not actually a crime in the eyes of the government," said Houzan Mahmoud, who has had a fatwa on her head since raising a petition against the introduction of sharia law in Kurdistan. "If before there was one dictator persecuting people, now almost everyone is persecuting women.

"In the past five years it is has got [much] worse. It is difficult to described how terrible it is, how badly we have been pushed back to the dark ages. Women are being beheaded for taking their veil off. Self immolation is rising – women are left with no choice. There is no government body or institution to provide any sort of support. Sharia law is being used to underpin government rule, denying women their most basic human rights."

In August last year, the body of 11-year-old Sara Jaffar Nimat was found in Khanaqin, Kurdistan, after she had been stoned and burnt to death. Earlier this month, two brothers and a sister were kidnapped from their home near Kirkuk by gunmen in police uniforms. The brothers were beaten to death and the woman left in a critical condition after being informed that she must obey the rules of an "Islamic state". One week ago, a journalist, Begard Huseein, was murdered in her home in Arbil, northern Iraq. Her husband, Mohammed Mustafa, stabbed her because she was in love with another man, according to local reports.

The stoning death of Ms Aswad led to the establishment of an Internal Ministry unit in Kurdistan to combat violence against women. It reported that last year in Sulaymaniyah, a city of 1 million people, there were 407 reported offences, beheadings, beatings, deaths through "family problems", and threats of honour killings. Rape is not included as most women are too fearful to report it for fear of retribution. Nevertheless, police in Karbala recently revealed 25 reports of rape.

The new Iraqi constitution, according to Mrs Mahmoud, is a mass of confusing contradictions. While it states that men and women are equal under law it also decrees that sharia law – which considers one male witness worth two females – must be observed. The days when women could hold down key jobs or enjoy any freedom of movement are long gone. The fundamentalists have sent out too many chilling messages. In Mosul two years ago, eight women were beheaded in a terror campaign.

"It was really, really horrifying," said Mrs Mahmoud. "Honour killings and murder are widespread. Thousands [of people] ... have become victims of murder, violence and rape – all backed by laws, tribal customs and religious rules. We urge the international community, the government to condemn this barbaric practice, and help the women of Iraq."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
…this post forwarded by Windsor Humanist, Jimmy Mac, after an April 28, 2008 article by Terri Judd in The Independent

For Abdel-Qader Ali there is only one regret: that he did not kill his daughter at birth. 'If I had realised then what she would become, I would have killed her the instant her mother delivered her,' he said with no trace of remorse.

Two weeks after The Observer revealed the shocking story of Rand Abdel-Qader, 17, murdered because of her infatuation with a British soldier in Basra, southern Iraq, her father is defiant. Sitting in the front garden of his well-kept home in the city's Al-Fursi district, he remains a free man, despite having stamped on, suffocated and then stabbed his student daughter to death.
Abdel-Qader, a Shia, says he was released from the police station 'because everyone knows that honour killings sometimes are impossible not to commit'. Chillingly, he said: 'The officers were by my side during all the time I was there, congratulating me on what I had done.'

Source

Terrible story. He gloats about it and the police accept  his actions as being a 'necessity'.

I've come across some really Islamophobic stuff lately claiming a cause and effect relationship between Islam and Honour(less) killings. The usual "Islam sanctions honour(less) killings" ; "getting rid of Islam will get rid of honour(less) killings" rhetoric. I have to disagree. You'd be hard pressed to make a theological argument based on Islamic sources for honour(less) killings.

Its not just Muslims but Sikhs and Hindus who commit these crimes. Its rather pervasive in South Asia. The common factor is not Islam but a patriarchal and illiberal society . Islam is culpable though, in as much as it reinforces patriarchy. In my opinion mainstream interpretations of Islam in these regions do reinforce patriarchy and  therefore they are a part of the problem as they in part provide motivation and reinforcement for such acts. However, I find that it is misleading to say that the crux of the problem is Islam;its not; its patriarchy.

You most likely have read about this news already, as it has been reported by several media, but if not, I reproduce below the article from Simon Denyer at Reuters for your easy reference:

 A typical fairytale right? That is until her father catches her openly talking to her admirer. He suffocated the young girl to death before brutually attacking her with a knife, he then buried his daughter in an unmarked grave where her uncles spat on it in disgust.

This is for honour.

The young girl was Rand Abdel-Qader, she was only 17 years old. This devastating tale is far from isolated, this is only one of the number of 'honour' killings taking place today, which campaigners are calling the genocide of Iraq's women. More than 15 women a month are killed in Basra for breaching Islamic code, this repressing code can sentence you to death for forgetting to wear a veil or talking to another man.

A fortnight ago a well-respected journalist, Begard Huseein, 27, was stabbed to death by her estranged husband in Erbil. Her crime? Behaving 'immorally' with another man.

After Saddam Hussein's tyrannical regime the lives of Iraq women have become considerably worse. Self immolation (suicide through burning) is rising because these women are left with no choice. Iraq women are being imprisoned, crippled and killed in the name of religion. A faith which is meant to promote peace, hope and love.

A disturbing element of this is that the issue still remains taboo in the public domain. There are only a few organisations that are set up to help the problem. One of these is the establishment of a unit by the Internal Ministry unit in Kurdistan. It was set up in memory of Du'a Khalil Aswad, a 17 year old from nineveh who was stoned in front of a mob of 2,000 men. Unbelieveably this even included the police and her own relatives.

When is this repressive regime going to stop? And further more when will religion stop being the justification for these horrific and immoral acts? My teachings of the bible may be slightly different in practice but the fundamental principle remains the same and nothing in the bible states that innocent people should die for following their heart.

 It's time Britian should be made aware of the horrors of honour killing, it is not a case of out of sight out of mind. These horrific killings happen in Britain too, behind closed doors where these young womens lives are swept under the carpet. Justice is never served.

For further information or to help fight the campaign against these brutal killers visit contact The Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) via www.equalityiniraq.com.

The other day, Karnal was in the news, though not for its booming economy. A young woman, six months pregnant, had been killed by a group that included her father, and her body along with her lover's, was thrown out into the streets. Where they lay, until the police arrived and took them away. The media calls it an 'honour killing'. I call it a national shame.

The facts I have managed to gather seem a bit hazy. The young woman had been married against her wishes some years ago, though she was in love with another person. Her husband, finding out about this emotional infidelity, divorced her. After which, she chose to live with her lover and was now expecting a child with him. I don't know if the two got married, or they chose to ignore social convention. Either way, the village decided that by making this choice, they had brought dishonour to the entire community. And since dishonour is worse than death, it must be avenged with death.

What made my blood run cold was a news cast on NDTV channel yesterday. The panchayat, the local governing body that is elected from among the village, had decided to meet so they could 'save' the perpetrators of the heinous crime who were in jail and charged with murder. As the village 'elders' stood around, the reporter, a young woman, asked them about their view. "What happened was right," they said, one after another, not a wrinkle of sorrow on their brows. By the end of it, the young reporter was visibly shaken, as was I.

Karnal has an abysmal sex ratio -- 864 women to 1000 men. Which means it doesn't find it particularly dishonourable to do away with its female fetuses and infants because of their gender. In recent years, it like many other districts of Haryana and Punjab with skewed sex ratios, has witnessed a shortage of brides. Which are then bought like cattle from other parts of India.  

Honour, it seems, in this context doesn't really mean adherence to a set of personal ethics and values, of being upright in your conduct. Rather, it lies in what others (society, peers) think of you, how you come off according to set standards of behaviour. Needless to say, it is also a code of conduct that is heavily set against women, and where often, women are designated the repositories and conduits of honour. It is a code that will not brook any disagreement, that will not dialogue, that will eliminate dissent.

A link to a related article in the Indian Express:

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/308156.html 

Confirmation of this came only a few days later in the form of a gruesome "honour" killing.

Sunita's uncle declares:

''Police and the government is with the society. The whole village is with (the killers).''

The will of the majority is clear so should the killers go free? What if the entire country, the entire world agreed with Sunita's uncle? Should the killers still be punished?

It is not difficult to imagine that people who are not driven by clannish loyalties would answer that the killers should be punished.  They would be correct.  The responsibility for an act lies with the actors.  The worth of an idea however, is more difficult to judge until it's consequences are seen.

The idea behind this murder is that the majority can dispose of people as they see fit and the consequences are now visible.  Sunita was killed in effect, by everyone who holds the idea that the majority is always right.

"Sitting in the front garden of his well-kept home in the city's Al-Fursi district, he remains a free man, despite having stamped on, suffocated and then stabbed his student daughter to death".

Next, make sure your massively overdeveloped ego, completely disproportionate to your true worth in the World, is re-inforced by the culture in which you live:

"Astonishingly, he said, police congratulated him on what he had done. 'They are men and know what honour is,' he said".

Ok, those are the easy bits, but maybe you feel a bit icky about murdering your child just because you're embarrassed what other men will think of you? No problem! Just invent something that can't be argued against to justify your barbarity:

"I know God is blessing me for what I did".

Well done Ali! How on Earth would men be able to commit all these amazing atrocities if it wasn't for the idea of God to wash away their confidence and give them some overblown, self-righteous balls. And having balls is very important when murdering your 16 year old daughter. You have to remember us women have our role:

"That girl humiliated me in front of my family and friends. Speaking with a foreign soldier, she lost what is the most precious thing for any woman."

Speaking with a foreign soldier! What a slut! Didn't she know the most precious thing for any woman is not to do anything that might upset a man's fragile self-image. Especially in front of other men. Thank goodness men have their role too, to be brave and manly and strong:

"'My sons are by my side, and they were men enough to help me finish the life of someone who just brought shame to ours."

Doesn't it make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know there are guys "men enough" out there to carry their narrow-minded, state-supported, neanderthal religious backed fear of women to the point of vicious, barbaric murder?

Oh, and if you care, Rand Abdel-Qader spoke to the soldier because she studied English and was volunteering, helping displaced families. Her body was tossed into a makeshift grave and spat on afterwards. But, why would you care? She was only a woman.

Link to the Original Story here

How can you be moral without a god? My response is, how can you be moral with one? Especially one who is a genocidal psycho?!

It's often been asked of me: if I don't believe in god, why do I fight so hard against 'him'? This is why.

Everyone has been in love, and no one should die because of who they love, no matter who it is they've fallen for. If you would murder someone for loving someone else, you're not a man, you're a fucking pig. You're not a human being, you're an animal and deserve to die like one.

This seventeen year old girl (!!!my age!!!) had dreams, hopes, goals, et cetera of her own, and to have those all taken away from her because of something you call "honour", which I call fucking cowardice, you deserve to have yours taken away equally.

You can claim atheism breeds people like Stalin and Hitler, but they've never said "I'm an atheist, I'm going to kill people."

The truth is painfully obvious: this is what religion breeds. Death and destruction. There is no religion of peace worldwide. If there was no religion, humanity may actually love eachother and care as opposed to vehement hatred based on a book of text...

You can stop claiming your religion is peaceful, because none of them are. Every holy book I've seen commands to kill. Truth is, in Islam this was an honour killing. In Christianity, if your sons or daughters fall for anyone out of race, if they become apostates to the faith, et. al., you kill them. But you'd rather ignore that, wouldn't you?

There is nothing anyone can say in defense of this horrendus act! It makes me wish there were a hell this man could burn in -- and I'd happily burn with him.

Religion of Peace™ is a false positive: they're all full of death and destruction.

This is the face of Islam. She's dead. Daddy did it.

Rand Abdel-Qader was 17. She had a crush on a British soldier. She met him when she was a volunteer on a project. There was no actual relationship between the two of them. She hadn't even seen him since January, but her dad found out in mid-March that she had been seen talking to him. One of her friends told him.

No doubt feeling fatherly concern, he asked her if it was true that she had met the soldier. Then, as fathers do (at least in certain cultures that are, of course, equal to all other cultures) he began to beat her savagely. But sometimes a good beating just isn't enough.

With the help of her brothers (like father, like sons) he held her down with his foot on her throat until she stopped breathing. What a nice daddy. He didn't want her to feel the pain as he then began to cut at her body with a knife. It's hard to say what actually killed her - whether it was being stamped on, suffocated, or stabbed repeatedly all over her body.

And it's not like there was a post-mortem. She was wrapped up and tossed in a grave without any mourning, because she had brought shame on the family. It was a family funeral. Her uncles showed up to spit on her body before it was covered with dirt.

Daddy was arrested. He was released after two hours because it was an honour killing. Sgt Ali Jabbar of Basra police said: "Not much can be done when we have an 'honour killing'. You are in a Muslim society and women should live under religious laws."

It would be terrible enough if this were an exceptional story. The only reason it is news is because it is the first case known to involve a British soldier in Iraq (if "involve" is even the right word). There were 47 honour killings just in Basra last year. That's 47 other girls, just like Rand, just in one city, just in one year.