No Honor in "Honor Killings" - Murdering Women

The recent news of the "honor killing" of a 17 year old Kurdish girl has sparked international outrage. RPB wrote about it and many of you wrote comments. Some were published here. Some of you actually poo-poohed the notion that honor killings are a widespread problem. Don't take my word for it. Here are just a few of the thousands of examples of honor killings: Thousands of Women Killed for Family "Honor" for National Geographic News Hundreds, if not thousands, of women are murdered by their families each year in the name of family "honor." It's difficult to get precise numbers on the phenomenon of honor killing; the murders frequently go unreported, the perpetrators unpunished, and the concept of family honor justifies the act in the eyes of some societies. Most honor killings occur in countries where the concept of women as a vessel of the family reputation predominates, said Marsha Freemen, director of International Women's Rights Action Watch at the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Reports submitted to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights show that honor killings have occurred in Bangladesh, Great Britain, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Pakistan, Morocco, Sweden, Turkey, and Uganda. In countries not submitting reports to the UN, the practice was condoned under the rule of the fundamentalist Taliban government in Afghanistan, and has been reported in Iraq and Iran. From AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: Women in Pakistan live in fear. They face death by shooting, burning or killing with axes if they are deemed to have brought shame on the family. They are killed for supposed 'illicit' relationships, for marrying men of their choice, for divorcing abusive husbands. They are even murdered by their kin if they are raped as they are thereby deemed to have brought shame on their family. The truth of the suspicion does not matter -- merely the allegation is enough to bring dishonour on the family and therefore justifies the slaying. From SPIEGEL ONLINE: In the past four months, six Muslim women living in Berlin have been brutally murdered by family members. Their crime? Trying to break free and live Western lifestyles. Within their communities, the killers are revered as heroes for preserving their family dignity. How can such a horrific and shockingly archaic practice be flourishing in the heart of Europe? The deaths have sparked momentary outrage, but will they change the grim reality for Muslim women? From BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY: Special Focus: Islam Honor Killings, Illicit Sex, and Islamic Law Intimate violence against women is a worldwide crisis. From “crimes of passion” to “dowry deaths,” not to mention domestic violence, many types of aggression against women occur at the hands of family members. The so-called “honor killing” of women and girls in some Muslim nations is one horrifying manifestation of this global phenomenon. From ASSYRIAN INTERNATIONAL NEWS AGENCY: BAGHDAD (AFP) -- Iraq's relatively peaceful northern region of Kurdistan is witnessing a large number of so-called "honor killings" of women, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said Wednesday....Citing examples, the report said in January the charred remains of a woman were found on the outskirts of a town in Arbil, while a woman and her married boyfriend were reportedly shot dead by her brother in February. Jordanian police arrest man for killing his sister, supposedly to ... International Herald Tribune, France - Apr 26, 2007International human rights organizations have condemned honor killings in Jordan. Increase in 'Honor Killings' of Kurdish Women in Iraq AINA, CA - Apr 25, 2007BAGHDAD (AFP) -- Iraq's relatively peaceful northern region of Kurdistan is witnessing a large number of so-called "honor killings" of women. An interview with Iraqi feminist Yanar Mohammed uruknet.info, Italy - May 2, 2007In 2003, Mohammed founded the Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), which shelters Iraqi women targeted in honor killings and sectarian violence. America, Saving Muslim Women's Lives AINA, CA - May 4, 2007For some reason, everyday atrocities such as the endemic beatings, honor killings and forced marriages of women just don't seem to be newsworthy. England and radical Islam Idaho Mountain Express and Guide, ID - Apr 10, 2007It means the oppression of women in these communities—forced marriages, wife beating, honor killings.