Murder in the Name of Honor

by Rana Husseini

  Honour is the reason for our living now. That means we live for the cause of honour now. I don’t know, but without honour life has no meaning … it is okay if you don’t have money, but you must have dignity.

  (Sanliurfa, a participant in a group interview with male university students aged between nineteen and twenty-two)

  Honour surpasses everything, especially among us Kurdish people or people from the East, the concept of honour is at the foreground.

  (Adana, female, aged thirty-one, from Siirt)

  Why should a person work? Why should he live anyway? This is first for his honour and second for daily bread. If a person has hunger, he can eat something small and feel satisfied. However, if one loses his honour, there is nothing to be done, no return…

  (Istanbul, male, aged twenty-five, police officer)

  These statements about honour, taken on their own, sound noble, sound proud – like virtues worth aspiring to – yet they were taken from a report about honour crimes in Turkey. They make a very stark contrast to the following group of statements, from the same report:

  As the older people say, ‘horse, woman and gun’: these three things are sacred. Honour is the betrayal of your wife, she starts to have relations with other men … in the event, a person lives for his honour and dignity. And your honour is your wife. If she betrays you, your dignity is trampled.

  (Adana, male, aged thirty-nine, police officer)

  Honour is everything for me … if I were married, in that case, the girl whom I married would be my honour. My sister is my honour too, so are my relatives, the daughter of my aunt and the daughter of my uncle are also my honour. That is, all of them are my honour. Everything happening around me and all my family line are my honour.

  (‘Batman’, male, aged twenty-four, imam)

  These statements graphically illustrate people’s differing definitions of honour across the world today. Beliefs relating to women as the bearers of family honour are still embedded in many people’s minds, making so-called crimes of honour acceptable. But these beliefs are about control, not honour. Women are placed in fear, knowing that one false move or one malicious piece of gossip could end their lives in a moment. A killing made in the name of honour is a murder, plain and simple, and must be punished as such.

  As far as I am concerned, real honour is for women and men to get a decent education that is based on equality between the genders. Real honour can only flourish when people stop gossiping and interfering in other people’s business. Real honour is when young women decide to break the social norms by fighting for their rights, taking up jobs as teachers, doctors, engineers, journalists, mechanics, plumbers or electricians to earn a decent living for themselves, their families and their children. Real honour is about tolerance, equality and civic responsibility.

  Some governments, NGOs, religious groups and so on prefer not to debate such issues because they believe it gives a bad name to their country, religion or ethnic group – no doubt they’re frightened of damaging their own honour. But how on earth can the human race hope to move forward, to evolve, with our heads in the sand?

  The media has so far played a very important role in raising awareness about so-called honour killings in many countries. The staff and editors at The Jordan Times were true pioneers when it came to these crimes and this newspaper continues to lead the way; their support showed how a media organization was able to make a huge difference in their own community and beyond. Journalists across the world need to keep the momentum going: rather than focusing on extreme cases that make for especially tragic stories, every case needs to make headlines. Every honour killing is an outrage. Pictures of the victim need to be shown, and their friends and families should be interviewed in order to humanize the victim, so that these cases will stick in people’s minds and so that people will ask questions and demand that their leaders do something to end these crimes.

  It is for that reason that I have included as many human examples as possible in this book, to show that this is a very real tragedy, that every day, all across the world, bright young women are being slaughtered for no good reason. Remember seventeen-year-old Heshu Yones from the UK? She hoped that, although running away from her family was breaking her heart, it would lead to a new beginning. Despite everything she had suffered, this courageous, eloquent young woman remained determined to live life to the full. Who knows what she would have gone on to achieve if the support had been in place to help her survive?

  And remember Inas from chapter 3, wasting away in the so-called ‘correctional institute’? The last time I saw her she had served ten years and was thirty-four years old. Today she remains in prison – still waiting, still hopeful. A group of activists, including myself, have since launched the Jordanian Coalition to Help Women in Protective Custody; the campaign has been fierce but progress is achingly slow. We will not stop, however, until women like Inas receive the help they so desperately need.

  After all, we’re the only hope they’ve got. I don’t want to let them down.

  Notes

  1 Although victims of honour killing are predominantly women, men are killed as well; in Pakistan for example, according to official figures, roughly one-third of victims are men, but the proportion varies from region to region. There has been no attempt by the UN to calculate the numbers of men murdered in the name of honour worldwide.

  2 It would be a mistake to assume that the murder of women by immediate male relatives is exclusively a Muslim phenomenon. In her book Dislocating Cultures (Routledge, 1997), feminist scholar Uma Narayan states that 1,400 American women are known to be murdered as a result of domestic abuse annually, while the deaths of 5,000 Indian women (largely Hindu) are suspected to be the result of dowry murders each year. Similarly, John Bowen, in his book Why the French Don’t Like Headscarves (Princeton University Press, 2006), explains that in the French legal system when European French men kill women it is listed as a crime of ‘love’, whereas when Muslim French men kill women it is listed as a crime of Islam or ‘culture’. Unfortunately, men in every society across the world murder thousands of women annually for a variety of reasons, irrespective of cultural and religious differences.

  3 Rana Husseini, ‘Sheikh Tamimi outlines Islam’s position on honour crimes’, The Jordan Times, 19 September 1999.

  4 Rana Husseini, ‘Government refers amendment to Article 340 to Parliament’, The Jordan Times, 29 September 1999.

  5 ‘An open letter to Parliament members, Tahrir Party’, Arab Al-Yawm, 18 November 1999.

  6 Internet posting by HRH Prince Ali, ‘Taking a stand vs Article 340’, ‘Ask the Government’, Culture, 3 February 2000.

  7 Alia Shukri Hamzeh, ‘Jordanians protest against killing women in the name of honour’, Associated Press, 14 February 2000.

  8 Internet posting by HRH Prince Ali, ‘What really happened?’, ‘Ask the Government’, Culture, 16 February 2000.

  9 Islamic Action Front Fatwa, ‘Cancelling Article 340 is against Islamic Sharia’, issued by the IAF’s Islamic Sharia Scientific Committee, Amman, Jordan, 13 February 2000.

  10 Fathi Khatab, Sheikh Al Azhar: ‘Applying punishments is the right of the ruler and not the individual’, Arab Al-Yawm, 16 February 2000.

  11 Dima Hamdan, ‘About 30 deputies withdraw signatures from petition calling for applying Sharia’, The Jordan Times, 25–26 February 2000.

  12 Rana Husseini, ‘Al-Sabeel survey weighs in against amending Article 340’, The Jordan Times, 23 February 2000.

  13 Alia Shukri Hamzeh, ‘Press stays away from House debate on Elections Law, Deputy says women’s “honour” could be “jeopardized” if they are elected to Parliament’, The Jordan Times, 15 November 2000.

  14 Rana Husseini, ‘Lawyers, judges, intellectuals condemn campaign against Article 340’, The Jordan Times, 10–11 March 2000.

  15 Lama Abu Odeh, ‘Crimes of honour and the construction of gender in Arab Societies’, Feminism and Islam: Legal and Literary Perspectives, edited by
Mai Yamani. New York University Press, 1996, p. 149.

  16 Evelyne Accad, ‘Honour-related violence and patriarchy: honour stronger than life’, paper presented during a European Conference on Honour-Related Violence within a Global Perspective, Stockholm, Sweden, organized by Kvinnoforum, October 2004, p. 2.

  17 ‘Pakistan: violence against women in the name of honour’, Amnesty International, 22 September 1999.

  18 ‘Pakistan indifference as lawyers defending women’s rights are threatened with death’, Amnesty International, 15 April 1999.

  19 Tim McGurk, ‘Asma Jahangir, the pocket protector’, Time, 28 April 2003.

  20 ‘Five women beaten and buried alive in Pakistan “honour killing”’, Independent, 2 September 2008.

  21 Sarah Di Lorenzo, ‘UN women’s rights group criticise Pakistan for honor killings, trafficking’, Associate Press, 9 June 2007.

  22 ‘Pakistan embassy in US honours Mukhtar Mai’, Hindustan Times, 26 April 2008.

  23 ‘World Briefing Asia: Pakistan: Gunman kills provincial minister’, New York Times, 21 February 2007.

  24 ‘Journalist killed as she sleeps with baby’, Daily Mail, 7 June 2007.

  25 ‘A brutal fight for equality’, Time, 9 June 2007.

  26 ‘Report from the International Conference on Combating Patriarchal Violence against Women – Focusing on Violence in the Name of Honour’, Swedish Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs, Stockholm, 7–8 December 2004.

  27 ‘Duaa Khalil Aswad was killed for loving the wrong man’, Daily Mail, 16 August 2007.

  28 Tina Susman, ‘Faith-based taboos, ethnic intolerance nag Iraqis: stoning of teen girl in North underscores sectarian discord that stirs nearly every issue’, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2007.

  29 ‘Honor thy father (news commentary)’, Off our backs, 1 July 2007.

  30 Susman, ‘Faith-based taboos’.

  31 ‘Kurdish women tortured by “mobile phone abuse”’, IWPR [http://www.iwpr.net/?p=icr&s=f&o=344448&apc_state=henh].

  32 Dr Sherifa Zuhur, ‘Gender, sexuality and the criminal laws in the Middle East and North Africa: a comparative study’, Women for Women’s Human Rights, 2005, p. 28.

  33 ‘Marked women’, Time, 26 July 2004.

  34 ‘Killing for honour’, IWPR, 17 May 2005.

  35 Bay Fang, ‘The Talibanization of Iraq: under mounting repression, courageous women fight for their rights and their lives’, Ms magazine, vol. XVII, no. 2, Spring 2007.

  36 ‘My daughter deserved to die for falling in love’, Observer, 11 May 2008.

  37 ‘2000 demonstrate against “honour” killings in Iran’ [http://www.stop-stoning.org/node/378], 10 January 2008.

  38 ‘“Honor” killing spurs outcry in Syria; a 16-year-old’s killing spurred the country’s grand mufti to call for legal reform and protections’, Christian Science Monitor, 14 February 2007.

  39 Rasha Elass, ‘Honor killing spurs outcry in Syria: a 16-year-old’s killing spurred the country’s grand mufti to call for legal reform and protections’, Christian Science Monitor, 14 February 2007 [http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0214/p07s02-wome.html].

  40 ‘Yemeni claims “honour” motivated mosque slaughter’ [http://www.stophonourkillings.com/?name=News&file=article&sid=2718], 8 June 2008.

  41 Lynn Welchman and Sara Hossain, eds., Honour, Crimes, Paradigms, and Violence against Women, Zed Books, 2005, p. 131.

  42 Ibid.

  43 Danielle Hoyek, Rafif Sidawi and Amira Abou Mrad, ‘Murders of women in Lebanon, crimes of “honour”, between reality and the law’, Lebanese Council to Resist Violence against Women, April 2004, p. 18.

  44 Maria Corrêa and Érica Renata de Souza, eds., ‘Family life: a comparative perspective on “crimes of honour”’, Centre for Gender Studies, University of Campinas, 2006.

  45 ‘Turkish Civil and Penal Code Reforms from a Gender Perspective: the Success of two Nationwide Campaigns’, Women for Women’s Human Rights, 2005.

  46 Ibid., p. 63.

  47 Ibid., pp. 63–4.

  48 Zuhur, ‘Gender, sexuality and the criminal laws’, p. 23.

  49 Carin Benninger-Budel, ‘Violence against women, for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women’, 10 Reports/Year 2000, World Organization against Torture (OMCT), printed by Abrax, France, p. 250.

  50 Ibid.

  51 Suzanne Zima, ‘When brothers kill sisters,’ The Gazette [Montreal], 17 April 1999. See also Walter Rodgers, ‘Honour killings: a brutal tribal custom’, CNN World News, 7 December 1995.

  52 ‘Honour’s victims’, Chatelaine, March 2000.

  53 Welchman and Hossain, eds., Honour, p. 193.

  54 Ibid.

  55 Ibid., p. 195.

  56 Ibid., p. 196.

  57 Corrêa and de Souza, eds., ‘Family life’, p. 40.

  58 Ibid., p. 162.

  59 Ibid.

  60 ‘Love, honour and obey – or die’, Guardian, 8 October 2000.

  61 ‘Life for father who cut girl’s throat for “shaming family”’, Evening Standard, 29 September 2003; ‘Boyfriend tells of his pain over girl killed by father’, Evening Standard, 30 September 2003.

  62 ‘Police probe dozens of murdered brides killed for “honour”’, Evening Standard, 21 March 2005.

  63 James Brandon and Salam Hafez, Crimes of the Community: Honour-Based Violence in the UK, Centre for Social Cohesion/Cromwell Press, 2008, p. 56.

  64 Karen McVeigh, ‘“Honour” killer boasted of stamping on woman’s neck, Kurdish victim was raped and tortured for two hours, jokes and laughter heard in description of murder’, Guardian, 20 July 2007 [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/jul/20/ukcrime.uknews4]; ‘Police errors led to murder; Body in suitcase: Victim said 4 times that her life was at risk’, Birmingham Mail, 12 June 2007; ‘Victim called police before she was killed; honour killings plight of young women who fear death at the hands of their own family; Sunday Mercury investigates’, Sunday Mercury, 17 June 2007; ‘“Honour killing” rapists are on the run in Iraq’, Evening Standard, 12 June 2007.

  65 ‘Man jailed for intimidating witnesses’, Sheffield Star, 16 April 2008.

  66 ‘On the run in Midlands ... refugee who shot, stoned and battered woman for falling in love’, Sunday Mercury, 17 June 2007.

  67 ‘Brother found guilty’, Newcastle Journal, 17 June 2006.

  68 ‘Matriarch guilty of ordering family honour killing’, Birmingham Post, 27 July 2007; ‘Guilty, evil matriarch who lured son’s wife to her death’, Daily Mail, 27 July 2007.

  69 ‘Daughter keeps alive memory of mother murdered for “honour”’, Independent on Sunday, 14 December 2008.

  70 ‘Gun killer’s revenge over sex attack allegations’, Asian News, 26 January 2007.

  71 ‘Man killed family in house arson’, BBC News, 20 February 2007 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/6379833.stm]; ‘Murder probe as five die in fire’, BBC News, 1 November 2006 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/6106712.stm].

  72 Honour Kills, BBC3 television documentary.

  73 ‘International hunt for father of dead family’, Birmingham Post, 23 August 2000.

  74 ‘Freedom for doctor in “forced marriage kidnap” by parents’, Daily Mail, 15 December 2008.

  75 ‘Parents return passport to Bangladeshi doctor’, Associated Press Worldstream, 14 December 2008.

  76 ‘Sara Thornton is cleared of murder’, Independent, 31 May 1996.

  77 ‘Honour-related violence’, European Resource Book and Good Practice, based on the European project ‘Prevention of Violence against Women and Girls in Patriarchal Families’, Kvinnoforum, Stockholm, 2005, p. 37.

  78 ‘Honour-related violence with a global perspective: mitigation and prevention in Europe’, organized by Kvinnoforum/Foundation of Women’s Forum, Stockholm, Sweden, 7–8 October 2004.

  79 Ibid.

  80 Ibid., p. 30.

  81 Ibid., p. 3.

  82 Ibid., p. 83.

  83 ‘Honour-related violence’, European Resource
Book, pp. 45–6.

  84 Muna Dahl, ‘Muslim men between protection and control: how do four Muslim men experience their fatherhood in Sweden?’ Qualitative study, International Master of Social Science Work, University of Göteborg, Spring 2003, p. 44.

  85 Ibid., p. 45.

  86 ‘Honour-related violence’, European Resource Book, p. 64.

  87 ‘Honour-related violence with a global perspective’, p. 42.

  88 Ibid., p. 89.

  89 Ibid., p. 75.

  90 ‘Only one of Hatin Sürücü’s brothers jailed’, International Campaign Against Honour Killings, 27 January 2009.

  91 ‘Honor killing victim wanted to live like other German girls’, Spiegel Online, 27 May 2008 [http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,555667,00.html].

  92 ‘Honour-related violence’, European Resource Book, p. 166.

  93 ‘Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Resolution 1327 (2003): So-called “honour crimes”’, 4 April 2003.

  94 Ibid.

  95 Germaine Tillion, The Republic of Cousins: Women’s Oppression in Mediterranean Society, translated by Quintin Hoare, Al Saqi Books, 1983, p. 34.

  96 Richard Owen, ‘Mafioso shoots sister over “dishonour”: an old Sicilian tradition is revived as a young woman who had a child out of wedlock is shot’, Times Online, 27 March 2006 [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article696820.ece].

  97 ‘Sweethearts’ reunion ended in murder’, BBC News, 18 April 2008 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7352380.stm].

  98 Murder in the Family: Honor Killings in America, Fox News, 26 July 2008.

  99 ‘When men murder women: an analysis of 2004 homicide data: females murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents’, Violence Policy Center (VPC), September 2006 [http://www.vpc.org/studies/wmmw2006.pdf].

  100 Ibid.

  101 Ibid.

  102 ‘Father says he set fire that killed three’, New York Times, 3 January 2008.

  103 ‘Man says he didn’t approve of marriage: Subhash Chander is accused of setting fire, killing daughter, her husband, their child’, Associated Press, 2 January 2008.