Honor Killings
Pickled Politics has a very informative and tragic discussion on honor killings in Britain and Denmark.
From the Daily Telegraph
Miss Nazir, a recruitment consultant from Southall, west London, was murdered in April last year. She was strangled with a silk scarf, stabbed 18 times and had her throat cut. She had argued with her Pakistani family after rejecting an arranged marriage and falling in love with an Afghan asylum seeker. Her two nieces, aged two and four, were made to watch the murder, and were found spattered with her blood.
Last week, Diana Nammi, the co-founder of the London-based International Campaign Against Honour Killings, revealed that the number of women seeking help from her organisation had quadrupled over the past year.
She said that the women’s desire for independence had caused friction within their families. “The number of honour killings has gone up because more women are realising that they have rights,” she said.
…
Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, the leader of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, said of the phenomenon: “It occurs more and more as people migrate to Britain from the rural, tribal areas of the Indian subcontinent. They bring the customs with them.”
He added: “Mainstream Islamic thought totally condemns the concept of honour killings. They mostly occur when women are being forced to marry, but Islam believes marriage should be based on willing consent and force should play no role whatsoever
Riazat Butt also has a report in the Guardian, looking more at some of the background.
Jurors were told the family disapproved of Ms Nazir’s boyfriend, Salman Mohammed, because of his caste and they were so determined to split the pair up that when the couple announced their engagement, Ms Nazir’s father, Azhar, lunged at Mr Mohammed with a knife and threatened to kill him.
Her brother Azhar Nazir, a 30-year-old greengrocer, threatened to “get” the couple if they married, even if they were abroad. He was, the court heard, so incensed that his sister had turned down the suitors waiting for her in Pakistan in favour of the Afghan that he ordered the 25-year-old to come to the family home in Southall, Middlesex.
From the Copenhagen Post:
Long sentences were handed out to all nine family members found guilty in the murder of Ghazala Khan
The Eastern High Court handed out sentences for the family members convicted for the murder of 18 year-old Ghazala Khan. Earlier this week, a 12-member jury returned guilty verdicts against the nine, all family members or friends, involved in Ghazala’s murder.
The young woman was shot dead by her elder brother two days after she married her Afghan husband, Emal. Her husband, who was shot in the stomach, survived, and now lives under police protection.
The 18-year old’s father, Ghulam Abbas, was sentenced to life imprisonment, the longest of the sentences. Ghazala’s brother received 16 years imprisonment, as did two of her uncles involved in the plot. The remaining five sentences range from eight to 14 years in jail.
Apart from the prison terms, the guilty members were ordered to pay almost DKK 1 million in compensation to Ghazala’s husband, Emal. The aunt and cousin, who were among those who received lesser sentences, were also ordered to leave the country upon the completion of their jail terms.
Prosecutors had originally pursued life sentences for the six family members involved in the murder; still they were pleased with the sentences.
‘This is a highly satisfactory result. The court has sent a clear signal to families that consider killing their children like this, that we won’t tolerate that in Denmark,’ said prosecutor Jeanette W. Andersen.
Pickled Politcs challenges the "honor" of these killings. By extending the discussions further by outlining the action governments need to take and direct action that can be undertaken by individuals and groups to change patriarchal mind sets.
One of the commentators on Pickled Politics recommends using the Danish example in Britain.
This is what I want to see happening in Britain. Go after the mother, the father, the uncles, the aunts. Get them all. All who knew or lured or conspired - get them as accessories. No mercy.
Another commentator discussed the class issues within honor killings, and that it is more common in village communities then in the middle classes living in cities.
Another commentator felt honor killings are more common among Pakistanis due to the practise of cousin marriages.
The greater prevalence of the phenomenon amongst Pakistanis may have something to do with the practice of cousin marriage and the imperatives of marrying within a family to bolster not even tribal but family affiliations. This means that there is less leeway for any deviation or leniency for a girl to choose a man of her own because of the literal ‘betrayal of blood’ that occurs. These are serious issues that are particular to Pakistani Mirpur
This website
has information on human rights of women and girls being a health priority.
Table 1: Gender Violence throughout a Woman's Life
Phase Type of Violence
Prenatal Sex-selective abortions, battering during pregnancy, coerced pregnancy (rape during war)
Infancy Female infanticide, emotional and physical abuse, differential access to food and medical care
Childhood Genital mutilation; incest and sexual abuse; differential access to food, medical care, and education; child prostitution
Adolescence Dating and courtship violence, economically coerced sex, sexual abuse in the workplace, rape, sexual harassment, forced prostitution
Reproductive Abuse of women by intimate partners, marital rape, dowry abuse and murders, partner homicide, psychological abuse, sexual abuse in the workplace, sexual harassment, rape, abuse of women with disabilities
Old Age Abuse of widows, elder abuse (which affects mostly women)
Source: Heise, L. 1994. Violence Against Women: The Hidden Health Burden. World Bank Discussion Paper. Washington. D.C.: The World Bank.
From the Daily Telegraph
Miss Nazir, a recruitment consultant from Southall, west London, was murdered in April last year. She was strangled with a silk scarf, stabbed 18 times and had her throat cut. She had argued with her Pakistani family after rejecting an arranged marriage and falling in love with an Afghan asylum seeker. Her two nieces, aged two and four, were made to watch the murder, and were found spattered with her blood.
Last week, Diana Nammi, the co-founder of the London-based International Campaign Against Honour Killings, revealed that the number of women seeking help from her organisation had quadrupled over the past year.
She said that the women’s desire for independence had caused friction within their families. “The number of honour killings has gone up because more women are realising that they have rights,” she said.
…
Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, the leader of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, said of the phenomenon: “It occurs more and more as people migrate to Britain from the rural, tribal areas of the Indian subcontinent. They bring the customs with them.”
He added: “Mainstream Islamic thought totally condemns the concept of honour killings. They mostly occur when women are being forced to marry, but Islam believes marriage should be based on willing consent and force should play no role whatsoever
Riazat Butt also has a report in the Guardian, looking more at some of the background.
Jurors were told the family disapproved of Ms Nazir’s boyfriend, Salman Mohammed, because of his caste and they were so determined to split the pair up that when the couple announced their engagement, Ms Nazir’s father, Azhar, lunged at Mr Mohammed with a knife and threatened to kill him.
Her brother Azhar Nazir, a 30-year-old greengrocer, threatened to “get” the couple if they married, even if they were abroad. He was, the court heard, so incensed that his sister had turned down the suitors waiting for her in Pakistan in favour of the Afghan that he ordered the 25-year-old to come to the family home in Southall, Middlesex.
From the Copenhagen Post:
Long sentences were handed out to all nine family members found guilty in the murder of Ghazala Khan
The Eastern High Court handed out sentences for the family members convicted for the murder of 18 year-old Ghazala Khan. Earlier this week, a 12-member jury returned guilty verdicts against the nine, all family members or friends, involved in Ghazala’s murder.
The young woman was shot dead by her elder brother two days after she married her Afghan husband, Emal. Her husband, who was shot in the stomach, survived, and now lives under police protection.
The 18-year old’s father, Ghulam Abbas, was sentenced to life imprisonment, the longest of the sentences. Ghazala’s brother received 16 years imprisonment, as did two of her uncles involved in the plot. The remaining five sentences range from eight to 14 years in jail.
Apart from the prison terms, the guilty members were ordered to pay almost DKK 1 million in compensation to Ghazala’s husband, Emal. The aunt and cousin, who were among those who received lesser sentences, were also ordered to leave the country upon the completion of their jail terms.
Prosecutors had originally pursued life sentences for the six family members involved in the murder; still they were pleased with the sentences.
‘This is a highly satisfactory result. The court has sent a clear signal to families that consider killing their children like this, that we won’t tolerate that in Denmark,’ said prosecutor Jeanette W. Andersen.
Pickled Politcs challenges the "honor" of these killings. By extending the discussions further by outlining the action governments need to take and direct action that can be undertaken by individuals and groups to change patriarchal mind sets.
One of the commentators on Pickled Politics recommends using the Danish example in Britain.
This is what I want to see happening in Britain. Go after the mother, the father, the uncles, the aunts. Get them all. All who knew or lured or conspired - get them as accessories. No mercy.
Another commentator discussed the class issues within honor killings, and that it is more common in village communities then in the middle classes living in cities.
Another commentator felt honor killings are more common among Pakistanis due to the practise of cousin marriages.
The greater prevalence of the phenomenon amongst Pakistanis may have something to do with the practice of cousin marriage and the imperatives of marrying within a family to bolster not even tribal but family affiliations. This means that there is less leeway for any deviation or leniency for a girl to choose a man of her own because of the literal ‘betrayal of blood’ that occurs. These are serious issues that are particular to Pakistani Mirpur
This website
has information on human rights of women and girls being a health priority.
Table 1: Gender Violence throughout a Woman's Life
Phase Type of Violence
Prenatal Sex-selective abortions, battering during pregnancy, coerced pregnancy (rape during war)
Infancy Female infanticide, emotional and physical abuse, differential access to food and medical care
Childhood Genital mutilation; incest and sexual abuse; differential access to food, medical care, and education; child prostitution
Adolescence Dating and courtship violence, economically coerced sex, sexual abuse in the workplace, rape, sexual harassment, forced prostitution
Reproductive Abuse of women by intimate partners, marital rape, dowry abuse and murders, partner homicide, psychological abuse, sexual abuse in the workplace, sexual harassment, rape, abuse of women with disabilities
Old Age Abuse of widows, elder abuse (which affects mostly women)
Source: Heise, L. 1994. Violence Against Women: The Hidden Health Burden. World Bank Discussion Paper. Washington. D.C.: The World Bank.
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