Honour
killings, who is to blame?
The tragic death of Heshu Younes, has once more
stirred the old issues of honour, faith, community, racism and cultural
relativism in multicultural society of
It is certainly a step forward that everybody
seems to think honour killing is murder and no cultural and religious excuses
will make it less tolerable. And unlike Ms Gupta I am not concern that giving
honour killing publicity would promote racism in the society. On the contrary I
do believe that putting the issues of forced marriages and honour killing and
other discriminatory cultural and religious values to open discussion will
bring more understanding between people and reduces the hatred and prejudices
created by racism and cultural relativism. It will also bring more security for
young girls and women, like Heshu to break away before it is too late.
For so many years western governments have
poured money and support into religious schools, mosques, churches, temples and
other community causes, in the name of respecting people’s cultures. Anyone criticising these policies has been
marked raciest and victims have been left without any protection. Forced and
under age marriages have been tolerated, female genital circumcision has been
known and ignored, veiling young girls has been seen and accepted all as facts
of multi cultural society.
It theory these policies have been ways to
welcome immigrants and refugees into the country and to make life easier for
them. But in reality they have reinforced and supported the growth of values
that are clearly violation of international human and children’s rights. Religious schools seem to be set up for
people to bring up their children the way they prefer, but it is forgotten that
we live in a secular society and those children have the same rights as anybody
else to grow up in a secular and none religious environment, free of prejudice
and be allowed to think and choose their own faith. It is forgotten that in those schools and in
particular in Islamic schools inequality and inferiority of women is thought
and children grow up having discriminatory and prejudiced ideas.
Another damage done by these policies is that a
huge number of modern, secular and none religious foreigner who live in these
societies have been significantly under represented. They have not been given the chance to prove
that most or at least many of immigrants and refugees have fled religious
governments and values and are here to build themselves free and secular
lives. (My own writings have been
repeatedly rejected as being offensive to Islam)
While there are several mosques built every
year in different cities of
Unlike domestic violence honour killing is a
collective action. Honour is a religious value and unfortunately women are
considered the ones responsible for this value. And so they fall prey in the
hands of their male relative who think they have stained the honour of the
family. That is why we see attempts to justify and protect those who have
killed for honour. In the cases of
domestic murders, (as implied by the name) more personal motives are involved.
A man, who kills his wife either because of jealousy or to maintain his power
statues in the family, is acting according to his own personal benefits
(although these personal benefits have their roots in expanded social
values). But a man killing his wife or
daughter for honour is protecting his family’s honour. He acts as representative
of his faith group or his family. He is doing this because he wants to protect
his faith and his believes and because he knows his God and his religious
leaders will approve of what he has done.
In the eyes of the law, however a murderer is
an individual murderer and has to be punished for his deed accordingly, (Mr
Younes’ sentence is welcomed). At the same time there are steps that must be
taken by the government and the society. The tragedy of Heshu Younes must
result in new resolutions and policies to protect future victims. Only when people
are respected and treated equally as human beings, can we fight racism and any
form of prejudice effectively.
Sohaila Sharifi