VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH:
Volume 37, July 20, 2008
St. Louis, MissouriEditors: Mohamed and Rashida Ziauddin
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful
HONOR KILLINGS - ACTIONS OF MISGUIDED MUSLIMS
Condensed verse from Holy Quran: "Save a Life, Save All Humanity--Take a Life, Kill All Humanity"
Editorial:
Recently we have seen an increase in the number of honor killings and honor attacks against our Muslim sisters by our own members of the UMMAH who as a family member of their victims have become self-styled judges and executioners with total disregard to the gems of Islam and the laws of their land in which they reside.
IS THIS A SYMPTOM OF A LARGER PROBLEM ?
In terms of communication pattern among the global UMMAH, basically there are two types. The majority of the UMMAH seem to be passive while a small minority who are aggressive have taken the UMMAH literally as hostage and in the eyes of the Islamophobes, they have become the "poster child" representing ISLAM as a religion of violence and intolerance.
On an organizational level such aggressive minority Muslims represent the terrorist organizations, while on an individual level, such aggressive minority represent the murderers involved in honor killing. The common point is that above both types of minority aggressive groups (wrongly) ascribe their actions to the peaceful religion of ISLAM. There are certain Muslims who scapegoat the WEST for their problems and they are WRONG, while the non-Muslims who blame ISLAM for the honor killings are also WRONG.
FROM A POINT OF VIEW OF STYLE OF COMMUNICATION, WHAT IS REALLY NEEDED IS A SHIFT BY THE MAJORITY OF THE UMMAH FROM BEING "PASSIVE" TO "ASSERTIVE". For example, if Islam is being defamed, instead of immediately getting emotional and running amuck destroying property or attacking innocents, the shift should be to express our disapproval ASSERTIVELY THROUGH ALL POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE PEACEFUL MEANS.
Chapter 2, verse 256: Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.
Starting from the Imams who give eloquent speeches in the pulpits of Masjids to expression by the members of the UMMAH in various other ways, we need to emphasize that HONOR KILLINGS should not only be prohibited but strongly condemned.
Allah says in the Holy Quran :Chapter 5, verse 32,
"On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person--unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land--it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people".
From a psychological perspective, each and every individual has a "self-talk" and a perception of what others would think of their actions. Unfortunately for the perpetrators of the honor killings, they have a dysfunctional and faulty self-talk and deviated perception of what others would think of their specific actions.
IS THIS A SYMPTOM OF A LARGER PROBLEM ?
In terms of communication pattern among the global UMMAH, basically there are two types. The majority of the UMMAH seem to be passive while a small minority who are aggressive have taken the UMMAH literally as hostage and in the eyes of the Islamophobes, they have become the "poster child" representing ISLAM as a religion of violence and intolerance.
On an organizational level such aggressive minority Muslims represent the terrorist organizations, while on an individual level, such aggressive minority represent the murderers involved in honor killing. The common point is that above both types of minority aggressive groups (wrongly) ascribe their actions to the peaceful religion of ISLAM. There are certain Muslims who scapegoat the WEST for their problems and they are WRONG, while the non-Muslims who blame ISLAM for the honor killings are also WRONG.
FROM A POINT OF VIEW OF STYLE OF COMMUNICATION, WHAT IS REALLY NEEDED IS A SHIFT BY THE MAJORITY OF THE UMMAH FROM BEING "PASSIVE" TO "ASSERTIVE". For example, if Islam is being defamed, instead of immediately getting emotional and running amuck destroying property or attacking innocents, the shift should be to express our disapproval ASSERTIVELY THROUGH ALL POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE PEACEFUL MEANS.
Chapter 2, verse 256: Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.
Starting from the Imams who give eloquent speeches in the pulpits of Masjids to expression by the members of the UMMAH in various other ways, we need to emphasize that HONOR KILLINGS should not only be prohibited but strongly condemned.
Allah says in the Holy Quran :Chapter 5, verse 32,
"On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person--unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land--it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people".
From a psychological perspective, each and every individual has a "self-talk" and a perception of what others would think of their actions. Unfortunately for the perpetrators of the honor killings, they have a dysfunctional and faulty self-talk and deviated perception of what others would think of their specific actions.
One such example would be of a perpetrator who feels that most of the Muslims would be sympathetic towards his actions. He may assume that they would think on the following lines:
"Which father would kill his own daughter. Obviously his love for Islam and his love for Allah was so great that it superseded his love for his own daughter and since she violated the Islamic codes, he had to do what he had to do to uphold Islam".
Thus far there is no consensus on a single reason to fully explain honor killings and there are many perspectives to it. Some argue that it is not just confined to Islam and is found practised by people of other religions too and therefore it is more a cultural practice than a religious practice. While others such as Ajay Nair (indicated below) believes that it is a anomaly and the real problem is domestic violence.
When CNN consulted Ajay Nair, Associate Dean of Multicultural affairs at Columbia University, to see if honor killing was a “South Asian” problem. Certainly not, explained Nair: “My immediate reaction was that this is an anomaly in the South Asian community. This isn’t a rampant problem within South Asian communities. What is a problem, I think, is domestic violence, and that cuts across all communities.”
As far as honor killings in the Muslim community is concerned, the most common point found in almost all cases is the wide differences in the value systems between the perpetrator and the victim.
The perpetrator has an extremist & deviant Islamic ideology which usually is hand in glove with being INTOLERANT. In most cases because of parent's faulty & dysfunctional upbringing the victim has alienated herself from being a practicing Muslim.
The perpetrator Chaudhry Rashid killed his 25 year old married daughter (mentioned as one of the examples of honor killings below) because of "marriage related" issues. The specific cause of murder in her context is generally not the norm but an exception in honor killings. There are thousands of Muslim and non-Muslim married women who are currently dissatisfied with their current marriages OR hundreds of Muslim and non-Muslim women who prefer to remain single for the rest of their lives and have told their fathers about it. There is no evidence whatsoever that the Muslim women have been murdered by their fathers at a higher rate than non-Muslim women due to the above two reasons.
Coming back to the perpetrators of honor killings, although claiming to be devout Muslims they generally care less about above mentioned Quranic verse prohibiting murder nor do they emulate in practice our beloved Prophet Mohamed (SAW) kind and loving treatment towards all his family members including spouses and children with ZERO incidents of abuse towards his family members.
We would argue that honor killing is not only a criminal offense against the local laws of perpetrators homeland, but also an act that is a violation of Islamic code and the perpetrator should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
There are several reasons that result in such a sad tragedy. Honor killing is generally on the extreme end of the spectrum. Suicide by a Muslim youth or teenager or young adult female due to conflict with parents or husband is also a tragedy. Besides the above two tragedies, there are millions of hard working, sincere, honest Muslim parents struggling to do their best to raise their children to be practicing Muslims against all odds. As you read this article, there may be many parent-child conflicts escalating in the homes of many Muslim families.
Typically a Muslim child in a western country experiences two different cultures one in the non-Muslim community and the other at his or her own home. While Churches have Christian Counseling Programs in place to encourage their members to receive support and solutions to resolve their marital, parent-child and family conflicts, how many Islamic Centers offer the same ? WE ARE ONE UMMAH RIGHT ? WE SHOULD BE THERE FOR ONE ANOTHER, IF NOT ACROSS THE WORLD, AT LEAST IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, RIGHT ?
The dynamics of each Muslim family is different and the issue of Islamic-Psycho-Social development is a complex one. While we will not delve into details we would like to spotlight few aspects that play a very critical role in our Muslim youth getting deviated from Islam.
Many Muslim parents focus on the periodic aspects of Islam in terms of attending Friday prayers, both Idd prayers, Tarawee during the month of Ramzan etc but are not proactive FROM THE START in terms of raising their children in an Islamic line in terms of day-to-day life. It is understandable that all families cannot go to Islamic Center even once everyday for prayers due to various reasons, but can they do family jamaat prayers at least once each day (if not 5 times) WITHIN THEIR OWN HOME ?
What percentage of Muslim families do at least one time prayer as a group. How many Muslim families have posted a schedule of the Islamic prayer times at their home and compare such numbers or percentage to other decorative pieces and art displayed in the home ? Should we be generous and not include such display in the rooms of our teenagers while calculating percentages ? The importance given to Islam varies from family to family and from each member to the other member of the same family.
There was a huge advertisement board along a particular freeway sponsored by a Church that said: A FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER. What percentage of Muslim families are actively involved in Islamic activities including volunteer work at local Islamic Centers ? How many Muslim parents have been able to guide their children to practice Islam voluntarily without use of harsh disciplinary methods and verbal abuse which they adopted from the previous generation. THE REALITY IS THAT MANY MUSLIM PARENTS DO NOT HAVE THE TOOLS IN TERMS OF LATEST ISLAMIC PSYCHO THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES to be able to guide their children in Islamic way without any force but purely from the heart for the love of Allah.
How many Islamic friendly support groups have you found in local Islamic Centers that are available for parents who have hard time dealing with their children, anger management groups, stress management groups, special group for Muslim teenagers et.c ? Could the existence of such groups been a proactive step from the Ummah to reduce the percentages of suicides, honor killings et.c.
Parents are quick to tell their teenage children NOT TO DO THIS or NOT TO DO THAT but WHAT ALTERNATIVES DO THEY HAVE TO OFFER THE TEENAGERS TO DO INSTEAD, SPECIALLY IN THEIR FREE TIME WHICH INCLUDES WEEKENDS AND VACATIONS ? In the absence of Islamic friendly activities which the local Islamic Centers could have organized and sponsored for the youth, many parents (to avoid the stress of dealing with the children) take the easiest route by giving an OK for the electronic baby sitter - TELEVISION (NO NEED TO PAY HOURLY WAGES). If the foundation of the child in terms of transmission of environmental information is absorbed for hundreds of hours from the child through the TV, IT IS BUT NATURAL for the same child to go to the next EXTENSION including but not limited to other electronic gadgets as they move towards adulthood. We are definitely NOT OPPOSED to TV in the house. What we are opposed to the number of hours an average child spends literally glued to the TV to the point that many of them cannot eat food unless they sit in front of the TV.
FOR SOME REASON, IT IS PERFECTLY OKAY FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO GET TOGETHER TO WATCH THE TV WHETHER WHILE EATING FOOD OR OTHERWISE, BUT SOMEHOW WHEN THE ISSUE IS RAISED TO PRAY TOGETHER, THEN.........SOME MEMBERS MAY INSTANTLY BECOME UNCOMFORTABLE ?
If you calculate in numbers, the amount of time the parents have allowed their child to watch regular TV programs and compare it to the time they have taken to expose their child to Islamic oriented education, training and activities, ONE SHOULD NEVER BE SURPRISED of the outcome of what an average child will grow up to be in terms of being a practicing Muslim or non-practicing Muslim. Are you then surprised to see a very low number of youth at the Islamic Centers ?
One of the biggest mistakes the parents make is to undervalue the impact that the TV is having on a child in terms of shaping the child's behavior, interests and values. WHEN TV, NON-ISLAMIC COMPANY OF FRIENDS, NON-ISLAMIC ENVIRONMENT AT PUBLIC SCHOOL ET.C ARE THE MAIN SOURCE OF CONTACT WITH THE GROWING CHILD, THERE CONTINUES A SUBTLE FORM OF ONGOING TRANSMISSION OF VALUES TO THE CHILD.
Compare and contrast above transmission of values TO ISLAMIC VALUES TRANSMITTED FROM THE PARENTS TO THE CHILD in terms of the time in clock hours spent by the parents directly or indirectly on the child, then you will be clear as to why the child has grown up to be what she or he is today, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF BEING DISCONNECTED FROM ISLAM in terms of being a practicing Muslim. To top it, add the factors of LOW SELF-ESTEEM which is common among MUSLIM CHILDREN and inappropriate disciplinary methods (verbal and physical abuse) to enforce Islam by parents, from such a negative combination what else do you expect ?
Thus far there is no consensus on a single reason to fully explain honor killings and there are many perspectives to it. Some argue that it is not just confined to Islam and is found practised by people of other religions too and therefore it is more a cultural practice than a religious practice. While others such as Ajay Nair (indicated below) believes that it is a anomaly and the real problem is domestic violence.
When CNN consulted Ajay Nair, Associate Dean of Multicultural affairs at Columbia University, to see if honor killing was a “South Asian” problem. Certainly not, explained Nair: “My immediate reaction was that this is an anomaly in the South Asian community. This isn’t a rampant problem within South Asian communities. What is a problem, I think, is domestic violence, and that cuts across all communities.”
As far as honor killings in the Muslim community is concerned, the most common point found in almost all cases is the wide differences in the value systems between the perpetrator and the victim.
The perpetrator has an extremist & deviant Islamic ideology which usually is hand in glove with being INTOLERANT. In most cases because of parent's faulty & dysfunctional upbringing the victim has alienated herself from being a practicing Muslim.
The perpetrator Chaudhry Rashid killed his 25 year old married daughter (mentioned as one of the examples of honor killings below) because of "marriage related" issues. The specific cause of murder in her context is generally not the norm but an exception in honor killings. There are thousands of Muslim and non-Muslim married women who are currently dissatisfied with their current marriages OR hundreds of Muslim and non-Muslim women who prefer to remain single for the rest of their lives and have told their fathers about it. There is no evidence whatsoever that the Muslim women have been murdered by their fathers at a higher rate than non-Muslim women due to the above two reasons.
Coming back to the perpetrators of honor killings, although claiming to be devout Muslims they generally care less about above mentioned Quranic verse prohibiting murder nor do they emulate in practice our beloved Prophet Mohamed (SAW) kind and loving treatment towards all his family members including spouses and children with ZERO incidents of abuse towards his family members.
We would argue that honor killing is not only a criminal offense against the local laws of perpetrators homeland, but also an act that is a violation of Islamic code and the perpetrator should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
There are several reasons that result in such a sad tragedy. Honor killing is generally on the extreme end of the spectrum. Suicide by a Muslim youth or teenager or young adult female due to conflict with parents or husband is also a tragedy. Besides the above two tragedies, there are millions of hard working, sincere, honest Muslim parents struggling to do their best to raise their children to be practicing Muslims against all odds. As you read this article, there may be many parent-child conflicts escalating in the homes of many Muslim families.
Typically a Muslim child in a western country experiences two different cultures one in the non-Muslim community and the other at his or her own home. While Churches have Christian Counseling Programs in place to encourage their members to receive support and solutions to resolve their marital, parent-child and family conflicts, how many Islamic Centers offer the same ? WE ARE ONE UMMAH RIGHT ? WE SHOULD BE THERE FOR ONE ANOTHER, IF NOT ACROSS THE WORLD, AT LEAST IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, RIGHT ?
The dynamics of each Muslim family is different and the issue of Islamic-Psycho-Social development is a complex one. While we will not delve into details we would like to spotlight few aspects that play a very critical role in our Muslim youth getting deviated from Islam.
Many Muslim parents focus on the periodic aspects of Islam in terms of attending Friday prayers, both Idd prayers, Tarawee during the month of Ramzan etc but are not proactive FROM THE START in terms of raising their children in an Islamic line in terms of day-to-day life. It is understandable that all families cannot go to Islamic Center even once everyday for prayers due to various reasons, but can they do family jamaat prayers at least once each day (if not 5 times) WITHIN THEIR OWN HOME ?
What percentage of Muslim families do at least one time prayer as a group. How many Muslim families have posted a schedule of the Islamic prayer times at their home and compare such numbers or percentage to other decorative pieces and art displayed in the home ? Should we be generous and not include such display in the rooms of our teenagers while calculating percentages ? The importance given to Islam varies from family to family and from each member to the other member of the same family.
There was a huge advertisement board along a particular freeway sponsored by a Church that said: A FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER. What percentage of Muslim families are actively involved in Islamic activities including volunteer work at local Islamic Centers ? How many Muslim parents have been able to guide their children to practice Islam voluntarily without use of harsh disciplinary methods and verbal abuse which they adopted from the previous generation. THE REALITY IS THAT MANY MUSLIM PARENTS DO NOT HAVE THE TOOLS IN TERMS OF LATEST ISLAMIC PSYCHO THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES to be able to guide their children in Islamic way without any force but purely from the heart for the love of Allah.
How many Islamic friendly support groups have you found in local Islamic Centers that are available for parents who have hard time dealing with their children, anger management groups, stress management groups, special group for Muslim teenagers et.c ? Could the existence of such groups been a proactive step from the Ummah to reduce the percentages of suicides, honor killings et.c.
Parents are quick to tell their teenage children NOT TO DO THIS or NOT TO DO THAT but WHAT ALTERNATIVES DO THEY HAVE TO OFFER THE TEENAGERS TO DO INSTEAD, SPECIALLY IN THEIR FREE TIME WHICH INCLUDES WEEKENDS AND VACATIONS ? In the absence of Islamic friendly activities which the local Islamic Centers could have organized and sponsored for the youth, many parents (to avoid the stress of dealing with the children) take the easiest route by giving an OK for the electronic baby sitter - TELEVISION (NO NEED TO PAY HOURLY WAGES). If the foundation of the child in terms of transmission of environmental information is absorbed for hundreds of hours from the child through the TV, IT IS BUT NATURAL for the same child to go to the next EXTENSION including but not limited to other electronic gadgets as they move towards adulthood. We are definitely NOT OPPOSED to TV in the house. What we are opposed to the number of hours an average child spends literally glued to the TV to the point that many of them cannot eat food unless they sit in front of the TV.
FOR SOME REASON, IT IS PERFECTLY OKAY FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO GET TOGETHER TO WATCH THE TV WHETHER WHILE EATING FOOD OR OTHERWISE, BUT SOMEHOW WHEN THE ISSUE IS RAISED TO PRAY TOGETHER, THEN.........SOME MEMBERS MAY INSTANTLY BECOME UNCOMFORTABLE ?
If you calculate in numbers, the amount of time the parents have allowed their child to watch regular TV programs and compare it to the time they have taken to expose their child to Islamic oriented education, training and activities, ONE SHOULD NEVER BE SURPRISED of the outcome of what an average child will grow up to be in terms of being a practicing Muslim or non-practicing Muslim. Are you then surprised to see a very low number of youth at the Islamic Centers ?
One of the biggest mistakes the parents make is to undervalue the impact that the TV is having on a child in terms of shaping the child's behavior, interests and values. WHEN TV, NON-ISLAMIC COMPANY OF FRIENDS, NON-ISLAMIC ENVIRONMENT AT PUBLIC SCHOOL ET.C ARE THE MAIN SOURCE OF CONTACT WITH THE GROWING CHILD, THERE CONTINUES A SUBTLE FORM OF ONGOING TRANSMISSION OF VALUES TO THE CHILD.
Compare and contrast above transmission of values TO ISLAMIC VALUES TRANSMITTED FROM THE PARENTS TO THE CHILD in terms of the time in clock hours spent by the parents directly or indirectly on the child, then you will be clear as to why the child has grown up to be what she or he is today, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF BEING DISCONNECTED FROM ISLAM in terms of being a practicing Muslim. To top it, add the factors of LOW SELF-ESTEEM which is common among MUSLIM CHILDREN and inappropriate disciplinary methods (verbal and physical abuse) to enforce Islam by parents, from such a negative combination what else do you expect ?
Thanks to the many Muslim Psychotherapists who distanced themselves from Islam, the UMMAH basically has been unable to learn proven and effective ISLAMIC PSYCHO THERAPEUTIC techniques that could have made it possible to bring a child in an Islamic line WITHOUT ABUSING THE CHILD and winning the child's heart towards ISLAM purely for the love of ISLAM.
In the absence of using advanced Islamic psycho therapeutic techniques, the only cushion that is most commonly used is TO PRAY ALLAH TO GUIDE OUR CHILDREN. Such prayers is definitely important but we argue why not back it up with practical implementation of above Islamic Psycho therapeutic techniques. (Our sister newsletter on "Islamic Psychotherapy" would be discussing such techniques in detail).
Below are several examples on the topic of honor killing. First example is of honor attack and the rest of honor killings:
HONOR KILLING IN THE UNITED STATES:
GEORGIA - I
HENRIETTA MUSLIM KNIFING CALLED "HONOR ATTACK"
www. democratandchronicle.com
According to court documents, a female friend of Fauzia Mohammad had arranged to pick her up outside the apartment to take her to New York.
MZEIGLER@DemocratandChronicle.com
GEORGIA - II
Atlanta, Georgia (CNN)
7/8/2008
Officers found Kanwal dead in an upstairs bedroom of the home, according to the police report.
TEXAS
(Amina and Sarah were shot to death in their father's taxi)
An immigrant from Afghanistan, Waheed Allah Mohammad, is accused of trying to murder his sister with a knife because he thought she had brought dishonor to their family
Infuriated because his younger sister was going to clubs, wearing immodest clothing and planning to leave her family for a new life in New York City, Waheed Allah Mohammad stabbed her outside their Henrietta home, prosecutors allege.
Afterward, he told Monroe County sheriff's investigators that he attacked his sister because she had disgraced their family and was a "bad Muslim girl," according to court documents.
Mohammad, 22, is scheduled to appear Friday in Monroe County Court on charges of attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the May 8 attack on Fauzia A. Mohammad, age 19.
The case is the second in four years in Monroe County in which an immigrant from South Asia is alleged to have killed or tried to kill a family member over the perceived loss of family honor — an occurrence that is not uncommon in South Asia but is rare in the United States.
Although the defendants in both cases are Muslims, resorting to homicide to restore family honor in mostly Muslim South Asia is a custom that predates Islam, said Aly Nahas, a retired professor of pharmacology at the University of Rochester who is a student of Islamic tradition.
"In my belief, it has nothing to do with Islam," said Nahas, a practicing Muslim. "I know Islam well, and I do not believe it is Islamic. There is nothing in Islam that talks about honor killing."
Nahas said, however, that many Westerners don't accept his assertion.
"And they will not because it occurs in countries that have been Muslim for 1,000 years," he said. "People will ask, 'Why isn't it stopped?' I can't answer that."
According to the United Nations Population Fund, up to 5,000 women are killed each year in South Asia for allegedly disgracing their families.
Infuriated because his younger sister was going to clubs, wearing immodest clothing and planning to leave her family for a new life in New York City, Waheed Allah Mohammad stabbed her outside their Henrietta home, prosecutors allege.
Afterward, he told Monroe County sheriff's investigators that he attacked his sister because she had disgraced their family and was a "bad Muslim girl," according to court documents.
Mohammad, 22, is scheduled to appear Friday in Monroe County Court on charges of attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the May 8 attack on Fauzia A. Mohammad, age 19.
The case is the second in four years in Monroe County in which an immigrant from South Asia is alleged to have killed or tried to kill a family member over the perceived loss of family honor — an occurrence that is not uncommon in South Asia but is rare in the United States.
Although the defendants in both cases are Muslims, resorting to homicide to restore family honor in mostly Muslim South Asia is a custom that predates Islam, said Aly Nahas, a retired professor of pharmacology at the University of Rochester who is a student of Islamic tradition.
"In my belief, it has nothing to do with Islam," said Nahas, a practicing Muslim. "I know Islam well, and I do not believe it is Islamic. There is nothing in Islam that talks about honor killing."
Nahas said, however, that many Westerners don't accept his assertion.
"And they will not because it occurs in countries that have been Muslim for 1,000 years," he said. "People will ask, 'Why isn't it stopped?' I can't answer that."
According to the United Nations Population Fund, up to 5,000 women are killed each year in South Asia for allegedly disgracing their families.
Assistant District Attorney Joseph Waldorf, who is prosecuting Mohammad, declined to characterize the case as an "honor attack" or otherwise. Fauzia Mohammad is recovering from her wounds, Waldorf said.
Mohammad was charged after his sister was stabbed outside their family's apartment on Linhome Drive, west of East River Road and south of Jefferson Road.......
According to court documents, a female friend of Fauzia Mohammad had arranged to pick her up outside the apartment to take her to New York.
During a family argument that spilled outside, Waheed Mohammad is accused of retrieving a knife from his car and chasing his sister. He allegedly lunged at her with the knife and stabbed her multiple times.
"He described her as a 'bad Muslim girl' and (said) that he did not approve of her clothing," a sheriff's investigator said in court documents. "They argued and he got angry."
After the stabbing, Mohammad allegedly threw the knife into a pond behind the apartment and fled in his car. Deputies stopped Mohammad minutes later at East River and Jefferson roads. Divers recovered the knife later.
After the stabbing, Mohammad allegedly threw the knife into a pond behind the apartment and fled in his car. Deputies stopped Mohammad minutes later at East River and Jefferson roads. Divers recovered the knife later.
MZEIGLER@DemocratandChronicle.com
GEORGIA - II
7/8/2008
A Pakistani man is charged with killing his 25-year-old daughter in Georgia because she wanted out of an arranged marriage, police said. Somber and tearful, Chaudhry Rashid, 54, of Jonesboro, an Atlanta suburb, made his first court appearance Tuesday in connection with the death of Sandeela Kanwal.
He was advised through an interpreter of the murder charge, and of his legal rights.
He was arrested early Sunday, after his wife called police at about 2 a.m. She reported that she had been awakened by screaming but couldn't understand the language, a Clayton County police report said. She said she was afraid and left the house to call police.
He was advised through an interpreter of the murder charge, and of his legal rights.
He was arrested early Sunday, after his wife called police at about 2 a.m. She reported that she had been awakened by screaming but couldn't understand the language, a Clayton County police report said. She said she was afraid and left the house to call police.
Officers found Kanwal dead in an upstairs bedroom of the home, according to the police report.
Rashid's wife told authorities Kanwal recently had been married in Pakistan -- an arranged marriage, she said. The young woman's husband was living in Chicago, Illinois, police said, but Kanwal remained at her father's home and worked at a metro Atlanta Wal-Mart for a brief time.
"The victim was not interested in marrying, nor remaining married to her husband," the police report said, citing information authorities received from Rashid's wife. "This was causing a great deal of friction between the victim and her father," so much so that the two had not spoken in two months, the report said.
"The victim was not interested in marrying, nor remaining married to her husband," the police report said, citing information authorities received from Rashid's wife. "This was causing a great deal of friction between the victim and her father," so much so that the two had not spoken in two months, the report said.
Police found Rashid sitting behind a vehicle in the driveway, and he seemed "distraught and possibly mournful," the report said. He told police, "My daughter is dead." But when asked how she died, Rashid did not answer -- "he just dropped his head."...
When Rashid appeared before a judge, Chaudhry Rashid insisted: “I have done nothing wrong.”
When Rashid appeared before a judge, Chaudhry Rashid insisted: “I have done nothing wrong.”
OHIO
The trial of two men accused of killing their cousin in what is being call an "honor killing," began Monday. (Newsnet5.com 4/25/2000)
Methal Dayem, a 22-year-old Cleveland State student, was murdered more than a year ago. Prosecutors say that Dayem's own cousins killed her, because she was turning her back on an arranged marriage from her Palestinian-Arab culture.
Musa Saleh and Yezen Dayem were arrested for the so-called "honor killing" -- an outdated medieval custom that's illegal in the United States.
NewsChannel5 reports that the defense attorney for Saleh argued against any jurors being on the panel who might have biases against Arabs. He also argued against the use of the term "honor killing," saying it might inflame the jury.
"One of the issues I'd like to raise today is that none of this evidence should be admissible," Saleh's defense attorney Jerome Emoff said.
Emoff says that "honor killing" has sinister overtones and might give jurors the impression of guilt before the trial starts.
Prosecutors say that "honor killing" was the cousins' words. That's how they say Saleh and his cousin described the killing during an interview with police.
"It's a reference to his knowledge about that crime and why it occurred," Assistant County Prosecutor Carmen Marino told the court. "It shows evident knowledge about the reason why that crime occurred. He's not guessing this was an honor killing. He said this was an Arab tradition, and this was an honor killing."
The defense asked the judge to ban the "honor killing" phrase, but Judge Brian Corrigan agreed with prosecutors that it could be a legitimate motive for the murder.
TEXAS
(Amina and Sarah were shot to death in their father's taxi)
The girls’ great aunt, Gail Gartrell, told reporters, “This was an honor killing.” She explained that Yaser Said had long abused the girls, and after discovering that they had boyfriends, had threatened to kill them -- whereupon their mother fled with them. “She ran with them,” said Gartrell, “because she knew he would carry out the threat.” But Said found them, and apparently did carry it out.
Honor killing, the practice of murdering a female family member who is believed to have sullied the family honor, enjoys widespread acceptance in some areas of the Islamic world.
However, Islam Said, the brother of Amina and Sarah, has denied that the murders had anything to do with Islam at all. “It’s not religion,” he insisted. “It’s something else. Religion has nothing to do with it.”
CANADA:
(Aqsa Parvez - Victim of honor killing. Perpetrators: Her father and brother angry over her not wearing hijab, and leading a unislamic lifestyle. ) HONOR KILLING IN TURKEY
"The Zaman" July 12, 2008
Honor killing perpetrators welcomed by society, study reveals. A study being conducted by a team from Dicle University in the Southeast on honor killings has so far shown that little if any social stigma is attached to the act.
Anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists and social workers are involved in the study, due to conclude in August. Associate Professor Mazhar Bagli from Dicle
University Department of Sociology is supervising the study. The team visited 44 prisons in the region and interviewed 180 perpetrators of honor killings. Of these, 100 percent say they do not regret their actions, Professor Bagli notes. In some cases, the victim’s relatives even praised the perpetrator, he adds.
Causes of honor killings vary. “It is not appropriate to associate honor killings with only one section of society. Some people think that it is related to a feudal structure, but this has proven to be false. There are also perpetrators who are well-educated university graduates. Of all those surveyed, 60 percent are either high school or university gradates or at the very least, literate. The victims of honor killing are not always women; males have also been targeted,” Bagli says.
He also drew attention to a misperception in the society concerning the motive. “These murders are not motivated by rumors such as ‘she wore blue jeans,’ ‘she sent an SMS to her boyfriend’ or ‘she went to the park.’” Suggesting an illegitimate sexual relationship as the primary reason for the murders, Bagli said cheating is an unforgivable act in the Southeast, even for a woman who “cheats” after divorcing her husband by remarrying.
“The ultimate punishment in such a situation is death. Both the groom’s and the bride’s families agree on this. Murder becomes inevitable when honor is at stake and turning to murder in such a situation is seen as a respectable act by the society,” he said.
Bagli also emphasized the importance of raising public awareness and introducing punishments for perpetrators to deter them from carrying out an honor killing. “If we sit and do nothing, we will continue witnessing these tragic events,” he warned.
He also noted the final report to be produced by the study will be forwarded to relevant institutions, organizations and NGOs in one-and-a-half months, when the study is expected to conclude.
HONOR KILLINGS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Mohammed Riaz made every conceivable attempt to prevent his wife and daughters enjoying their Westernised lifestyle. He destroyed their clothes - modest by Western standards but tight fitting by his own - when they came out of the wash and he railed against plans to allow alcohol at his terminally ill son's 18th birthday party - which had been brought forward because of his prognosis.
Police investigations revealed how estranged Mr Riaz, a traditionalist and a practising Muslim who grew up in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, had become from his vivacious wife, a high-profile community worker who had co-founded the local Aawaz women's group, mentored teenage girls at a high school in nearby Rishton, and was a school governor and board member on several diversity groups. Mrs Riaz
The children flourished in Britain. The eldest daughter, Sayrah, was a "second mother" to her sisters, according to the family, and had a passion for fashion design; Sophia, 13, loved rap music and wanted to be an MC, while Alicia was the closest to her father. She embraced Asian culture the most and was a regular at the mosque....Early on 1 November last year, Mr Riaz decided the pressures were too much. As his wife and daughters slept in three upstairs bedrooms, he threw petrol over them and trailed more around the house, then lit three fires.
UNITED KINGDOM - PART II
LONDON (Reuters) - A Kurdish woman was brutally raped, stamped on and strangled by members of her family and their friends in an “honor killing” carried out at her London home because she had fallen in love with the wrong man.
Banaz Mahmod, 20, was subjected to the 2-1/2 hour ordeal before she was garroted with a bootlace. Her body was stuffed into a suitcase and taken about 100 miles to Birmingham where it was buried in the back garden of a house.
Her badly decomposed body was found in April 2006, three months after the killing.
Last month a jury found her father Mahmod Mahmod, 52, and his brother Ari Mahmod, 51, guilty of murder after a three-month trial. Their associate Mohamad Hama, 30, had earlier admitted killing her…
They believed Banaz had brought shame on the family by leaving her husband, an Iraqi Kurd she had been forced to marry at 17, and falling in love with Rahmat Suleimani, an Iranian Kurd.
PART III:
Samaira Nazir was a victim of honour killing.
In July 2006, 25-year old Samaira Nazir's killers were jailed for life. Her 21-year-old brother and teenage cousin murdered her for wanting to marry "an unsuitable boy". Campaigners say so-called "honour" murders in the UK are happening more often and that large numbers of British Asian women across the country are seeking help.
ITALY:
The case of Hina Salem whose mutilated body has been recovered from her parents' back garden in Italy reminds us that honour killing is still prevalent in Europe. Just as self-immolation is not a Buddhist tendancy, honour killing has no direct connection to religion. On the contrary such types of murder reflect patriarchial belief systems. The Killers are more often than not fathers or brothers who can not accept life decisions made by their sisters or daughters & thus kill their family members to preserve "honour". Hina was 20 years of age, her body was placed with head facing Mecca after her father and other male family members punished her for co-habitating with her 32 year old boyfriend.
EXAMPLES OF HONOR KILLINGS IN SWEDEN:
Abbas Rezai (2005): A 20-year-old Iranian man, gets killed in Hogsby. The motive is supposedly that his girlfriend’s family, who comes from Afghanistan, could not accept their relationship. The trial found the girlfriend’s brother guilty and fined him four years in institutional youth welfare and banishment from Sweden for life. Her parents are free. The lawyer of the mother to the murdered man is convinced that they planned the killing and has the opinion that they also should be sentenced for the murder.
A Kurdish Wife (2003): A 28-year-old Kurdish man stabs his one-year-younger wife with 37 slashes in Strangnas. The man did not accept that his wife wanted to get a divorce. The trial found him guilty and fined him ten years in prison and banishment from Sweden for life.
Fadime Sahindal (2002): A 26-year-old Kurdish girl, was killed in Uppsala in the evening of the 21st January. Her father did not accept that she had a Swedish boyfriend and wanted to have Swedish life style. The trial found her father guilty and he got a life sentence. Two months before she was killed she held a speech in the Swedish Parliament about her life and how she was treated by her family, relatives and Swedish authorities.
Pela Atroshi (1999): She was shot to death in Dhouk in Iraqi Kurdistan. Her sister called the Swedish police and reported the murder. Two uncles got a life sentence for the murder. The father is still wanted by the authorities.
Umea (1996): A 15-year-old Iraqi girl in Umea was killed by her brother and cousin after a party. The motive was that she had a Swedish life style.
Palestinian Girl (1994): A Palestinian man in Vastmanland killed his 18-year-old daughter when she refused to marry the man the father had chosen for her.
Parvin Kaboli
HONOR KILLING IN GERMANY:
(Hatin Surucu- Turkish immigrant in Germany)
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