I think the van Gogh slaying was particularly nasty. I recently visited Holland and found the stress quite unbearable - the place seems to be balancing on the brink of civil war. No wonder MMY is there, doing His typical putting-out-the-flames-thing by justy being there. --- In [email protected], vosmanon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > 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. > > Complicity by other women in the family and the community > strengthens the concept of women as property and the perception that > violence against family members is a family and not a judicial > issue. > > "Females in the family�mothers, mothers-in-law, sisters, and cousins� > frequently support the attacks. It's a community mentality," said > Zaynab Nawaz, a program assistant for women's human rights at > Amnesty International. > > There is nothing in the Koran, the book of basic Islamic teachings, > that permits or sanctions honor killings. However, the view of women > as property with no rights of their own is deeply rooted in Islamic > culture, Tahira Shahid Khan, a professor specializing in women's > issues at the Aga Khan University in Pakistan, wrote in Chained to > Custom, a review of honor killings published in 1999. > > "Women are considered the property of the males in their family > irrespective of their class, ethnic, or religious group. The owner > of the property has the right to decide its fate. The concept of > ownership has turned women into a commodity which can be exchanged, > bought and sold." > > Honor killings are perpetrated for a wide range of offenses. Marital > infidelity, pre-marital sex, flirting, or even failing to serve a > meal on time can all be perceived as impugning the family honor. > > Amnesty International has reported on one case in which a husband > murdered his wife based on a dream that she had betrayed him. In > Turkey, a young woman's throat was slit in the town square because a > love ballad had been dedicated to her over the radio. > > In a society where most marriages are arranged by fathers and money > is often exchanged, a woman's desire to choose her own husband�or to > seek a divorce�can be viewed as a major act of defiance that damages > the honor of the man who negotiated the deal. > > Even victims of rape are vulnerable. In a widely reported case in > March of 1999, a 16-year-old mentally retarded girl who was raped in > the Northwest Frontier province of Pakistan was turned over to her > tribe's judicial council. Even though the crime was reported to the > police and the perpetrator was arrested, the Pathan tribesmen > decided that she had brought shame to her tribe and she was killed > in front of a tribal gathering. > > The teenage brothers of victims are frequently directed to commit > the murder because, as minors, they would be subject to considerably > lighter sentencing if there is legal action. Typically, they would > serve only three months to a year. > > Officials often claim that nothing can be done to halt the practice > because the concept of women's rights is not culturally relevant to > deeply patriarchal societies. > > "Politicians frequently argue that these things are occurring among > uneducated, illiterate people whose attitudes can't be changed," > said Brown. "We see it more as a matter of political will." > > The story of Samia Imran is one of the most widely cited cases used > to illustrate the vulnerability of women in a culture that turns a > blind eye to such practices. The case's high profile no doubt arises > from the fact that the murder took place in broad daylight, was > abetted by the victim's mother, who was a doctor, and occurred in > the office of Asma Jahangir, a prominent Pakistani lawyer and the UN > reporter on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions. > > In April 1999 Imran, a 28-year-old married woman seeking a divorce > from her violent husband after 10 years of marriage, reluctantly > agreed to meet her mother in a lawyers' office in Lahore, Pakistan. > Imran's family opposed the divorce and considered her seeking a > divorce to be shaming to the family's honor. Her mother arrived at > the lawyer's office with a male companion, who immediately shot and > killed Imran. > > Imran's father, who was president of the Chamber of Commerce in > Peshawar, filed a complaint with the police accusing the lawyers of > the abduction and murder of Imran. The local clergy issued fatwas > (religious rulings) against both women and money was promised to > anyone who killed them. > > The Peshawar High Court eventually threw out the father's suit. No > one was ever arrested for Imran's death. > > Imran's case received a great deal of publicity, but frequently > honor killings are virtually ignored by community members. "In many > cases, the women are buried in unmarked graves and all records of > their existence are wiped out," said Brown. > > Women accused by family members of bringing dishonor to their > families are rarely given the opportunity to prove their innocence. > In many countries where the practice is condoned or at least > ignored, there are few shelters and very little legal protection. > > "In Jordan, if a woman is afraid that her family wants to kill her, > she can check herself into the local prison, but she can't check > herself out, and the only person who can get her out is a male > relative, who is frequently the person who poses the threat," said > Brown. > > "That this is their idea of how to protect women," Brown said, "is > mind boggling." > > "Police officers and prosecutors need to be convinced to treat these > crimes seriously, and countries need to review their criminal codes > for discrimination against women�where murder of a wife is treated > more leniently than murder of a husband, for instance," said Brown. > > Countries that don't recognize domestic violence as a crime at all > need to bring their penal codes up to international standards, she > said, adding that increased public awareness and greater education > about human rights would also help. > > In a National Geographic documentary, Michael Davie investigated > honor killings in Pakistan, where it is estimated that every day at > least three women�including victims of rape�are victims of the > practice. > > The case of one of the victims Davie examined is heartbreaking but > also hopeful. Zahida Perveen, a 29-year-old mother of three, was > brutally disfigured and underwent extensive facial reconstruction in > the United States. She is one of the only survivors in Pakistan to > successfully prosecute the attacker�her husband. > > "The reason honor killings have emerged as a human rights issue is > that it's the only way ultimately that it can be addressed," said > Freeman. "Naming the problem and bringing international attention to > it highlights the refusal of some of these governments to shine any > kind of light on their failure to protect their own citizens. > > "Change can't happen if it's just people working inside the system; > they're overwhelmed. International campaigns and media attention > give them some ballast and the ability to say 'Look, the world is > watching what is going on here,' and provides support for making > change in their own countries." 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