I was searching the net and came across this article about rape as a form of punnishment against women which led me to an article about honor killings. I found it interesting, and thought I'd post about it.
Also a good article at: http://usconsulate-istanbul.org.tr/reppub/vawo/tkhan.html
Some of it:
I found it disturbing, being a woman living in modern society based upon values such as equality and personal freedom, that there are women who have to endure this kind of treatment. Never will notions such as "differences in culture" justify this kind of torture in my mind. Anyone else got thoughts on this?
Muslim Woman's Courage Sets Example
March 16, 2005
by Wendy McElroy
Last week,—the nation's highest Islamic court—vacated an appeals court decision that had outraged the world.
In essence, the appeals court had acquitted five of the six men convicted in the 2002 "honor rape" of Mukhtar Mai. Her ongoing story may well foreshadow the future of Muslim women who suffer under tribal law and other oppressive traditions. Hers is a savage tale of brutalization and courage, with confusing twists and a resolution that is uncertain. But it is a story of hope, which provides reason for optimism.
In it, the West provides an invaluable voice of conscience and compassion. But the story's ultimate message may be that Muslim women must stand up for themselves and say 'no.'
In the summer of 2002, a panchayat court (or village council) sentenced Mukhtar to be gang-raped by four men. The sentence was not to punish Mukhtar for wrongdoing. Rather, her 14-year-old brother was accused of associating in public with a girl from a rival and more powerful tribe; her rape was meant to punish the family for his transgression.
Gang-raped, beaten, and thrown naked into the street, Mukhtar was forced to walk home through her village. The public nature of the punishment ensured she was an outcast and unmarriageable. Mukhtar was expected to kill herself, but a suicide attempt failed. Her family revived her, and the support of her loved ones deterred her from making future attempts.
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By contrast, Kristof wrote, Mukhtar survived and propounded "the shocking idea that the shame lies in raping, rather than in being raped."
In rural Pakistan, as in many remote Muslim areas, tribal courts often take precedence over the law of the land on matters of family and "honor." Indeed, when human rights organizations express outrage over ritualized violence against women in Islamic cultures, it is often the panchayat tribal courts toward which they point an accusing finger.
For example, Pakistan is notorious for "honor killings." This is the practice by which women are murdered, usually by male relatives, for sexual 'improprieties' such as having sex outside of marriage. Mukhtar's story is an international indictment of that system.
However, in recent years—largely due to its alliance with and dependency upon the United States—Pakistan's national government has been trying to reform how women are treated in their country. President Musharraf has declared an agenda of "enlightened moderation" that sets his more Western version of society at odds with tribal traditions.
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And while the world shifted focus, the appeals court set her rapists free.
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But now that the higher court has overturned those acquittals, global attention is again on Mukhtar.
Imagine what might be accomplished if the world pays attention for the next two years.
Copyright © 2005 Wendy McElroy.
March 16, 2005
by Wendy McElroy
Last week,—the nation's highest Islamic court—vacated an appeals court decision that had outraged the world.
In essence, the appeals court had acquitted five of the six men convicted in the 2002 "honor rape" of Mukhtar Mai. Her ongoing story may well foreshadow the future of Muslim women who suffer under tribal law and other oppressive traditions. Hers is a savage tale of brutalization and courage, with confusing twists and a resolution that is uncertain. But it is a story of hope, which provides reason for optimism.
In it, the West provides an invaluable voice of conscience and compassion. But the story's ultimate message may be that Muslim women must stand up for themselves and say 'no.'
In the summer of 2002, a panchayat court (or village council) sentenced Mukhtar to be gang-raped by four men. The sentence was not to punish Mukhtar for wrongdoing. Rather, her 14-year-old brother was accused of associating in public with a girl from a rival and more powerful tribe; her rape was meant to punish the family for his transgression.
Gang-raped, beaten, and thrown naked into the street, Mukhtar was forced to walk home through her village. The public nature of the punishment ensured she was an outcast and unmarriageable. Mukhtar was expected to kill herself, but a suicide attempt failed. Her family revived her, and the support of her loved ones deterred her from making future attempts.
-----
By contrast, Kristof wrote, Mukhtar survived and propounded "the shocking idea that the shame lies in raping, rather than in being raped."
In rural Pakistan, as in many remote Muslim areas, tribal courts often take precedence over the law of the land on matters of family and "honor." Indeed, when human rights organizations express outrage over ritualized violence against women in Islamic cultures, it is often the panchayat tribal courts toward which they point an accusing finger.
For example, Pakistan is notorious for "honor killings." This is the practice by which women are murdered, usually by male relatives, for sexual 'improprieties' such as having sex outside of marriage. Mukhtar's story is an international indictment of that system.
However, in recent years—largely due to its alliance with and dependency upon the United States—Pakistan's national government has been trying to reform how women are treated in their country. President Musharraf has declared an agenda of "enlightened moderation" that sets his more Western version of society at odds with tribal traditions.
-----
And while the world shifted focus, the appeals court set her rapists free.
------
But now that the higher court has overturned those acquittals, global attention is again on Mukhtar.
Imagine what might be accomplished if the world pays attention for the next two years.
Copyright © 2005 Wendy McElroy.
Also a good article at: http://usconsulate-istanbul.org.tr/reppub/vawo/tkhan.html
Some of it:
"'Honor' in English language (honos, honoris, in classical Latin)'Izzat', Namoos, 'Ghairat' in Arabic, Turkish and Persian languages have similar meanings; respect, esteem, prestige. Back in the history and even today, every society has defined these terms in its own socio-economic and cultural contexts. Originally, honor has been a gender neutral term. No dictionary labels it as fe/male respect or prestige. In the process of definition of honor, somewhere in the past, patriarchal material forces engendered it and it became male attribute. When in the distant past, honor, izzat, namoos and ghairat got engendered? This question requires a separate research study. Here for my own convenience, I am taking the already engendered concept of honor for the purpose of definitional and contextual explanation.
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Men are the sole possessors and defenders of honor. Honor is purely male attribute. Honor is a dialectical term and its opposite is shame (shame is actually loss of honor). Men are the main sufferers of shame. Where do women stand in this honor/shame schema? Women do not possess honor or suffer shame, they can only bring honor/shame. How? By obeying the dictated norms of the family and community they can make men of the family proud, respectable and honorable. Women bring shame by challenging and rebelling against the dictated norms. As I have mentioned earlier that the concept of honor under discussion is deeply related with woman's body, sexuality, and expressions of her sexual desires, behaviors and acts. To discipline and control female sexuality, patriarchal institution of family constructs the borders and defines the limitations of woman's space. Crime of honor is an act which "can occur when any of the borders are crossed"(1) says a feminist scholar from Arab world. An endorsement comes from Morocco. "transgression of boundaries almost immediately results in a crime of honor" says Mernissi. (2) Lama Abu-odeh further defines honor killings as a crime. "Killing of a woman by her father or brother for engaging in or being suspected of engaging in sexual practices before or outside marriages"
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Three years back, I started collecting data with some presumptions in my mind. That, married women are killed only due to having or on the supicsion of extra-marital relationship (adultery) and young unmarried women are killed mainly due to the pre-marital sexual engagements (fornication). Now, after three years, I have come up with a different kind of list of victims/murderers and motives of the murders. I have come up to the conclusion that honor killings are not just related to the sexual behavior of women or dis/obedience issue, there are many other factors involved in killings of women. The are numerous economic factors. I have found dozens of cases where sexuality of woman was not an issue at all, where mainly, property and economic gains were involved, but woman was killed under the pretext of honor.
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Rape is a very complicated issue in the whole scenario honor killings. An unmarried raped girl is killed in more than 95% cases by her own family men. Her body is responsible for bringing shame on the men of the family. Murder happens usually in the cases when incident of rape is leaked out in the community. Otherwise, family would try to cover it by remaining silent and not reporting the crime to the police. Sometimes, revenge is sought quietly, by murdering the culprit later on or by raping the women of the culprit's family."
-----
Men are the sole possessors and defenders of honor. Honor is purely male attribute. Honor is a dialectical term and its opposite is shame (shame is actually loss of honor). Men are the main sufferers of shame. Where do women stand in this honor/shame schema? Women do not possess honor or suffer shame, they can only bring honor/shame. How? By obeying the dictated norms of the family and community they can make men of the family proud, respectable and honorable. Women bring shame by challenging and rebelling against the dictated norms. As I have mentioned earlier that the concept of honor under discussion is deeply related with woman's body, sexuality, and expressions of her sexual desires, behaviors and acts. To discipline and control female sexuality, patriarchal institution of family constructs the borders and defines the limitations of woman's space. Crime of honor is an act which "can occur when any of the borders are crossed"(1) says a feminist scholar from Arab world. An endorsement comes from Morocco. "transgression of boundaries almost immediately results in a crime of honor" says Mernissi. (2) Lama Abu-odeh further defines honor killings as a crime. "Killing of a woman by her father or brother for engaging in or being suspected of engaging in sexual practices before or outside marriages"
----
Three years back, I started collecting data with some presumptions in my mind. That, married women are killed only due to having or on the supicsion of extra-marital relationship (adultery) and young unmarried women are killed mainly due to the pre-marital sexual engagements (fornication). Now, after three years, I have come up with a different kind of list of victims/murderers and motives of the murders. I have come up to the conclusion that honor killings are not just related to the sexual behavior of women or dis/obedience issue, there are many other factors involved in killings of women. The are numerous economic factors. I have found dozens of cases where sexuality of woman was not an issue at all, where mainly, property and economic gains were involved, but woman was killed under the pretext of honor.
-----
Rape is a very complicated issue in the whole scenario honor killings. An unmarried raped girl is killed in more than 95% cases by her own family men. Her body is responsible for bringing shame on the men of the family. Murder happens usually in the cases when incident of rape is leaked out in the community. Otherwise, family would try to cover it by remaining silent and not reporting the crime to the police. Sometimes, revenge is sought quietly, by murdering the culprit later on or by raping the women of the culprit's family."
i tried to learn it and couldn't 
) it as meaning ...............ah can't remeber the exact english word but it means 'one who retaliates to a wrong with an equal reaction regardless of any kind of rational thought. Now, the prohet mohammed (pbuh) eplicitly stated that he came to rid the world of 'jahliyah'. honour killings are the higest form of jahliya. an honour killing is irrational and just plain stupid.
. but pakistan generally doesn't accept this. Yet, i have explained, the tribes are left to themselves because thats how they want it. The trbial people are very brave and would cause a lot of civil unrest for musharaaf. He doesnt want the headache
