9/9/08
Five women were buried alive in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan as part of an “honor killing” -- because they intended to choose their own husbands. Honor killings are murders, primarily of women, who are perceived as having brought dishonor to their families and Islam. It is estimated that over five thousand honor killings occur every year worldwide.
In this instance, the women were allegedly murdered by the younger brother of a provincial minister and a prominent leader of the ruling Pakistan People's Party. No perpetrator has been arrested since the incident, which occurred in July 2008. Three of the victims, teenagers between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, were abducted on their way to civil court in defiance of tribal orders to cease “their refusal to adhere to Muslim law and pursue the marriage of men of their choice”. As described by eyewitnesses, the girls were taken to a vacant lot, beaten, shot, and then buried. Two older relatives of the girls, both women, tried to plead for mercy and intervene during the violent beatings and were shoved into the ditches. All victims were buried still alive.
This heinous, barbaric, and violent crime has been overlooked as a “domestic violence case” absence of any prosecution or trial. Honor killings have no support in the Muslim code of Law, the Koran, yet they are often sanctioned by supporters of radical Islam as obligated punishments and persecution for violations of Sharia, or Islamic law. Under this strict interpretation of Sharia, women can be targeted for offenses such as refusing an arranged marriage, being the victim of a sexual assault, seeking a divorce, or having premarital sexual relations. The lack of basic human rights for women under Sharia allows essentially no recourse or defense against such violence and homicide.
Few honor killings are actually reported by local, national, or international media outlets, and only sporadic cases are prosecuted. This form of intimidation and manipulation of women has recently spread to US soil. Several of the more prominent, reported instances include:
*July 6, 2008 in Jonesboro, Georgia, 16 miles outside of Atlanta, in which a Pakistani man strangled his 25 year old daughter with a bungee cord because she wanted to end her arranged marriage.
*2007 in Irving, Texas, in which an Egyptian man murdered his two daughters for dating boys against his wishes.
*July 2008, in which an Afghani immigrant stabbed his sister for being a “bad Muslim girl.”
The numbers of cases unreported to appropriate authorities and media could number in the hundreds according to expert estimates. Political awareness, law enforcement investigations, public outrage, and support for moderate Islam can help to curb and maybe even reverse this disturbing trend. The supporters of such practices need to be exposed, arrested, and prosecuted without delay.
More Resources
*Pakistani Women Buried Alive
*Five Women Buried Alive
*An American "Honor Killing"
*"Honor Killing" Alleged in Georgia
*Murder In the Family: Honor Killings in America
