Honour or Stupidity?
As I stupidly & conveniently forgot to set my alarm clock last night before I turned in, I ended up waking up late, very late... Thus, was unable to make it to school...
Feeling lazy, I switched on my TV and tuned in to National Geographic Channel. The documentary "Honour Killing" had just started.
Sure, I've read about it in National Geographic Magazine, sure I've read this from circulated emails & sure, friends & I have talked about this issue before. But this time round, watching it, hearing it from the horses's mouth, taking in every horrorible fact as the women in Pakistan lament their fate, it all seemed so real all of a sudden. Though it's happening at the other end of the world, I was very touched by what I saw on TV.
This woman was punished by her husband in what he described as an "Honour Killing" just because he heard that she was having an affair with another man. Just because of a hearsay, he went ahead to beat his then 6 mths pregnant wife up, cut her ears off, saw her nose off, dug her eyes out... I was shocked beyond words and tears just filled up in my eyes.
Thank goodness, the baby survived the ordeal. The woman wasn't so lucky, she survived only to be very disfigured. Imagine a woman with only empty sockets, without a nose, without ears... She was tearing while being interviewed and shared how her children refused to go near her for awhile because of how shocking and ugly she looked.
Because this woman came to her senses, she decided to sue her husband and with the help of her brother, they found one of the rare woman lawyer around who offered to fight her case, Free-of-Charge. As a result of her persistency, they finally succeeded and he was sentenced to jail for 14 years. Now, they are appealing to the Court to change his sentence to Life Imprisonment.
Her courage touched me and it was this step that encouraged many other more abused women to leave and stand up for their own rights.
When the host interviewed the men what do they know about "Honour Killing" , they all replied that the only know that the Quran said that if a woman did something unhonourable, they then should stand up as a Muslim and kill her for what they call "Family Honour".
Many of those men was uneducated and illiterate... How then could they understand the Quran?
Tell me, which good religion would tell people to kill their family members over something as trivial as walking alone on the streets without a male relative?
I am appalled by such barbaric behaviour! Is there even love and kinship in those men? Do they just go around killing their daugthers, wives, sisters, cousins just because of a stupid accusation which is taken to be true without any clarifications?
Aren't we supposed to be living in 2005, a modern society? The President could coldly reply the reporter that he has no BUDGET for protecting these women thought he's aware of the seriousness of the situation. He said he needs to spend on weapons, for military defence because without weapons, there would be no Pakistan... That clearly is more important than human rights, more important then providing shelter for these women in his opinion.
Mr President, if that's the case, then maybe it's better off not to have any Pakistan... With such people, your country willl bever prosper... children continue to become motherless every day, women continue to meet with undeserved death everyday, policemen will carry on being corrupted and taking bribes & turning away from such crimes against humanity.
Maybe it's time for the women to stand up for their own rights and speak up instead of suffering in silence.
One day, when I can, I'll set up a foundation to fight for such a cause.
Meanwhile, now, I'm contented and relieved to know that there're people in Pakistan who care & who dare to stand up against such crimes inspite of endangering thier lives... It's also comforting to know that there are people in many other parts of the world who care enough for the plights of other less fortunate people aorund the world...
This, I take comfort in & I'll continue dreaming for a better world..
Feeling lazy, I switched on my TV and tuned in to National Geographic Channel. The documentary "Honour Killing" had just started.
Sure, I've read about it in National Geographic Magazine, sure I've read this from circulated emails & sure, friends & I have talked about this issue before. But this time round, watching it, hearing it from the horses's mouth, taking in every horrorible fact as the women in Pakistan lament their fate, it all seemed so real all of a sudden. Though it's happening at the other end of the world, I was very touched by what I saw on TV.
This woman was punished by her husband in what he described as an "Honour Killing" just because he heard that she was having an affair with another man. Just because of a hearsay, he went ahead to beat his then 6 mths pregnant wife up, cut her ears off, saw her nose off, dug her eyes out... I was shocked beyond words and tears just filled up in my eyes.
Thank goodness, the baby survived the ordeal. The woman wasn't so lucky, she survived only to be very disfigured. Imagine a woman with only empty sockets, without a nose, without ears... She was tearing while being interviewed and shared how her children refused to go near her for awhile because of how shocking and ugly she looked.
Because this woman came to her senses, she decided to sue her husband and with the help of her brother, they found one of the rare woman lawyer around who offered to fight her case, Free-of-Charge. As a result of her persistency, they finally succeeded and he was sentenced to jail for 14 years. Now, they are appealing to the Court to change his sentence to Life Imprisonment.
Her courage touched me and it was this step that encouraged many other more abused women to leave and stand up for their own rights.
When the host interviewed the men what do they know about "Honour Killing" , they all replied that the only know that the Quran said that if a woman did something unhonourable, they then should stand up as a Muslim and kill her for what they call "Family Honour".
Many of those men was uneducated and illiterate... How then could they understand the Quran?
Tell me, which good religion would tell people to kill their family members over something as trivial as walking alone on the streets without a male relative?
I am appalled by such barbaric behaviour! Is there even love and kinship in those men? Do they just go around killing their daugthers, wives, sisters, cousins just because of a stupid accusation which is taken to be true without any clarifications?
Aren't we supposed to be living in 2005, a modern society? The President could coldly reply the reporter that he has no BUDGET for protecting these women thought he's aware of the seriousness of the situation. He said he needs to spend on weapons, for military defence because without weapons, there would be no Pakistan... That clearly is more important than human rights, more important then providing shelter for these women in his opinion.
Mr President, if that's the case, then maybe it's better off not to have any Pakistan... With such people, your country willl bever prosper... children continue to become motherless every day, women continue to meet with undeserved death everyday, policemen will carry on being corrupted and taking bribes & turning away from such crimes against humanity.
Maybe it's time for the women to stand up for their own rights and speak up instead of suffering in silence.
One day, when I can, I'll set up a foundation to fight for such a cause.
Meanwhile, now, I'm contented and relieved to know that there're people in Pakistan who care & who dare to stand up against such crimes inspite of endangering thier lives... It's also comforting to know that there are people in many other parts of the world who care enough for the plights of other less fortunate people aorund the world...
This, I take comfort in & I'll continue dreaming for a better world..
posted by paradox-is-me at 9:02 PM
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