In the Name of Blasphemy, Pakistani Christians Under Frequent Attack - 3

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Ayub Masih when in prison facing a death sentence
Photo Courtesy: http://www.abdaq.com/

A Timeline of Blasphemy-Based Attacks
on Christians of Pakistan

1986: Present Zia-ul-Haq of Pakistan introduces blasphemy laws, the most stringent in the world. The parliament, in 2004, amends some of these laws, which carry mandatory death sentence for defaming Prophet Mohammad and life sentence for desecrating the Holy Quran. Since 1990, more than 500 persons (Muslims as well as non-Muslims) have been charged under these laws. We try to mention below some of the blasphemy-based accusations and court cases against Christians only.

1990 (December 7): Tahir Iqbal of Lahore, converted to Christianity from Islam, was accused of defaming Prophet Mohammad during the Muslim azaan (public call of prayer) and giving anti-Islamic education to children during his private coaching. The sessions judge in July 1991 denied him bail when he came to know of his conversion to Christianity, saying that it was a cognizable offence. On July 21, 1992, he was poisoned in the police custody before his defence lawyer could appear in the court for him.

1991 (December 10): Gul Masih of Faisalabad was charged for using sacrilegious words against Prophet Mohammad and his wives after Sajjad Hussain, the complainant, had a quarrel with him over the repair of a street water-tap. The complaint was: Gul Masih had mentioned to Sajjad Hussain that "he had read that Mohammad had 11 wives, including a minor." On November 2, 1992, the Sessions Court of Sargoda sentenced him to death. Years later he was acquitted but continued to receive death threats. He now lives in Germany on asylum.

1992 (January 6): Naimat Ahmar (43), a Christian teacher, was killed by Farooq Ahmad, a young member of a militant religious group, on the premises of the District Education Officer in Faisalabad on duty. Farooq said that he earned his way into heaven by killing Naimat for blaspheming Islam and Prophet Mohammad. No case was registered against the teacher nor was he tried by the court. He left behind a widow with four children.

1992: Bantu Masih (80) and Mukhtar Masih (50), arrested and accused of blasphemy, were killed in the Lahore police station. A fundamentalist Muslim stabbed Bantu eight times in front of the police and later he died of his wounds. Mukhtar Masih was tortured to death in police custody.

1993 (February): Anwar Masih, a Christian from Samundri, Punjab, was jailed when a Muslim shopkeeper complained, that during an argument over money, Masih had insulted the Prophet Mohammad. On April 24, 1998, he was released for time served.

1993 (May): Salamat Masih (12), Manzoor Masih (37) and Rehmat Masih (42) were charged for writing derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammad on the mosque wall in Ratta Dhotran village of Gujranwala District, where they lived. All the three, being illiterate, did not know how to write.

1995 (July): Catherine Shaheen, a teacher in Lahore, was denied her salary on the grounds of blasphemy. Since then she has been hiding from fundamentalists because of threats on her life.

1996 (October 14): Ayub Masih (25), of Arifabad, Sahiwal District, was arrested for violation of Section 295(C) of the Pakistan Penal Code. His Muslim neighbour complained that Ayub him and his family to accept Christianity and recommended them to read Salman Rushdie's book Satanic Verses. On April 27, 1998, he was sentenced to death and imposed a fine of 100,000 rupees (about US $ 1,667) by the Sessions Court of Sahiwal. Catholic Bishop John Joseph of Faisalabad thought this death sentence and fine on Ayub were unjust. On May 6, 1998, Bishop went to Sahiwal Sessions Court premises and shot himself to death to protest against the death sentence. On July 24, 2001, the High Court bench at Multan heard the appeal among vocal death threats to the defence lawyer and the sitting judges if they did not give support to the death sentence. The appeals court affirmed the lower court's verdict of the death sentence and the fine. On August 16, 2002, the Supreme Court turned down the death penalty and fine and acquitted Ayub of the blasphemy charge.

1997 (October 19): Muslim Judge Arif Iqbal Bhatti was assassinated by the Muslim extremists in his Lahore office after he acquitted two Christians (Salamat Masih and Rehmat Masih) accused of blasphemy.

1998 (May 10): Ranjha Masih was arrested on charges of blasphemy when he participated in a protest rally against the country's blasphemy laws immediately after the funeral of Bishop John Joseph, who had committed suicide with a gun protesting the blasphemy laws. During the protest rally, a neon sign of a shop bearing a verse from the Quran fell down, probably due to pressure from the large crowd of the protest rally. On April 26, 2003, he was sentenced to life in prison and imposed a fine of 50,000 rupees.

1998 (May 31): Shafiq Masih, of Faisalabad, was charged with blasphemy after he had a dispute with a neighbour. The police saved him at the last moment when more than 1,000 angry Muslims went to his house and was about to lynch him. Although there are government instructions to investigate thoroughly any blasphemy charge before registering a case, the local police chief, to calm the sentiments of the violent mob, charged Shafiq Masih with blasphemy.

1998 (August 11): Nazir Masih was arrested at Patoki, south-east of Islamabad and north of Lahore, for blasphemy. He was charged under sections 298 and 298(A) for insulting the daughter of the Prophet Mohammad. These charges do not carry death penalty. He is being held at the cental jail in Sahiwal.

1999 (February): Amjad Masih (27) and Asif Masih (23) of Faisalabad have been arrested over a minor brawl. Both of them maintain that the police burned the Quran themselves when they refused to pay a bribe. Then they were accused of burning a copy of the Quran in the prison. They were sentenced under the blasphemy law 295b. The sentence was upheld by the Lahore High Court on August 7, 2003. On appeal to the Supreme Court, with help from Bishop John Joseph Shaheed Trust, they were released in August, 2006. They are still under constant threat to their life.

(Continued)

In the Name of Blasphemy, Pakistani Christians Under Frequent Attack - 2

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General Zia-ul-Haq, who later became the President of Pakistan,
introduced certain Islamic laws that are adversely
affecting the minority communities there
Photo Courtesy: The Internet

The State Discrimination Against Minority Groups

Elected Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (1928 - 1979) promoted military personnel Zia-ul-Haq (1924 - 1988) -- also called Zia -- to the position of lieutenant general in 1975 and made him the Chief of Army Staff in 1976. Extremely ambitious Zia seized power on July 5, 1977 from Bhutto in a bloodless coup and became the Chief Martial-Law Administrator. In 1978, he installed himself as the President of Pakistan. In 1979, he got Bhutto hanged on charges of an attempted murder of a political opponent. Then he started to broaden his political support base by courting the Islamic political parties through islamizing Pakistan's political and cultural spheres.

President Zia's islamization process included introduction of a number of laws. Here we discuss three that most adversely affect the minority communities, including Christians of Pakistan:

• The Separate Electorate System: In 1979, President Zia introduced the separate electorate system. It means, Muslims will only vote for Muslim candidates, and minority communities (Christians, Hindus, Ahmadis and others) will vote for their own individual candidates. Minorities will have allocated seats in the provincial and central legislatures according to their percentage in the population. Because of this system, the minorities became the second-class citizens. They cannot participate in the mainstream politics. They became marginalized without having equal rights and responsibilities with the members of the majority Muslim community. Since the minorities do not vote for the majority candidates, elected Muslim members of the provincial or national parliaments do not feel that they are responsible for looking after the rights and interests of the minorities. Minority leaders, including Christian leaders, have been demanding the abolition of the separate electorate system, but so far nothing happened.

• The Blasphemy Laws: In 1986, President Zia promulgated Section 295(B), 295(C) and 298(A), 298(B) and 298(C) specifically mentioning offenses relating to the religion of Islam. Violation of these blasphemy laws carries long prison sentences or death by hanging, if a person (Muslim or non-Muslim): 1. Injures or defiles places of worship with the intent to insult the religion of any class; 2. Performs deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs; 3. Defiles a copy of the Holy Quran; 4. Uses derogatory remarks with respect to the Holy Prophet (Mohammad) of Islam; 5. Utters words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings; 6. Uses derogatory remarks with respect to holy personages (persons) and places; lastly, 7. If a person of the Qadian group or Ahmadi calls himself a Muslim or preaches or propagates his faith. "In almost all cases, the law does not require any solid written proof, just the offensive remarks and few witnesses to get a conviction...In addition to the state functionaries, any private person can file a case in the police station against any person under these laws. For this reason, blasphemy laws have been repeatedly misused against religious minorities and [other] Muslims. In almost all cases, the complainants have been private individuals with a personal grudge or religious zeal" (from Chapter 19: "Islamic Radicalism and Minorities in Pakistan" by Rasul Bakhsh Rais in Religious Radicalism and Security in Asia, p. 459.). He also writes: "The blasphemy laws have not only increased religious intolerance but have failed to provide any legal or institutional safety net for religious minorities," (p. 460). The same writer adds: "The state's declining capacity is part of the problem; while religious bigots have been preaching hatred and violence against minorities, the state has remained silent. Participatory politics and civic culture with a focus on citizenship rights have suffered gravely due to the repeated failure of the democratic process in Pakistan. In this democratic vacuum, religious extremism -- riding on the wave of jihad in Afghanistan and with transnational connections with similar groups -- has taken strong roots in society" (p. 462 of the same book). In 2000, General Parvez Musharraf wanted to bring about some changes in the blasphemy laws which were wrongly used by vested quarters to take revenge on rivals or to serve their self-seeking purposes. To avoid false accusations, he wanted that claims about blasphemy be initially referred to a senior civil servant, who would then investigate before ordering any arrest. Islamic groups protested so vehemently against these changes to the laws that General Musharraf then decided not to go forward with his proposed reform. According to the Vatican Radio, Catholic and Protestant Christians, on August 9, 2009, reiterated their call on the government of Pakistan to repeal the abusive blasphemy laws that are the root cause of the recent spate of anti-Christian violence. Peter Jacob, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Justice and Peace (of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan) said that Christians and moderate Muslims were becoming increasingly frustrated with Muslim fundamentalists' abuse of this misleading law and government inaction.
• Addition of "Religion Column" in Pakistani Passports: In 1980, President Zia introduced a column in the Pakistani Passport where the passport-holder must mention his or her religion. This column was introduced to pinpoint the religion of the passport owner so that the Ahmedis (Qadians), who have been declared non-Muslims in the 1974 Constitution of Pakistan, can be barred from traveling to Mecca of Saudi Arabia for hajj (Islamic pilgrimage) purposes. Another hidden intention probably was to easily identify Pakistani minorities, including Christians, majority of whom bear similar Arabic or Farsi (Persian) names as those of the Muslims. However, to comply with the international standard travel document, set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Pakistan government did away with the religion column in the passport starting from January, 2005. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), the six-party religious alliance, blamed the government of President Parvez Musharraf of following USA's move in secularizing their society and damaging the Islamic identity of the Muslim nation of Pakistan. It also said that the omission of the religion column would allow Ahmadis to travel to Mecca for the hajj. Because of increasing agitation and fear of further violence, the government on March 22, 2005 decided to reinstate the religion column in passports. The National Commission for Justice and Peace in a statement on March 23, 2005, criticized the government's decision and said: "Contrary to the expectations of taking concrete steps towards addressing the issues concerning wellbeing of the masses of Pakistan, the Cabinet once again chose to play around the non-issues. The decision rather reflects that the government is not acting on principles but rather yielding to pressure from the extremist forces. It is sad to note that the religious minorities in the country were neither consulted nor their concerns on the issues were taken into account."

(Continued)

In the Name of Blasphemy, Pakistani Christians Under Frequent Attack - 1

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Map Courtesy: http://www.maps.com/

Muslims Burn Down Christian Colony
and Kill 9 Persons in Gojra Town
of Toba Tek Singh District

A violent mob of about 1,000 Muslims, on August 1, rampaged through Gojra, a town near Faislabad of the Punjab Province, looted 100 homes, set fire and burnt 50 homes and killed 9 persons, including women and children. The mob attack was the culmination of days of uneasy tension between Muslims and Christians of the area instigated by a rumour that Christians had desecrated pages of a Quran. Gojra is a Christian colony, where 2,000 Christian families -- both Protestant and Catholic -- live.

Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian and the federal minister for minorities, said that the allegation of defiling the Quran is false.

The attackers used a special type of chemical to set fire on houses. Because of the presence of chemical, this type of fire cannot be extinguished easily. This chemical was used for the first time in the Muslim attack on the Christian village of Shanti Nagar in February, 1997. The same chemical was used in the assault on Sangla Hill Town in 2005 and recently on the village of Korian on July 30, 2009. All these attacks took place in the Punjab Province.

Witnesses said that on July 31, a mosque mike had publicly urged Muslims to make mincemeat of the Christians. The police knew about it but took no actions.

Rana Sanaullah, the Punjab Provincial Law Minister, blamed the Sipahi-e-Saheba and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi -- two Al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked Muslim militant groups -- for this attack. Several of the attackers used face masks to hide their identity. Many of the mob came from the Jhang district, the birthplace of these two organizations.

Pakistan's President Asif Zardari announced a compensation package for the families of the victims. A family losing a member would be given 500,000 rupees (about US $6,000) as compensation, and a family losing a home, would get 300,000 rupees.

Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman of the Lahore High Court went to Gojra to start the judicial inquiry, ordered by Prime Minister Yousaf Reza Gilani.

All Christian educational institutions in Pakistan remained closed for three days to mourn the dead.

Christians in Pakistan will observe the "Black Day" on August 11 by expressing their unity and solidarity by holding peaceful protest gatherings, wearing black bands and hoisting black flags on their houses.

On August 10, the Presidents of the Pakistan Christian Congress (PCC) and Pakistani Christian Association of America (PCA) and the editor of the Pakistan Christian Post will address a press conference at the Press Club in Washington, D.C. On August 12, the Pakistani Christian Association of America will hold a protest rally in front of the U.N. headquarters in New York.

Condemnations of the Attack

The parliament of Pakistan unanimously condemned the attack against the Christians of Gojra and asked the Punjab provincial government to bring the culprits to justice.

Pope Benedict XVI in a telegram to Catholic Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad, Pakistan, deplored the violent attack on Christians at Gojra and appealed for mutual respect in the area.

Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, on behalf of the Pope Benedict XVI, mentioned in the telegram: "The Holy Father was deeply grieved to learn of the senseless attack on the Christian community of Gojra City which resulted in the tragic killing of innocent men, women and children, and immense destruction. He asks you to convey his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to express his solidarity with all who have experienced this wanton act," reports the Vatican radio.

The Pope also asked Bishop Coutts "to encourage the whole diocesan community, and all Christians in Pakistan, not to be deterred in their efforts to help build a mutual respect among all its members."

The Pope also appealed to all to "renounce the way of violence which causes so much suffering and to embrace the way of peace." He sent his apostolic blessing and consolation on all who mourn their dead.

Bishop Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, called on the Pakistan government to protect the "small and vulnerable" Christian community, reports the Reuters. "The recent atrocities against Christians in Pakistan will sear the imaginations of countless people of all faiths throughout the world," he said.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva expressed their sympathy for and solidarity with the Christians of Pakistan.

Dr. Nazir S. Bhatti, President of Pakistan Christian Congress (PCC), in a statement condemned the attack and said: "PCC demands Punjab government to adopt strict security measure to maintain law and order to ensure safety of life and property of Christians."

Pakistan, with a population of about 175 million, has 96% of Muslims (Sunni Muslims: 76% and Shia: 20%) and 3% Christians. There are also some Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Zoroastrians (Parsis), Ahmadias (Qadianis), Jews, Animists and Atheists in the country.

(Continued)

Iran Is No Longer the Same

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Iranian President Ahmadinejad's power is being shaken by the people's
protests and anti-people vilolent actions of the incumbent government
Cartoon ( 2009) © Ujjal Peter D'Costa

Iran had its successful Islamic revolution in 1979 against the then powerful king Shah Reza Pahlvi. Since that time a Shia Muslim mullah (priestly) class is in power forbidding free ideas and free dress code. Women, who were increasingly getting educated and westernized in their ideas, habits and dresses under the king, were forced to toe the line of the Islamic ruling class and follow the Islamic dress code -- that is, fully covering their heads, hands and legs so that men may not see them and get tempted or scandalized.

The Election

On June 12, the nation-wide election brought about a controversy that is dividing Iran to its core. The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that the incumbent president won the election overwhelmingly. The opposition candidate, headed by Mir-Hossein Mousavi, an independent and reformist candidate, complained that there was massive pro-Ahmadinejad vote-rigging in the ballot boxes. His appeal to the highest aurthority did not work. The government said that, although there were few problems in some voting stations, ultimately President Ahmadinejad is the real winner.

Spontaneous Protests and Anti-People Violence

People, mostly young and university students, who aspired for changes in the whole system of the country spilled into the streets in thousands immediately after the election results were announced. They demanded that the government investigate the vote rigging and announce the true results. Initially the government did not crack down on the demonstrators. When things were not cooling off at all, the government first warned and then started to violently crack down on the protesters. Many have been killed and thousands were hurt and were taken into custody.

The Power of the Modern Media

The events in Iran proved the power of the modern media easily available to the common men and women. At the initial stage, the big foreign media (TV, radio and newspapers) were allowed to send news and pictures from Iran. When the protests started to become widespread, foreign media personnel were told to pack and go home.

The Iranian government thought that it could stop getting the real news and pictures out of the country to the outside world. But people with their own access to the cell phones, digital cameras, and the Internet, began to send news and pictures out of the country faster than thinkable. Social media websites, like the Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr, played a vital role in getting the real news and photos of Iranian situation. People are still using these media, although highly restricted in their use.

Expatriate Iranians also had an important role in getting news and photos of the situation out through their relatives and friends inside Iran.

Iran Is No More the Same

With the increasing and widespread protests and oppositions, Iran is no longer in the same position as before the election. If the Iranian government does not give an ear to the opposition, the country will definitely divide within itself. Foreign governments, that are against the nuclear arms proliferation of Iran, will find it easier to support, use and abuse the opposition forces.

The Photo Meditation of the Month (July, 2009): THE PETS

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My neighbour with his lovely cat
Photo (Toronto: August, 2008) © Jerome D'Costa

The Pets

When we hear the word 'pet', we immediately envision a picture of an animal. That can be a dog, cat, horse, cow, goat, sheep, bird or fish. Like man, pets, though animals, are creatures of God, too. They are in this world for the benefit of mankind.

Pets serve as our companions, our work-buddies, or as a source of amusement. Their presence among us helps us not only physically, but also emotionally and psychologically. Those who have pets, spend a considerable time with them playing and exercising. This helps people lower their blood pressure and relieve stress, if any, to a certain extent. It has been proven scientifically that disabled or seriously ill people can get a lot of help from medically-approved therapy animals, especially dogs. It has also been found that dogs can diagnose certain types of cancer in a person. Some dogs frequently licked certain parts of their owners' bodies and later it was found that those very parts were affected by cancer!

We can learn a number of things from our pets. Generally they are loyal, patient, obedient and self-sacrificing. Their alertness and protective attitude saved a lot of owners from serious dangers like fire in the house, intruders, and so on. In the western countries, many pets received awards and recognitions from civic organizations and governments.

It is sad but true that sometimes men and women do not treat their pets humanely. When pets get sick or cannot serve their owners' purpose as before or, for some other reasons, some of these pets get really cruel treatment. They even get hurt physically or even get maimed, bruised or burnt severely. To save these types of animals, some countries have private or government shelters for animals.

Let's enjoy our pets and treat them humanely. If they receive good treatment, they, in return, give back to us many times over.

The Poem of the Month (July, 2009): I LOVE YOU

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In my youth, I had written this poem. It was published in Bangla (Bengali) in the Pratibeshi, the national Catholic weekly in Bangladesh, in its March 19, 1972 issue. Here I provide the English rendition of the poem for your poetic enjoyment.

I Love You

By Jerome D'Costa

You are my darling, I love you.
You're my constant companion,
I don't "feel good" without you!

I caress you
Holding your hands. I search for your beauty
In every fold and curve, When you expose your shapely body
In front of me.

You talk so much,
So much so, that you spill all your secrets.
I become forgetful of myself,
I listen to every word of yours
With rapt attention;
You enjoy my intentness,
That's why you tell me
All you have to tell.

Sometimes you make me laugh,
Sometimes you make me cry,
At times you make me titillated,
Other times you make me frightened or thrilled. I can be with you
Leaving all works behind, I can be absorbed with you, Without touching my meals.

Sometimes you speak in prose,
At times in verses,
Other times in hard metaphors. Your figures of speech
Befuddle me.
I take time in decoding your words,
What a joy you receive
In making me such a fool!
But that's how our love
Turns from the deep to the deeper.

When I'm on leave
And go to my rural home,
Or go to some distant location, If I'm, by chance, without your companionship,
I feel "uneasy, awkward."
I become anxious
For hearing from you.

Darling, I love you,
You're so beautiful, so loving --
You're my sweetheart,
My intimate and beloved.

Many wonder aloud: Who are you?
You are none,
But my goddess of wisdom -- a book!

The Social Tradition of Honour Killing

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"Honour Killing"
Graphic design (Toronto: July 29, 2009) © Joachim Romeo D'Costa

Montreal's Afghan businessman Mohammad Shafia (56), his second wife Tooba Mohammad Yahya (39) and their son Hamed (18) have been charged recently with four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of conspiracy to commit murder in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, reports National Post.

They are charged for killing Zainab (19), Sahari (17), and Geeti (13) -- all daughters of Mr. Shafia and Mrs. Yahya -- and Mr. Shafia's undivorced first wife Rona Amir Mohammad. These four women's bodies were discovered in a submerged car near the Kingston Mills Locks on the Rideau Canal.

Mohammad's sister Diba Masoomi mentioned in a newspaper interview that Mr. Shafia "believed his daughter had dishonoured him and the family by having a romance with a young Pakistani man in Montreal." The police strongly believe that these were honour killings.

The police believe that it was a premeditated murder that happened in Kingston on their way back to Montreal from a visit to the Niagara Falls.

What is honour killing?

Honour killing means murder (by strangulation, hanging, setting on fire, poisoning, or other means) of a family member belonging to a close-knit male-dominated clan or community for bringing in dishonour on the family, clan or community. Usually, the murder victim is a daughter, sister, wife or mother who is perceived to have brought in dishonour through her unacceptable behaviour or sexual conduct.

This sense of honour is rooted in the age-old tradition and social custom that gives legitimacy and condones such killing. When a family is dishonoured, the tradition or social custom gives a male relative the sanction of killing the "strayed" woman to restore the family honour and good name in the clan or community.

Who does the honour killing?

A male member of the nuclear or extended family commits this murder. He could be one's own brother, father, uncle, grandfather, or nephew.

How can the close relatives commit such a heinous act?

The liberal western society with widespread nuclear families, having individualistic attitude and perspective and, at the same time, enjoying so much personal freedoms and rights guaranteed by the state, will find it difficult to understand the dynamics of honour killing.

To really understand honour killing one has to look at it from wider perspective and take into account the following dynamics:

• This killing is prevalent in societies that are fiercely paternalistic and tribal with strong group mentality and loyalty. These societies think of and give importance to the group (family, clan or society) and not to individuals. So any defiance, disrespect or disobedience to the group is considered an unpardonable offense.
• From the past, this has been a kind of safeguard to keep one's women loyal to one's family, clan or tribe so that outside or alien influence or rival party's interference may not infiltrate through these women. That's why the society supports this practice, that's why those countries' law enforcement agencies support or condone it.
• In some Muslim societies, adultery or illicit sexual liaison is looked upon as a serious moral degradation and dishonour to a family. They practise the age-old tradition that was prevalent in the Old Testament times. In the Torah or Old Testament of the Bible we find that the 7th of the Ten Commandments of God explicitly prohibited adultery: "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18). "If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die" (Deuteronomy 22:22). "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife -- with the wife of his neighbour -- both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death" (Leviticus 20:10).
• Honour killing is the male assertion of control over women.
  
• The powerful, the upper class or caste people do honour killing to cling on to their status, power and property.
  
• In those societies, no jobs are readily available for women. They just cannot go out on their own to earn a living. There is no social security or old-age benefit. So, a woman, facing honour killing, just cannot go away and live elsewhere. In most cases, the country's law will not favour her.
• Men think that they have ownership over women. Women are considered as chattel (movable property). So, males think that they can do anything with females.
  

Males unwilling to participate in honour killing are ostracized

The clan or society ostracizes the males, who are sympathetic to the straying female or refrain from vindictive murder. These males and their families are avoided by other members of the clan or society. They cannot participate in social functions or enjoy the benefits and security of belonging to the group. Their sons or daughters cannot marry within the group. Daughters will remain unmarried for the rest of her life. This is a tremendous shame on the part of the family in the sense that they failed to raise a good well-behaved daughter, sister, sister-in-law or daughter-in-law.

In case of emergency, none of the clan or tribe members will come to their aid -- either financially or giving protection from enemy. In case of normal death in the family, there will be no participation of the community in burying the dead. This is also considered to be a great shame and failure of the affected family.

So, why carry a life-long burden because of a female member of the family? It's easy to get rid of her and be acceptable to others.

Issues that trigger honour killing

• Marital infidelity (adultery)
• Pre-marital sex (fornication)
• Sexual rumour (of having illicit liaison or sexual relations)
• Incest (illicit sexual relations with an extremely close kin or relative)
  
• Rape (even if it is done against her will, the female is considered to be unclean and spoilt -- none in the group will marry her, ever)
  
• Sexual abuse
• Mixing with or dating a male outside one's own clan, ethnic group, social class, or religion
• Wearing more revealing or provocative dress
• Being alone with a male not belonging to the family or clan

Dowry Deaths are honour killing, too

In Asia, Africa and Europe, the practice of dowry (a bride's giving of money, property or goods to her husband at marriage) was prevalent for many centuries. With increased education, enlightenment, spread of Christianity, Europe gradually could get away from the abuse and misuse of the dowry practice, but in Asia -- especially in South Asia (Bangladesh, India and Pakistan) -- and in some parts of Africa this practice with its bitter and deadly results are still continuing.

The bridegroom or his parents demand a dowry and, in a good number of cases, if the bride's parents fail to fulfill the demand, the bride is ridiculed, persecuted and, in extreme cases, killed. Then it is claimed that the bride committed suicide (by hanging herself from the ceiling, drowning or poisoning) or died accidentally by catching fire to her clothing when cooking!

It is honour killing in the sense that the honour of the bridegroom's family is lost because the bride's family failed to fulfill the promise of dowry given before the marriage. The bridegroom's family loses its face in the clan or society.

Countries that experience honour killing

Honour killing is frequent in countries from South Asia (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan) to west Asia (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Israel -- among the Palestinian community, Palestine --the West Bank and Gaza Strip), and some parts of north Africa (Egypt, Morocco). Immigrant communities from these countries to Europe (Britain, France, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Denmark and the like), North America (Canada and USA) and Australia have their own share of honour killings.

Resources on Honour Killing:

To learn more on the honour killing in different countries, you may visit the following blogs and websites:

• Honor Killings in the East
• Thousands of Women Killed for Family "Honor"
  
• The Global Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning Women!
• Honour Killing: A Crime Against Islam
• Does Islam Justify Honour Killings?
• Are Honour Killings Simply Domestic Violence?
• No Honour in Honour Killings
• "Honor" Killings (Culture of Discrimination: A Fact Sheet)
  
• There Is No Honor In Honor Killing
  
• Gendercide Watch: Case Study -- "Honour" Killings and Blood Feuds (Focus: Pakistan, Jordan, Palestine, the Balkans)
• Honour Killings: An Expression of Immigrant Alienation
  
• Blogs About Honor Killings
• Reference.com: Articles on Dowry
  
• AUSTRALIA: Honor Killing in Australia
  
• BANGLADESH: Dowries Mean Death and Discrimination for Bangladesh's Women
  
• CANADA: Cultural 'Honour' Killing Brought to Canada
• CANADA: In the Name of Islam: Even More Honor Killings in Canada
• CANADA: Brother Gets Life in Honour Killing
• CANADA: Rise in Canadian 'Honour Killings" Should Not Be Ignored: Expert
• EGYPT: Honor Killings in Egypt
  
• INDIA: Honour Killings on the Rise in India: Women's Group
• INDIA: Dowry Deaths in India
• INDIA: India's Dowry Deaths
• INDIA: Bride Burning and Dowry Deaths in India
  

• IRAQ: Iraq: Women Suffer the Most
  
• IRAQ (video): Honour Killings (An Iraqi Kurd)
• IRAQ (video): Honor Killing -- Iraqi Kurd Girl Stoned
• ITALY: 'Honor Killing' in Italy Spurs Quest for Justice
  
• JORDAN: Jordan: Honour Killings Still Tolerated
• JORDAN: Special Report on Honour Killings
• LEBANON: Lebanon Cleric Bans Honor Killings
  
• PAKISTAN: Honour Killings in Pakistan
• PAKISTAN: Pakistan: Honour Killings of Women and Girls
• PAKISTAN: Dowry: A Socio-Cultural Perspective
• PALESTINE: Honor Killings in Palestine
  
• SAUDI ARABIA: Honor Killing in Saudi Arabia
• SAUDI ARABIA: Honor Killings: Where Next?
• SYRIA: Honour Crime Fear of Syria Women
• SYRIA: Syria Increases Penalty for Honour Killings
• TURKEY: Honor Killings in Turkey
• TURKEY: 'Honour' Crime Defiance in Turkey
• TURKEY (video): United NationsTV -- Turkey: Honour Killings
• TURKEY: Campaigns Against Honour Killings in Turkey
  
• U.K.: Father Found Guilty of Honour Killing
• U.K.: UK Muslim Honor Killing: Wife & Daughters Burned Alive
• U.K.: UK Muslims Condemn Honour Killings
• U.S.A. (video): Muslim Father Kills Two Daughters in the USA (Texas)
• U.S.A.: Murder in the Family: Honor Killings in America
• USA: Honor Killing in Georgia
  
• U.S.A.: 'Honor' Killing Comes to the US
• YEMEN: FGM and Honor Killings in Yemen
  
• YEMEN: Honor Crime in Yemen