"Honor Killings"

Excerpts from an article in the Huffington Post 2/23/11 by Terry Tang

Faleh Hassan Almaleki Guilty: Jury Convicts Iraqi Immigrant For 'Honor Killing'

“A Phoenix jury convicted an Iraqi immigrant of second-degree murder Tuesday for running over and killing his daughter in a case termed an "honor killing" by prosecutors who said the father carried out the attack because he believed his daughter had become too Westernized.”

“Honor killings” are not an uncommon occurrence where there is a strong sense of loyalty and honor to the family, namely the male figurehead. It is such a disgraceful act. Some women are targeted for being with a male alone, having premarital sex, being raped, refusing a prearranged marriage, or anything else that a father, husband, uncle or brother may find that brings “disgrace” to a family. Although these “honor killings” are outlawed on the books in countries where it was a common occurrence, these murders are still happening.

“Almaleki fled to Mexico and then London, where he was detained and then returned to the U.S.”

Fleeing, to me, implies he knew it was wrong to run over his daughter and kill her. I don’t know if those who commit these horrific crimes against women know it is wrong and do it anyway, or truly believe that killing a “loved” one is something they are obligated to do.

A good book to read about one personal account of surviving an attempted "honor killings" is Burned Alive by Souad. It is a horrific tale of a woman who was set on fire by her family because she got pregnant before marriage. The family left her to die, but she was saved by a foreigner. Sad, sad story, but it needs to be told! Murder is wrong, and how much more wrong to be killed by your own family.