Asma’a is lucky. Her family supports her. This is crucial. She has friends. She has a college degree and a profession. The media is paying attention. The government, perhaps responding to such media attention, has gone through some pro forma damage control. Asma’a was not arrested. Still, for the first time, Asma’a is now thinking about leaving Gaza.
“Gaza needs liberal and secular people to defend liberty. For this reason, I have never wanted to leave. But after what happened, I am thinking of leaving.”
Asma’a wonders whether Hamas would become more flexible, more tolerant, if they were part of a real government. “Now, they are like a caged cat that has become a tiger.” I reminded her that the Islamists in Iran and Saudi Arabia also think they are gods and they have full state legitimacy–and they have largely caged and murdered women and dissidents. Their policies on women are reprehensible.
Asma’a immediately agreed. But she also said this: “There are no books in Gaza. If you don’t give people a chance to learn new things, how will they change?”
I was very moved by Asma’a’s article about honor killings in Gaza. She had—and still has—no idea that we share a common passion or that I’ve been writing about this subject for a long time. With Asma’a’s permission, I am publishing it here in an edited form. I will publish Part Two later this week.
The author would like to acknowledge the seamlessly efficient assistance of Elizabeth McAvoy and Colette McIntyre in the preparation of this piece.
==========================
Honor Killing is Permitted Socially and Legally
Gaza: Silence, Collusion and Shame for Female Victims, While Killers Enjoy the Sun and Freedom
By Asma’a Al-Ghoul
What did Iman A., a 18 year old girl, do to be murdered in such a brutal way? The question is raised by whoever hears of her– a girl coercively led to death. According to her cousin and friend “S.J”, Iman died last September after spraying anti-cockroach solution into her mouth for three consecutive days, imprisoned in her family’s bathroom by her father.
On the last day, she suffered from severe stomach pains. Her father relented and transferred her to the hospital. Unfortunately, she passed away while they were on their way. According to medics, the poison had spread to her liver and kidneys and finally stopped her heart.
Her mother feels that she died because of medical negligence, convinced that the strike of doctors at the time deprived her daughter of access to medial treatment. According to medics, Iman was brought to the hospital dead, but her mother, 42, claims that she “saw a line in the cardiogram, which indicated that her heart was beating!”
Iman was a beautiful girl who wore a headscarf and respected family traditions. Nevertheless, her father doubted her, imprisoned her and refused to allow her to proceed with her university study although she was happy that she completed her high school education.
At her funeral, held in her grandmother’s home in the Tal Al-Hawa district, her father said, crying: “This is Allah’s will… What happened is down to Allah’s will… Iman disappeared forever; it’s over.”
I heard him crying, but did not see the tears. However, it was said that he was psychologically traumatized after his daughter’s death. He did not know that his maltreatment and cruelty could and, eventually, would lead to Iman’s passing. “Iman did not want to die; she just wanted her father to be concerned for her,” her mother said. However, who knows the truth? Iman can never wake up to tell if she was killed or committed suicide.
According to human rights and women’s organizations, some 25 girls and women annually are killed or commit suicide, cases with mysterious circumstances that are never seriously investigated to unveil the circumstances of the death. Everyone remains silent, and human rights organizations only report briefly, coldly and neutrally on such crimes for the purpose of documentation. Everyone justifies such silence by claiming it is a family affair or “a crime to preserve family honor.”
Nevertheless, there is a question that remains unanswerable: If ending the life of an innocent girl like Iman is a family affair, when will it be a human affair? Our affair?
Over the past few years, we have heard stories of women that we keep in our hearts–secret–without being able to even whisper them to ourselves. This issue remains taboo, remains untouchable.
Najla’
Najla’ A., 24, a divorced woman, was strangled by her extremist brother while sleeping. He hosted her at his home and waited until she slept to kill her. Her sister, “M.”, only noticed Najla was dead accidentally–she had got up to feed her baby. She said that Najla’ was living in Rafah refugee camp, working as an administrative assistant in a trade office in Gaza City. She used to be away from home for long hours, which ignited rumors about her behavior. Her brother, the “Sheikh” as the sister named him, could not tolerate it. The sister added that the police discovered what happened and arrested her brother. The family then initiated negotiations with the police–whispering into the ears of the chief of police followed by a gift:13 square meters of flagstones–and quickly the criminal was released without any feeling of guilt. Those who knew how much Najla’ needed this job to buy medicines for her sick mother remained still. Silent.
“M.” said that the most painful thing for her was that her brother strangled Najla when Najla was sleeping. He killed her like a coward. He betrayed her as she lay there sleeping, not even having the hospitatlity to let her know that she was going to be killed.
Ahlam
Unlike Najla’, Ahlam, who was barely 16, learned that she would die. “Ahlam used to sleep outside the house very often, and when I asked her, she told me that she was sleeping at an old woman’s house in Al-Shujaiya district. I knew that she was sleeping with young men,” said Her father, enjoying the sun in front of his house while Ahlam lay in her grave “disgraced”. A social worker, who followed up Ahlam’s case and asked to remain anonymous, explained that Ahlam complained about her family’s cruelty and expressed her fear of her father who was sexually harassing her. Ahlam’s father, who accepted to talk to us only when we told him that we were from a relief organization, coming to provide assistance for him, complained about being poor and needy. When he began his daughter’s story, he said, with pride and shame, “I told her that I would take her to eat shawirma. I took her in the car and we ate shawirma. I allowed her to listen to the song she liked. She did not doubt me, but when I drove the car away and asked her to get out, she hesitated. When she saw a knife in my hand, she said, ‘Why do you want to kill me, Dad?’” He was talking as if the story he was telling was not his own as other family members sat and listened. Even Ahlam’s own sister, a supposed “friend” of hers, adopted the same, unjust culture. Without emotion she said, “Ahlam did not listen to anyone… Ahlam was stubborn. She was sleeping in flats which she did not know anything about. She deserves it.” “Don’t you have sweet memories together?” I asked her. She answered, her eyes filled with confusion, “Yes, I love her. She was dressing my hair.” At that moment, Ahlam’s mother arrived home. When she heard that we were from a relief organization, she doubted us, refused to talk to us and, eventually, forced us to leave. We immediately left the area. Ahlam’s father benefited from passed legislation which eases the punishment in such cases–he was set free. Ahlam’s killer was free to enjoy his life, forgetting his aggrieved daughter’s question: “Why do you want to kill me?”
Iman, Ahlam and Najla’ are three girls who lost their lives because of their community’s heritage. No one cared about their fate or even whether they committed a crime that made them deserve such punishment.
Maria’s Cave
In a workshop organized in Khan Yunis which focused on the role of the media in reporting so-called “family honor murders”, the discussion lost track as the speakers discovered that all the 60 women attending the workshop were fully convinced that a woman who makes a mistake must be killed. A woman wearing a black folk dress consisting of two parts with only the forehead and one eye revealed said, “She deserves to die… She should be a way to give a lesson to others.” When they were asked if the man should be punished as well, they were shockingly silent as if they suddenly remembered that there is another party in such cases. However, they said almost collectively, “Never mind, he remains a man.” The organizers of the workshop were extremely disappointed and a very deep gap emerged between the women’s rights activists and those in the workshop. A women’s rights activist stated that such thinking was frequent in poor and marginalized area where any talk about murders committed for “family honor” is not allowed since women themselves believe that such crimes are legitimate.
If you attended this workshop, you would realize why such an important documentary such as “Maria’s Cave” by Palestinian director Buthaina Khouri is banned from being shown in Gaza. The documentary was strongly criticized even in the West Bank, an area believed to be more open-minded, as it addresses the issue of murdering women for “honor” in bold and shocking language. So what is the difference between Gaza and the West Bank? Where is the West Bank’s “openess”? Attitudes are the same when the issue a woman’s. Under the umbrella of “honor,” killing is allowed; is even linked with resistance and patriotism as explained in Buthaina Khouri’s documentary, which I watched secretly and cautiously without making any attempt to recommend it to others.
When has talking about the very basic right of a human being–the right to life–become taboo, a topic one must be ashamed of? Why are we banned from revealing the names of these poor princesses mentioned in this article whom were killed? Is it out of fear of their families, the law, or the extremists–whatever their ideologies may be? All three threaten press freedoms, making the topic so taboo that addressing it means enagaging in immorality and publicizing depravity. Time is not appropriate to raise such issues.
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36 Comments
1. Greenconsciousness:Thank you for publishing Asma’a Al-Ghoul’s work — It is very powerful and I will tell other’s to come here and read it.
Jul 8, 2009 - 2:27 pm 2. “Palestinian Taliban Arrest Palestinian Feminist. Government Promises Investigation” - by Phyllis Chesler :: Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.):[...] “Palestinian Taliban Arrest Palestinian Feminist. Government Promises Investigation” – b… – “An Interview with Asma’a Al-Ghoul” – “Asma’a Al-Ghoul is a Palestinian secular feminist who has written poignant, heartbreaking pieces about honor killings and women’s rights in Gaza” —- July 5, 2009: Gaza woman journalist: Hamas “police” “accused me of laughing in public” – now gets death threats [...]
Jul 8, 2009 - 3:35 pm 3. Woman Is Arrested For Wearing A ‘T Shirt’ At Beach « Live Loud! www.mamapalooza.com:[...] Officials search electronic shops to check if they are selling pornography on tiny flash drives.” Click here for full story. Dr. Chesler’s latest book is: Woman’s Inhumanity to [...]
Jul 8, 2009 - 5:19 pm 4. Palestinian Taliban Arrest Palestinian Feminist. Government Promises Investigation « Free Us Now Weblog:[...] Please read more here: http://pajamasmedia.com/phyllischesler/2009/07/08/palestinian-taliban-arrest-palestinian-feminist-go... [...]
Jul 8, 2009 - 6:02 pm 5. Meryl:Thank you again, Ms. Chesler.
The facts, the facts, the facts…on every front of issues facing our nation….desparately needed and often missing. The work you are doing is so important.
Jul 8, 2009 - 11:02 pm 6. Pajamas Media » Gaza Taliban vs. Palestinian Women:[...] Read the entire piece here. [...]
Jul 9, 2009 - 1:19 am 7. Norman Simms:It is interesting that today a pair of Islamic experts in Paris published a report saying that not only are these women’s garments a travesty of Muslim tradition but that the design of the maqbar is barely 70 years old. True or not, it is better that this argument take place among the experts than not.
At the same time, we must recognize, that none of this historical or theoretical discussion by experts means much until the realities on the street–and on the beachfront!–are dealt with as matters of urgency.
Norman
Jul 9, 2009 - 1:26 am 8. RandyChandler:Asma’a Al-Ghoul and Phyllis Chesler: two courageous women. God bless you both.
Jul 9, 2009 - 4:18 am 9. wayne:It is good that Obama has gone out to tell the world about how much he appreciates this Islamist ideology and how he has apologized for our sins and our prejudice against it.
Jul 9, 2009 - 4:51 am 10. Lynn:It seems that life has become death for these people and fear of each other has become a daily fact of life/death. I have often pondered why there is such hatred for the female even spreading between females.
I don’t think this world is a welcome place for them, which affirms my belief that the world does not belong to the good spirit, but to a darker force which finds it necessary to split asunder the partnership that can often be so wonderful between men and woman, parents and children or between siblings.
I also believe that the gift given to females of enmity between and the instinctive recognition of evil, cause those who follow the dark path to suppress and control woman so they can remain in power.
Woman being nurturers for the most part, are also vulnerable to caring for their fellow man/woman-kind which many times leads them to suffer the cycle of violence always hoping things will change if only the perpetrator of the violence is appeased or they themselves take the blame for what is making their oppressor angry.
I don’ want to think the situation is hopeless but there are times when hopelessness takes over. We are fortunate that there are those who tell these stories and I admire the great strength of heart it takes to absorb them and soldier on.
Jul 9, 2009 - 6:32 am 11. AThinkingPerson:Amidst all of the human tragedies going on in Gaza, our President still feels like having a conversation with Hamas (aren’t they a terrorist group???)…
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/06/25/world/worldwatch/entry5114083.shtml
Maybe if more people would read wonderful articles like this which highlight the people suffering in their daily lives, Obama would feel emboldening enough to take a stand. For once.
Jul 9, 2009 - 6:48 am 12. Ms. Attitude:This is one of the many issues that the Feminist movement should be screaming about. Instead, time and money are wasted by NOW demeaning men and demanding abortion.
Jul 9, 2009 - 7:02 am 13. George Jochnowitz:A culture built on hatred against others turns out to hate its own people as well.
On Page 22 of the July 9th New York Daily News, there is a headline saying: “Israeli Army major hurt–in N.Y.” The story is a reminder of the role that women have always played in the Israeli army and in the Israeli government. Think of Golda Meir, the first head of government who was neither the daughter nor the wife of a previous head of government.
The perpetrators were two teenagers. The story also reminds us that juvenile delinquents, who fight gang wars against those they consider their enemies, are willing to hurt anybody and everybody. Hamas and street gangs have a lot in common.
Jul 9, 2009 - 7:02 am 14. "progressive"watch:This misnamed honor killing gives any wacko male the right to murder; it is societal approved wacko male tyranny over women victims.
Jul 9, 2009 - 7:07 am 15. jw:The Arabs in Gaza were better off under the rule of Israel than they are now, under the rule of Hamas. So are those in Judea and Samaria.
Jul 9, 2009 - 7:23 am 16. I Blame the Parents:The article does point out that women are equally to blame for the abuse against their gender – they give societal approval for honor killings and such.
Too many Westerners put all the blame on the men. This is simplistic.
Jul 9, 2009 - 7:30 am 17. Theo Goodwin:Ms. Chesler writes:
“Asma’a wonders whether Hamas would become more flexible, more tolerant, if they were part of a real government. “Now, they are like a caged cat that has become a tiger.” I reminded her that the Islamists in Iran and Saudi Arabia also think they are gods and they have full state legitimacy–and they have largely caged and murdered women and dissidents. Their policies on women are reprehensible.”
This is very revealing. Even Asma is willing to excuse her tormentors. Ms. Chesler is doing one fine job.
Jul 9, 2009 - 8:03 am 18. Two Courageous Women at War with ‘Honor-Killing’ Murders | Jesus Lives!:[...] Chesler has written about an important recent case which has received
Jul 9, 2009 - 8:33 am 19. Two Courageous Women at War with “Honor-Killing” Murders « N. Virginia, Richmond, VA and DC Metro Chapter:[...] Chesler has written about an important recent case which has received
Jul 9, 2009 - 10:54 am 20. Dr. Bukk:25 victims per year seems a small amount. In 2004, 1,159 women were murdered by an intimate partner in the U.S. Not to excuse the heinous “Religion of Peace” which preaches hatred, gender apartheid, polygamy, child sexual abuse, bestiality, etc.
Jul 9, 2009 - 12:08 pm 21. Oscar the Grump:Great article, keep it up. It’s bound to have an effect.
Jul 9, 2009 - 2:01 pm 22. sm:Thank you for writing and letting us know it
Jul 9, 2009 - 3:23 pm 23. Athena:Dr. Bukk, The population of Gaza is 1.4 million, assume half are female; that of the U.S., 300 million; assume 150 mil. female. I will leave you to do the math although your point is still valid.
Jul 9, 2009 - 9:17 pm 24. Max Friedman:So Hamas has turned out to be a Islamofascist group? Who would have thunk?
Obama turns out to be pro-Moslem, anti-US, anti-Israel, anti-Honduran freedom, silent on Iran, Hezbollah, Red Chinese repression, No. Korean missiles and kidnapping of two women journalists, of corruption in the UN, of stealing votes by ACORN, for lobbyists in his administration, following Saul ALinsky’s red rules for revolution, and having terrorists as political friends.
Who would have thunk?
Just wait till you see what Comrade Obama and his merry band of marxists mavens and czars do. Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin are rolling in their graves with laughter and glee.
Meanwhile, the American, Honduran, Iranian, No. Korean, and Israeli people are crying.
Jul 9, 2009 - 9:56 pm 25. Mrs.Evans24-7:Could someone please help me understand this: “A woman wearing a black folk dress consisting of two parts with only the forehead and one eye revealed said, “She deserves to die… She should be a way to give a lesson to others.” I am missing something in the translation, perhaps language, perhaps cultural.
Dr. Bukk, of those 1159 women killed in the US, how many of those were “honor killings” of the same ilk as reported here? “Honor killings” do happen in the US and may be on the rise. While it is true that a large percentage of US women are killed by people they know intimately (and let’s be honest – a husband or boyfriend), those killings are about jealousy – if-I-can’t-have-you-no-one-can. To me, there is a huge difference between that and “honor killings,” although unfortunately both have the same result: a woman murdered by someone who was supposed to lover her.
Jul 10, 2009 - 5:41 am 26. davod:Maybe this was all propaganda- but I do recall reading and seeing on TV some years ago the that the Palestinians in Palestine (To use the common term) had a better standard of living and eductation opportunities than all but the most benevolent Arab states.
The rot started with Oslo and the return of Arafat and the PLO. There was a robust political debate in Palestine. After Arafat it was either – you are with me or dead.
Jul 10, 2009 - 6:06 am 27. Steve:Hopefully those women that live in Gaza will help to vote Hamas out of power. Hamas has taken a religion and gone to the utmost extremes with it. Wearing garb that basically has people walking around in a more refined “unknown comic” uniform (gong show style) is insane. Although I wouldn’t mind it if Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, and others in congress wore stuff like that so I wouldn’t have to see them.
Jul 10, 2009 - 10:04 am 28. Oscar the Grump:Dr. Bukk
“25 victims per year seems a small amount. In 2004, 1,159 women were murdered by an intimate partner in the U.S.”
If the population of Gaza is one million, using proportionality, That number would translate to 7500 victims in US terms. If the population of Gaza is two million that number translates to 3250. Conversely in US terms, using proportionality, the Gaza death rate should only be less than 4 persons.
This means that the death rate of women murdered in Gaza is over six times greater than it is in the US.
Jul 10, 2009 - 2:28 pm 29. laka:Well, I am definitely against feminism and feminofaschism. But I am strongly for EQUAL rights to men and women, black and white, red or yellow.
Therefore I support this journalist in her struggle to reveal the inhuman society in Gaza and also the rest of the Islamic world. She says she is a secular muslim – but maybe she should consider if such a thing really exist?
Wish her struggles leads to a better world for the women in the arabic world.
Jul 10, 2009 - 4:23 pm 30. SenatorMark4:Please. This tool to free them is on their shoulders already! If you were suppressed by force how much would you give to be “forced” to wear a piece of clothing that covered you completely, hid your face, and camoflaged your carry weapon. When these women understand that they can act, today, they will gain their freedom. Small squads of burkha clad gorillas freely passing through the lines will change their world in a week. They’re just too cowardly today.
Jul 10, 2009 - 8:23 pm 31. Oscar:“When has talking about the very basic right of a human being–the right to life–become taboo, a topic one must be ashamed of?”
I don’t know about Gaza, but in the US that happened around 1973.
Jul 11, 2009 - 7:07 pm 32. Asma’a Al-Ghoul:I should perhaps be more clarification
Jul 12, 2009 - 9:54 am 33. Millie:You are here as long as a Muslim by birth parents as well .. and so written in the ID card
..
Identity, which I would like to introduce myself through: I am a secular human being ..
“Taliban False Soldiers Of Islam”..I found this very insightful artical on muslimsvoiceofamerica/blog
http://muslimsvoiceofamerica.com/blog/2009/04/taliban-false-soldiers-of-islam/
Jul 15, 2009 - 12:40 am 34. zeba:Another intersting article…
http://muslimsvoiceofamerica.com/blog/2009/07/lifting-the-veil-on-the-debate-over-veils/
http://muslimsvoiceofamerica.com/blog/2009/07/honor-killing-and-islam/
Jul 20, 2009 - 10:28 am 35. canadol:There’s no depth in this articule. We know all those religious crimes. Many of that is from tradition and backwardness.
Jul 20, 2009 - 7:24 pm 36. Paul B.:Autor is wondering how the palestinian women were more free before……huh, huh, huh.
This is obvieous influence of continuing occupation. Hamas was voeted into because Fatah did not delivered promised independance and homeland. So they turned to radicals. I know this as in Poland during Solidarity, atheists used church to fight with the opressor and for independance. This is good tool and desperate is tking whatever is available. So don’t play a stupid, analisr the real issue. Indepedence first. Free Palestine!!!!
No, not independence first. Righteousness first. The day the Palestinians demonstrate that they are a people who cherish peace and respect, world opinion will crushingly demand that they have their own state. But they refuse to grant Israel the right of existence, so any concessions would only be used by them to gain advantage.
This article is further proof, if any were necessary, that Islamic culture is a nightmare of hyper, warped values. The coercion and legalism are stifling, unbearable, and the toll is taken in innocent human life.
That’s what happens when religion is advanced at the edge of the sword. Christianity learned that lesson a long time ago and finally returned to its Founder’s teachings. Islam has yet to learn it, and to whence can it return?
Sep 3, 2009 - 4:01 am