Police have not used the phrase "honor killing" in talking about the murder of the two Muslim teenage girls in Lewisville, allegedly by their father, Egyptian immigrant Yaser Abdel Said, but there are signs emerging that it might be something like that. Today's DMN story says:
Police did say they are looking into the possibility that the father was upset with his daughters' dating activities.
Like, what? Were they dating non-Muslims? Were they behaving in any way that fits the well-established "honor killing" pattern we've seen among some Muslim communities in the West?
Channel 11 has a bit more detail in its report:
Sisters, Amina, 18, and Sarah, 17, were each shot to death. Friends of the girls say their father was Egyptian and critical of popular American lifestyles. ""He was really strict about guy relationships and talking to guys, as well as the things she wears," Kathleen Wong, a friend of the dead teenagers. "I'm definitely 100% sure that it was her dad that killed her."
Honor killings are present in Middle Eastern Muslim societies, but it seems that the religion is not to blame -- that it's a relic of harshly patriarchal culture. Muslim countries outside the Middle East don't really have these things, it appears. You also see it lingering in non-Muslim Mediterranean societies.
Again, as I reported yesterday, a Muslim female friend who is a well-known scholar told me a few months ago that she's hearing from more and more Muslim women living in the US who say that they fear this kind of thing, as well as the radicalization of their sons. I hope the News, or some local reporter, looks into what it's like for young Muslim women living in north Texas, whose fathers are immigrants. How unique is the experience of these girls who were killed? Obviously very rare -- I mean, we don't have a rash of honor killings here. But I am curious to know if second-generation Muslim women live in fear of their fathers for cultural reasons, or more broadly, the patriarchal immigrant culture from which they come. It would be a hard story to report, but an important one.
Let's see if the media are interested in the possible cultural angle here, or if they're going to be content to leave it at a "domestic dispute" without the cultural context. We probably won't know for sure until cops catch the father, who is on the loose. Honor killings are, in general, supported by traditional communities as necessary to upholding the social order. That being the case, it would be worth knowing who Mr. Said's friends were, where he prayed (if he prayed at all), and whether or not he's being sheltered by sympathizers.
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ugh ... Beliefnet must not let you italicize more than one paragraph.
Anyhoo, that paragraph in my previous note beginning "It isn't probable..." was Daniel's words, not mine (I would never use a ridiculous phrase like "fundamentalist Muslim countries"). The rest of the note is my rebuttal.
I'll refer back to the comment I made on the "What Have You Changed Your Mind About?" thread.
We seem to have some (sad) agreement on this one, Rod.
It's pretty obvious to a trained eye that the murders of the Said sisters were dishonor killings.
Ellen R. Sheeley, Author
"Reclaiming Honor in Jordan"
The West need not walk on eggshells regarding these vengeance murders against females carried out by male family members — which, by the way, do not happen to be our custom in Canada or the USA. Perceived loss of “honor” triggers crimes more heinous than anything the poor victims might have done, and in many cases she has done nothing improper.
Just say no to honor killings. No cop out of political correctness. No cultural or moral relativism. No killing your women, not here, not anywhere, not ever.
We must speak out for the victims whose screams have been silenced. We _are_ our sisters’ keepers.
Karen Tintori, author
Unto the Daughters: The Legacy of an Honor Killing in a Sicilian-American Family
www.karentintori.com
ok....................PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IN ISLAM IT IS FORBIDDEN FOR A MUSLIM WOMAN OR GIRL TO MARRY A NON MUSLIM MAN.
IN ISLAM IT IS OK FOR A MUSLIM MAN TO MARRY A NON MUSLIM WOMAN.....AS LONG AS HE TRYS TO CONVERT HER TO ISLAM....AND RAISE HIS KIDS AS MUSLIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sooooooooo........the question is........what are you supposed to do when a muslim woman falls for a non muslim? the answere has always beeennnnnn people.....honor killings or other forced crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sooooo I don't want to hear anymore that this is not an Islamic problem. Not one muslim in this world can argue what I just said!
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