There is a practice that occurs in other parts of the world and in other cultures that has expanded in Iraq and truly exposed the failure of our occupation. On 16 March 2008, Ali Abdel-Qader was released without charges two hours after his arrest for murdering his daughter. Ali murdered his 17-year-old daughter, Rand Abdel-Qader, for becoming infatuated with a 22-year-old British soldier. He committed an Honor Killing. Mr. Abdel-Qader stamped upon, suffocated and stabbed his daughter and instead of being punished he went free.
These Honor Killings are a sadly common story now occurring in the cities and provinces of Iraq. Rand’s story shows just how small a transgression can lead to death in the new Iraq. The genesis of her tragedy was her work as a volunteer at an aid station to disperse aid to displaced families. Rand met a British soldier there named Paul. According to her mother Leila, Rand had told her that she conversed with Paul because she was the only English speaker there.
Begging in October 2007 the two talked on occasion and Rand became infatuated with the older foreign soldier. There is no indication that anything other than her own youthful longing occurred. However being seen talking in public to a foreign Christian soldier was enough to trigger her father into avenging the families honor. The day he was apprised of the conversation he acted.
In front of Rand’s mother Ali began to suffocate Rand with his foot at her throat. When her horrified mother called on her sons to stop Ali they actually joined in. After her life was ended Rand was then tossed into a makeshift grave without ceremony as her uncles spat on it in disgust.
What happened after that exposes the central failure of the American occupation and our attempt to bring "freedom" to the people of Iraq. When Ali was picked up the police it was more about them celebrating together than about punishing Ali.
"Not much can be done when we have an honour killing case," said Sergeant Ali Jabbar of Basra police. "You are in a Muslim society and women should live under religious laws. The father has very good contacts inside the Basra government and it wasn't hard for him to be released and what he did to be forgotten." (source)
While it might appear that this officer is lamenting the interference of the politicians he is not. It is true that Mr. Abdel-Qader works in the health department the support he is receiving has been about supporting his actions rather than out of a personal loyalty. For example he was given paid leave so that the story could die down. He essentially received an all expenses paid trip to Jordan for his actions.
As a result of this positive treatment he remains proud of his actions. He is quoted here as saying
Death was the least she deserved,' said Abdel-Qader. 'I don't regret it. I had the support of all my friends who are fathers, like me, and know what she did was unacceptable to any Muslim that honors his religion,' he said.
'I don't have a daughter now, and I prefer to say that I never had one. That girl humiliated me in front of my family and friends. Speaking with a foreign solider, she lost what is the most precious thing for any woman. 'People from western countries might be shocked, but our girls are not like their daughters that can sleep with any man they want and sometimes even get pregnant without marrying. Our girls should respect their religion, their family and their bodies.
'I have only two boys from now on. That girl was a mistake in my life. I know God is blessing me for what I did,' he said, his voice swelling with pride. 'My sons are by my side, and they were men enough to help me finish the life of someone who just brought shame to ours.'
Snip...
everyone knows that honour killings sometimes are impossible not to commit'. Chillingly, he said: 'The officers were by my side during all the time I was there, congratulating me on what I had done.'
His treatment is sadly unsurprising because, as the Guardian reports about the situation in Basra, around the fringes militants can still be seen everywhere on the streets or at the checkpoints they have erected. With this presence and power, they have imposed strict laws of behavior for the local people such as what clothing must be worn and what religious practices must be observed. There are reports of men having their hands cut off for looting and women being killed for prostitution.
Rand’s mother received a terrible beating for try to halt the murder of her daughter whom she called "Rose" for her beauty as baby. She divorced her husband and has gone into hiding to avoid death at the hands’ of Ali. Her own sons sent her a message that might be taken as a threat
they have sent a message saying that I am wrong for defending Rand and that I should go back home and live like a blessed Muslim woman.
Rand’s mother now works for a women’s group dedicated to halting the Honor Killings that plague Iraq and much of the Muslim world. A leader of the group told the Guardian that
'She isn't here any more for her mother to ask any of the questions she would like to. Rand's case had repercussions because she fell in love with a foreigner. But what about the other girls murdered through "honour" killings because they fell in love with some of a different sect, or lost their virginity, or were forced to become prostitutes?'
Her point is a very valid one. The Honor Killings are almost common. Horrific deaths fo what Westerners perceive as no reason at all. Shawbo Ali Rauf is one of these cases. Her own in-laws murdered the 19-year-old Iraqi girl. She was taken to a picnic area in Dokan and shot seven times for having an unknown number in her phone. Sometimes when the family refuses to act others will do it for them. Such was the case of Du'a Khalil Aswad, 17, from Nineveh. She was executed by stoning in front of mob of 2,000 men for falling in love with a boy outside her Yazidi tribe. The video was uploaded to the internet(source). I can only agree with her father when he says
"My daughter did nothing wrong," he said. "She fell in love with a Muslim and there is nothing wrong with that. I couldn't protect her because I got threats from my brother, the whole tribe. They insisted they were gong to kill us all, not only Du'a, if she was not killed. She was mutilated, her body dumped like rubbish.
"I want those who committed this act to be punished but so far they have not, they are free. Honour killing is murder. This is a barbaric act." (source)
If only these murders were treated as he demands. The exact number of women who go without justice every month due to these murders is unknown. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) issues reports on these murders and related crimes. According to the December 2007 report,
Ongoing violence and general security conditions in Iraq continued to hamper efforts to research and reliably assess the situation of women, both in terms of gender-based violence and other violations. Efforts by UNAMI to track the numbers of those killed and injured in violent attacks against civilians by insurgents or other armed groups show that ongoing violence continues to claim the lives of many women as well as children.
Despite the lack of a general hard number figure, it appears that at least several hundred murders in the name of honor occur across Iraq every month. Most estimates I looked at were for a particular city but failed to include the suicides or other honor related crime. I is difficult to always identify what is an honor related crime because of underreporting due to fear. Sometimes though it is all to clear as according to UNAMI:
Notes were reportedly found next to some victims’ bodies, accusing them of adultery or of "un-Islamic" conduct, such as failure to follow certain dress codes or to veil appropriately. Several of these notes were allegedly ‘signed’ by groups operating under the banner of al-Amr bil-Ma’ruf wal-Nahi ‘an al-Munkar (The Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice)
Sadly the increase in Honor Killings can be laid at the feat of our hoorendous decision to invade Iraq. MADRE.org, an international women’s rights group, has laid out exactly why we are very much responsible.
• The US has empowered Islamist political parties whose clerics promote "honor killing" as a religious duty.As Yanar Mohammed explained, "Once the religious parties came to power, Iraqi men began hearing in the mosques that it was their duty to protect the honor of their families by any means. It is understood that this entails killing women who break the rules."
• The US destroyed the Iraqi state, including much of the judicial system, leaving people more reliant on conservative tribal authorities to settle disputes and on unofficial "religious courts" to mete out sentencing, including "honor killings."
• Poverty–inducing economic policies, such as the 2003 US decision to fire all public–sector workers (40 percent of whom were women), have also contributed to the rise in "honor killings." Increased poverty has made people more dependent on tribal structures for jobs, housing, and other scarce resources and compelled more women into polygamous, forced, and abusive marriages, where they are at greater risk of "honor killing."
• While the US saw fit to violate international law by overturning most of Iraq's legal system, it maintained Article 130 of the penal code, which provides vastly reduced sentences for "honor killings" (as little as six months as opposed to life imprisonment, which is the minimum sentence for murder).
• Although the US is obligated as the occupying power to protect Iraqis' human rights, including the prevention and prosecution of "honor killing, " it has not done so. Official negligence promotes "honor killing" because perpetrators are confident that they will not be prosecuted.
• Women who are attacked by men outside of their family are considered to have shamed their families. For that reason, the overall rise in rape and kidnapping under US occupation has elicited a rash of "honor killings." In October 2004, Iraq's Ministry of Women's Affairs revealed that more than half of the 400 reported rapes since the US invasion resulted in the murder of rape survivors by their families.
• The detention of women by US and Iraqi forces exposes women to the threat of "honor killing" once they are released. Extensive documentation of the sexualized torture of detainees by US forces in Iraq confirms the widely–held assumption that any woman who is arrested is also raped, which may be considered grounds for "honor killing."
As you can see, the list is expansive and damning. Someone should ask John McCain if he addressed this on his trip to Iraq. He claims that things are returning to normal and that the escalation is working. Clearly, it is not working for many of the women in Iraq. Mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts all live under this threat of death because their male relative thinks he has been shamed. His ego was pricked so they must die. It is appalling and tragic. There is some hope though. There are groups dedicated to ending these killings working both inside Iraq and out. Madre started a program to help women escape honor killings
The Underground Railroad for Iraqi Women. Just as enslaved African Americans relied on a secret network of courageous individuals to help them make their way to freedom, Iraqi women who are threatened with "honor killings" need an escape route.
The Underground Railroad for Iraqi Women provides women who are threatened with "honor killing" with the means and social support to escape and begin to build a new life.
There is still hope that with ceaseless dedication and hard work the women of Iraq will no longer have to live in fear. That time appears to be distant but without the work of groups like MADRE the continuing humanitarian disaster that is the US occupation of Iraq will continue to degrade. The hope for justice still exists for Rand’s mother, as she believes that
God will make her father pay, either in this world ... or in the world after.
Sources
http://www.independent.co.uk/...
http://www.independent.co.uk/...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/...
http://www.irinnews.org/...
http://www.uniraq.org/...
Womens Groups in Iraq
http://www.madre.org/...
http://www.madre.org/...
Update: As the diary has now had a healthy stay on the rec list i would like to invite anyone who found it informative or moving to check out the three diaries i wrote preceding this one. They are on different topics but also contain the stories of individuals that needed to be recognized.