"Honor killing" is a common and persistent form of violence that is a brutal reality for many women and girls in America and abroad. Unfortunately, very little is being done to stop this misconduct. Women are being disfigured, punished and killed for allegedly “dishonoring” their families.
Our coalition Middle Eastern American Women Coalition (MEAWC) wishes to put an end — once and for all — to this fierce act. MEAWC is asking President Trump and his administration to help us be the voice for millions of voiceless girls and women in the United States and abroad.
In some countries, honor killing is legal and nearly a mandate. We strongly condemn these horrific crimes against humanity especially girls and women.
In some of the Middle Eastern and North Africa, if a male family member suspects that his daughter, wife, or sister engaged in a sexual act outside of marriage, his violent response is legally justified as a lesser crime than murder.
The Coalition is asking the governments worldwide to help us with our mission to eliminate these horrible practices. We must not allow those who believe in these sorts of savage customs to practice and to become a part of American Culture
Honor killing is supposedly done to “save” the honor of the family, but there is no honor in the killing of helpless girls and women. No religion or culture has the right to harm or kill women based on their perception of morality or honor. Everyone has the right to live a life with dignity and full equality.
Therefore, universal enactment, the legislatures, and enforcement of law are the only solution to end these practices. Islamist radicals and groups like ISIS are literally getting away with murder if we don’t act now. There is no justification in Islam for this practice. In the Quran, it says very clearly, that if you harm a single human being, it's the same as if you had killed all of humanity.
This is a practice derived from some thousands-year custom that was practiced in the past among not only Muslims, but Christians and Jews as well. This backward custom should have been left in the past.
While condemning this practice, many in the West shy away from acting for fear of being labeled as Islamophobic.
I am Muslim. I am not afraid to speak up against the killing of innocent girls and women in the name of religion. We need justice and we ask all nations to aid in helping the women around the world to be free of ancient practices. We need to help educate them and empower them financially so they can live their lives with full dignity and equality and this has to be the way of all girls and women.
The Declaration of Human Rights does not differentiate by sex, so no nation that is part of the world should allow any practice that denies freedom to any segment of society based on sex.
We ask today and will continue to ask for the world to come together and help us right this terrible wrong and to allow all to stand as equal.
Chiman Zebari is a Kurdish author and activist who is the director of the Middle Eastern American Women Coalition. She delivered these remarks at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and on Capitol Hill on December 13, 2018.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.
