Phyllis Chesler: Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings

From "Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings" by Phyllis Chesler [link to article] (Middle East Quarterly - Spring 2010, pp. 3-11):

Quote from: Phyllis Chesler

The level of primal, sadistic, or barbaric savagery shown in honor killings towards a female family intimate more closely approximates some of the murders in the West perpetrated by serial killers against prostitutes or randomly selected women. It also suggests that gender separatism, the devaluation of girls and women, normalized child abuse, including arranged child marriages of both boys and girls, sexual repression, misogyny (sometimes inspired by misogynist interpretations of the Qur'an), and the demands made by an increase in the violent ideology of jihad all lead to murderous levels of aggression towards girls and women. One only has to kill a few girls and women to keep the others in line. Honor killings are, in a sense, a form of domestic terrorism, meant to ensure that Muslim women wear the Islamic veil, have Muslim babies, and mingle only with other Muslims.

The way she delineates honor killing from the wider context of domestic violence so succintly is excellent. I believe that the distinction she makes is crucial in understanding honour killings and moving forward with effective strategies to combat the problem. Accepting the Islamic apologists conflation of honor killing with Western domestic violence ignores the wider social implications of honor killings as put forth by Chesler. It is outrageous that the voices of religious apologists and their pseudo-feminist sympathisers are given any weight at all; whilst the mainstream discourse continues to disregard and chastise those unafraid to call religion into question as "islamaphobes", young girls and women will pay the price with their lives.

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Topic: Phyllis Chesler: Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings

thinkfree

OP - May 10, 2010, 06:15 PM

King Koopa

Reply #1 - May 10, 2010, 06:21 PM

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