Write an essay that takes a stand on a specific human rights issue that affects women somewhere in the world and support your position through the use of credible evidence (such as quotes, statistics, examples, and /or anecdotes). Your goal is to argue why a certain problem is a problem and propose possible solutions for that problem using credible outside resources as support. Make sure that you adequately narrow your topic.
Your paper should be approximately 4-5 pages, typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font, minimum of three credible sources, and in MLA format.
*** I already wrote, but what I need is to edit the essay and fix the mistakes and the sources.
Alajaji 1
Abdulrahman Alajaji
Professor: Bieber
English 113B
20 February 2013
There is NO Honor in Killing.
What is honor killing? Everybody knows that killing is taking someone’s life. Honor killing is same as any other killing, but the crime usually is losing adultery, so the victims are women from the same killers’ family. Anyone who kills in terms of honor killing believes that the woman who was killed deserved that because she brought shame to the whole family, and she could put her other female relatives in danger of non-marriage. Honor killing happens in the Middle Eastern and south Asian countries. Even though honor killings happen in Islamic countries, there is no basis for this action under the Islamic law. According to CQ Global Researcher Muzammil Sddiqi, chairman of the Islamic Law Council of North America says: “Nothing in the Quran allows honor killings,” (190) Islamic countries judge actions by Quran, so if Quran does not support the action that means there is no base for it within the religion. Many people have a mistakenly belief on honor killings, they believe that it is the right thing to do in order to prevent shame.
The main reason for honor killing is to prevent shame from the family. According to Honour Based Violence Awareness Network website “there are five thousands honor killings occur internationally per year, one thousands of those killings occur in Pakistan.” That means one out of five honor killings around the world happen in Pakistan. Although honor killing happens in Islamic countries such as, Pakistan, Kurdistan, Iraq, and Jordan we cannot lay this problem on Islam.
First of all, what do religions think about this action? Islam does not state anything in Quran (Gods’ words) or Sunnah (Prophet’s words) that relates to honor killing. Siddiqi says that there is a statement in Quran states that never should a believer kills a believer (CQ Global Researcher 190). This statement invalidates killings in Islam. Islam has a judgment that says kill any man and woman who have sex if they are married to someone else, and there should be four witnesses of the crime, which is something impossible to happen, but Islam put this judgment to show the people how does this action is serious. Also Judaism does not state any rule in Torah (Judaism holy book) that says honor killing is a right thing to do. Another religion is Christianity; Christianity also does not state anything about honor killing in Bible. Therefore the most wide spread three religions do not state that honor killing is a right thing to do. So what happens is a cultural belief that has nothing to do with any religion. There are a lot of people who support their crime by Islam, but we can easily ask them if they can prove their beliefs. I assure no one can find anything about it.
Honor killing is a cultural habit that does not have to do anything with religions. A lot of people commit this crime in order to keep the family’s honor clean. Most of them know that this is not a correct action to do, but it is their traditions and habits. If they do not do it people would talk about the family, and mostly each member of this family would not have the chance to get married. Middle eastern families care about what people say about them, so they take care of their honor well. For example, if someone would marry no one would ask the person about himself or herself; the family would ask the people whom around him or her, so if they say anything that seems not good, the person would be rejected. Because of this thing families care about what people say about them.
Since we now know what honor killing is, and how it is a cultural habit that does not relate to any religion let us see and example for honor killing. Kuwait Times a newspaper that was established in 1961, published news about Pakistani family parents who attacked their daughter with acid in terms of “Honor Killing”. Mohammed Zafar and Zaheen Akhtar “the parents” murdered their 15-year-old daughter Anusha for a crime that she did, which is looking from her house at boys riding motorbikes. The parents were jailed for this crime. Mohammed and Zaheen explained why they murdered their daughter, although they regret it. They said that they were afraid that Anusha would follow her elder sister in her acts. People started talking about Anushas’ sister for her bad character so her parents married her at the age of 16. Zaheen the one who doused Anusha by the acid said that she was afraid for her other 4 daughters and 2 boys so she committed the crime. Mohammed beat his daughter before her mother doused the acid. The police said that the parents did not take their daughter to the hospital until the second day. (Kuwait Times.)
As a person who lives in a Middle Eastern country, which follows Sharia law, Saudi Arabia, I have not ever heard about someone killing his relative to restore his family’s honor in terms of honor killing. Although Saudi Arabia applies the religion “Islam” in each decision it makes. In fact, most Muslims believe that no one in this life has the right to take someone’s soul, even the parents. We are in life that each person can express his or her beliefs without any intervention if it is something relates to that person. I do not believe that if one of my relatives did something “wrong”, as the people who practice honor killings see it, I have the right to do anything; my one and only right is to give advise to my relative. Also I believe that when one of my relatives do something wrong that would not affect me or my sisters, because everyone knows who I am and who my sisters are. Each parents has their own way to educate their child, and how to prevent mistakes. When someone does something that he or she sees it correct, it is not necessarily be correct for someone else. We have to educate people around the world that there are many cultures, and they are different. For example, in Saudi Arabia if I cannot argue with someone who is elder than me, it would be considered impolite action.
Our responsibility toward the people whom commit honor killings is easy; we have to educate them that this action they believe is not correct, and no religion support this action. Also, the governments should take role in this case; governments must put strong penalties for the people whom practice this tradition. Moreover in educating people is to explain how does this action against human rights, especially women’s rights. If each person in this life hold exactly to his father’s and grandfather’s traditions and customs, no one would develops. It is right that we should hold to our traditions, but we must hold on to the good things only, not the bad and the good.
In conclusion, killings means stealing someone’s life without permission, no one in life has the right to take something that does not belong to him or her. Honor killing is not an acceptable thing to human logic, because there is no reason for it. It is right that honor killings occur within Muslim communities, but that does not mean it is a religious action. Pakistan has the biggest ratio compared to the world in honor killing, although it is a Muslim country, honor killings is not a Muslim action. People can prevent shame fixing the problem not making it worse by killing. Cultural beliefs make us do things without thinking about it logically because we by those beliefs we are following our ancestors.
Works Cited
“International honour base violence resources center.” Honur Based Violence Awareness
Network. Web. 17 Feb 2013
Kiener, Robert. “Honor killings 190.” CQ Global Researcher, CQ Press. Apr. 2011. Web. Feb
24 2013.
“Pakistani parents in ‘honor killing’ regret acid attack.” Kuwait Times. Web. Feb 12
2013.