'Honour killings', an open secret?

[sandyRoe]

The parents of 17 year old, Shafelia Ahmed, have been charged with her murder. While that case is now a matter for the courts, it made me think. If a family had been 'dishonoured' in the eyes of the community wouldn't its members(the communities) need to know that a killing had been done in order to see that 'honour' had been redeemed?
Are 'honour killing' an open secret in the communities where they happen?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14822370

[notasyoungasiwas]

I don't know sandy, I just hope that Shafelia now gets the justice she deserves. A terrible waste of a lovely, young girl on the verge of life.

[Booldawg]

I saw a documentary years ago about an asian girl and white english lad in the UK that had to move from town to town because of death threats from the girls family. They said they had to constantly move because the islamic community is tight knit enough for them to inform the family of their whereabouts; even though they knew what that would result in.

[notasyoungasiwas]

I too remember that documentary - I hope they found peace.

[Mosaic]

Where I live, the communities in question have a tacit understanding that things happen to women (sometimes men) who step out of line. Usually the circumstances of the thing mean nothing can be proved, which eem to be th case with Shafilea's murder.

[steg]

i don't know in englandshire, but since you have a Palestinian flag as an avatar you may find this interesting
http://www.worldandi....ic/2003/may/clpub.asp

[sandyRoe]

Steg, I'm not sure if anti-Arab Israeli propaganda throws much light on the question here in the UK

[askyourgran]

We have quite a large population of Asians in Bradford and moving down to the town where I live (I kid you not). Their traditions are still the same, the way they treat their womenfolk is appalling. One lady is seen walking the street with what looks like a strip of cloth wrapped around her hand. It seems if the husband is not happy with the wife's cooking etc, he tips oil on her and sets her on fire. One young girl committed suicide, they claimed she was simple minded. It turned out that the father said she was possesed (seeing an English boy and wanting to wear western dress), and the imam or whoever beat her to get the devil out of her. It all still goes on behind closed doors.

[steg]

i don't know how much is true or untrue in the article but if it is true.
as one of your questions is " Are 'honour killing' an open secret in the communities where they happen? "
then: it is an Arab cultural thing that seems to be in the open in the communities where it happens.
so it is quite relevant

[notasyoungasiwas]

O hell askyourgran that's just horrendous

[ummmm]

How do you know that AYG? Who told you?

[Rapunzel61]

Course it's an open secret, that's why under sharia law it's called an honour killing and not murder.
'Crimes' include not wanting an arranged marriage, seeing somebody of another race/religion, insuffient dowry, or simply a groom not liking the look of his new bride. My mother told me that she once washed a woman who'd been thrown from a speeding car because she'd given birth to a baby girl and not the boy her husband wanted.
Back in the 1970's you should have seen the burns unit at the women's hospital. At any given time over half of it was women of Indian/Pakistani origin, All used to tell the same story, the little cookers they used that used to run on calor gas or paraffin had just 'blown up'. Nine times out of ten the marriges had been arranged, often the women being bought straight from India/Pakistan with no family and no english.

[Old_Geezer]

I see no honour in this type of act. It is pure evil, and brings dishonour to all responsible for it.

[sandyRoe]

True, Old Geezer.