stay indoors and help their mothers with housework. They are pressured to wear specific modest clothes. Talking or hanging out with other boys and men is forbidden in the eyes of a typical middle eastern man. Women are forced into marriages and have no choice but to obey their fathers order. These restrictions cause girls to rebel to get their way. Being too “Western” or not being traditional is seen as a threat to the family's honor. According to the “Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings” by Phyllis Chesler, 58% of victims were murdered for being too “western”. Morsal O , a 16 year old afghani girl was murdered by her 24 year old brother Ahmed Sobair O for her alleged impure moral conduct. She was stabbed 24 times in a parking lot in Germany. In another case Qandeel Baloch, a young Pakistani Celebrity, was murdered by her brother because of her provocative non-modest ways of dressing. She was an upcoming star whose dreams were stolen from her because her brothers honor felt threatened.
Honor killing is also done when women can’t please their husbands. Dowry plays an important role in the life of a middle eastern women. A dowry is a marriage settlement given to a husband by his wife. In society a woman is expected to bring a grand dowry. Something that can be pieces of furniture to acres of land. Dowry has been declared illegal however, it is practiced everywhere in the middle east.According to India's national Crimes Record Bureau, more than 8,000 brides were murdered over dowry-related issues in 2010. In addition to Dowry, Honor Killings are also illegal in Pakistan however, the Pakistani government has not enforced strict laws against the crime.The Pakistan Penal Code requires a minimum of a 10 year imprisonment however, a loophole allows the family of the victim to forgive the perpetrator. Honor killing has been a subject ignored by media is Pakistan and India because laws that were created against honor killings are not being taken seriously throughout the countries.
5
When Farzana Parveen from Lahore, Pakistan
was just 25 she was forced to give up her life to protect her father’s honor. She was stoned to death. Killed in front of a crowd of men who didn't say a word yet stood with anger as her yells faded. Why? Because she chose to love a man. She chose love over societal expectations. She was killed with an innocent life in her stomach. The men who killed her where no other than her own blood, her father, brothers, cousins and a man who claimed to be her ex-husband. Many women like Farzana are killed in the name of honor. A tradition more prominent in developing countries where pride and dignity are two of the most vital aspects for a middle
eastern family to hold. Honor killing are done in response to alleged moral transgressions. These women can be wives, daughters and mothers who embody the family's honor and are killed by their brothers, fathers and husbands when that honor is threatened. This threat might just be a suspicion or false accusation against a women from flirting with men to not being able to bring enough dowry to her husband's family
India and Pakistan have around 1000 honor killings per year. According to the UK police force between 2010- 2014 there has been over 11,000 honor killings reported. Thus I am here to explain to you how men with old-fashioned mentality are brainwashed by society to control the life of women, keeping them oppressed and leaving them inferior and then use religion as an excuse for their cold-blooded murder.
Middle Eastern society forces women to feel oppressed by placing many restrictions at such a young age. Growing up little girls are told to