Morsal Obeidi was just 16, she wanted to live like the other girls in Germany. Free to make choices. But she paid dearly for aspiring to be free, her brother stabbed her 20 times. This honour killing right in the heart of Germany has sparked huge debate about muslim women, the choices they have and they don’t have. And whether at all they can opt to walk away from the family bindings.
It must be really difficult to live closed life in a free world. The children of religious minority groups can never really get integrated into western society. Their homes and their religious bindings often place them in a dilemma of choices. They rarely think of escaping from home and bindings. Their upbringing teaches them not to abandon family and family values at any cost. The family name, family honour, their own religion and society are of supreme importance. Defying parents and religious law is never tolerated. If some of them do dare, they end up getting punished.
Asserting one’s own religion, one’s own culture and value is important. But not giving freedom to step out to explore the world and live life on one’s own terms is a kind of oppression. Modern society will see more such attempts to crossover traditional barriers and boundaries to see the world beyond.
source: guardian
Comments
The cultural and religious values are changing and will improve with time.
I hope you are right and that the time is shortly because speaking for many Canadians living in Canada, it is about time that the adult people moving to and living in this country act as responsible Canadians and stop taking lives. They should honour our laws. These Muslim killings are not Honour Killings!! Not in Canada at least. Go back where you came from if you cannot honour the Canadian laws. If you want to stay here you should be willing to change to our way of thinking, not your ”old” ways. And don’t point to Religion as your excuse!! Most religion have faults too, recognize your religion’s faults! How could you take your own child’s life?? ”Daddies” go home!
I think they have a choice. They’re just choosing not to choose.
But the choice is always there.
I agree with Grace, they have a choice, everyone has a choice.
Correct. However, the choice here tends to be, live without rights, or be killed by your family. some choice.
Right, Zsolt.
They just choose to be tied to tradition and dogma. They’ve been brainwashed by their religion. They can always choose to defy it if it goes against their human rights.
They must be living in fear or the threat of shame.
Grace, Zsolt
I think they face threat from their own community...honour killing is still a reality...they have to make a brave escape for good...thats the only choice they have...
you have freedom that’s why you are living like prostitute just everyone fucking you and going is this life?
if it is life to fuck and leave than it is right.
muslim women are given all rights which the women should be given. they can do every thing according to islam but if someone don’t like to fuck and kiss in park they have no right in your opinion
Interesting and I agree. There are faults in many religions. We can believe in our God or whatever higher power we like, but killing one’s own family member or anyone for that matter is not ”religion” as it should be and fathers should not expect their sons to kill their daughters to avoid being ”shamed”. Daughters have just as right to live as fathers and brothers and obviously this Muslim religion needs adjusting! Especially for those living in North America!!
Hello Madhura,
What a terrible tragedy. There have been several ”honour” (”honour”?) killings in France this last few years, including by lapidation (in Marseille) burning alive (in a rubbish bin near Paris) and several others.
Those who perpretrate these horrors need to know that they are partially responsible for the anti-muslim sentiment prevalent in Europe.
I dream of the day when moderate Muslims will dominate the global existence of the Muslim faith (and the same goes for all religions).
Seeya!
Michael
Thanks, Michael for your comment...
I don’t think moderates will ever dominate any religion...religion somehow has ended up making people intolerant and fanatic...religion has failed to bring peace...
Madhuri
Religion always teaches peace, but they are people who uses religion incorrectly for their own purpose. Honor killing is not part of ISLAM but the custom made values of MEN.
Totally!
”There is no compulsion in religion” is a quote from the Quran. Every person, according to the scripture, has a choice. There are stories of the Prophets who had family members who chose something other than pure monotheism and the path of Islam e.g. Noah’s son, Lot’s wife, Abraham’s father. None of these autonomous people warranted an ”honour killing”. Muslims are called to follow the example of the prophets.
Peripheral Muslims are the danger for they venture way out of Islam into zones of Bollywood, drama and mysogyny that are qualities of some other life style. They are moderately religious with very moderate links to the core of scripture and tradition. Like Abid Shafiq has said, ”Religion always teaches peace.”
A murderer is a murderer and pack murders, whether in war zones or in ”civil society” are pack murders.
I think this website is just a tiny part of the western propaganda media, its true that such inicidents exist, yet they are not related to Islam in any way. these habits are results of ignorance and poverty. Islam actually honord women over 1400 years when they were looked at as sex slaves in the midevil ages. The picture posted under this article is from Afghanistan which is devistated with wars where ignorance and poverty are taking over. Dubai, Riyadh, Amman, Beirut,Damascus, Casablanca, Damascus, Tunisia, are all muslim cities, yet you wouldnt find these cases because people in these countries are educated, hence people have choice.
Why only one side of the picture is showed in order to creat propaganda? What is freedom? Its your choice to live the way you want under certain restrictions. If majority Muslim women choose to wear Hijab or try to follow religion then is it not freedom? Wearing bikini or having sex with (average 12 partner in UK)with so many men before choosing husband and thn divorce him afterwards IS IT FREEDOM?
Everyone has his/her own way of life. Take the example of India where women face extreme patriarchal society.
Its not just rekegion , its the culture. For Muslims Western culture is imodest immoral and for West, Muslim culture presumeablly not FREE.
you people still twisting the truth....
if muslims were woman haters(strangly) then they would have a population of men to women ratio like china and india and any other place that aborts girls just cause they are girls.on the other hand muslims are thought theres many rewards to raising up daughters! its not a shame to raise up beautiful smart respected woman in society!
if these parents had raised their children up right inshAllah their children would not have made them mad to the point that they felt the need to harm their own children, but they the parent willl have to answer to the creator for their actions. SIMPLE!
there is no hadith or quranic quote that says kill your childdren if they make you mad.
....all the while we see non muslims abuse and kill and hang and stab and tolture and keep locked up in a basement their children and its not blamed on anyone or anything.
you haters of muslim woman are twisted, and you know not.
o well enjoy
Well said! They think women in Islam are oppressed. But apparently having multiple sex partners, getting raped bcuz ur not wearing much clothing, being killed while under the influence of alcohol and killing others while drunk driving, using illegal drugs and more is normal. And theres nothing oppressive about having ur spouse(bf/husband) cheat on u or abuse u for cheating on them or abuse while under the influence of alcohol and such. and also not knowing who ur father is is ok as well. its ridiculous there is bad stuff about every nation not just the middle east
As an Asian women, we think Muslim places more restriction and control over women than men too. Polygyny is outdated and still lawful in most Muslim country, it is the product of money, power and authority. I knew a Muslim woman faced double discrimination here in Austin Texas, one time we went to Ikea, left kids in care of stuff, she was ”scolded” by stuff because we were 5 minutes late and she wear scaf. They did not criticize me though. Also her husband controls money, when her mother was sick, she was asked to use her own money to visit her, she does not have enough ......
We have sympathy on Muslim women for lacking of choices, not hater. Muslim men have the ”reputation” of controlling their wives.
western country is a free country., of course they have a choice as long as it legal and ethical.
Exactly!!
Desperately hoping for a change...
We should keep in mind the both side of the prisom. Looking just one side could lead to wrong presentation of facts. Individual acts are not the representative of all.
Please read this with an open and educated mind.
The point of this article is not an attack on Islam and it is not to western propaganda.
Honour killings are wrong!!! No matter what religion or race. No girl/woman should be murdered by her fathers and brothers for sleeping around. Yes it is stupid and slutty and she will most likely regret it BUT IT IS HER CHOICE! Most likely she will learn and grow from her mistakes. But to kill her for that, is so wrong I cannot even explain it in words.
Yes the western world does have lots of women with their ”freedom” to prance around nearly naked and sleep with whomever they want but that is also wrong. But they are not killed in the name of that. Women belonging to crazy families that happen to be Muslim and are killed for that behavior should rest in peace with the knowledge that her murderers are rotting in jail.
Anybody who kills their daughter and sisters should be given a trial like any Joe Shmo. If they wind up in jail it should not be called racist or crimes against Islam. When that happens it makes people hate Islam.
I myself do not hold such esteem for Islam because moderate Muslims are not standing up for their sisters giving them a voice. Women; Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Shinto, etc. DO NOT WANT TO BE KILLED! RAPED! TORTURED! STONED! BURNED! in the name of religion.
G-d does not want an little girls in Indonesia, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Mauritania, Djibouti to HAVE A CLITORECTOMY or INFIBULATION! But the prophit Mohamed promoted it, ”Cicumcision is a sunnah for Men, MAKRUMAH for women” MAKRUMAH can be translated as “noble deed” or “honorable”) The practice is almost mandatory, not doing it means being ostracized from your commuinty and not getting married, or even going to school.
Once again I am not attacking or blaming Islam but honour killings and Female Genital Mutilation are common in Muslim countries and even happen in Western countries in families that hold the Islamic faith.
Please read this with an open and educated mind.
The point of this article is not an attack on Islam and it is not to western propaganda.
Honour killings are wrong!!! No matter what religion or race. No girl/woman should be murdered by her fathers and brothers for sleeping around. Yes it is stupid and slutty and she will most likely regret it BUT IT IS HER CHOICE! Most likely she will learn and grow from her mistakes. But to kill her for that, is so wrong I cannot even explain it in words.
Yes the western world does have lots of women with their ”freedom” to prance around nearly naked and sleep with whomever they want but that is also wrong. But they are not killed in the name of that. Women belonging to crazy families that happen to be Muslim and are killed for that behavior should rest in peace with the knowledge that her murderers are rotting in jail.
Anybody who kills their daughter and sisters should be given a trial like any Joe Shmo. If they wind up in jail it should not be called racist or crimes against Islam. When that happens it makes people hate Islam.
I myself do not hold such esteem for Islam because moderate Muslims are not standing up for their sisters giving them a voice. Women; Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Shinto, etc. DO NOT WANT TO BE KILLED! RAPED! TORTURED! STONED! BURNED! in the name of religion.
G-d does not want an little girls in Indonesia, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Mauritania, Djibouti to HAVE A CLITORECTOMY or INFIBULATION! But the prophit Mohamed promoted it, ”Cicumcision is a sunnah for Men, MAKRUMAH for women” MAKRUMAH can be translated as “noble deed” or “honorable”) The practice is almost mandatory, not doing it means being ostracized from your commuinty and not getting married, or even going to school.
Once again I am not attacking or blaming Islam but honour killings and Female Genital Mutilation are common in Muslim countries and even happen in Western countries in families that hold the Islamic faith.
You are right in your opinions. But there are many things to be cleared. Firstly Islam is not against any person living in this world expect it become a threat to the humanity or the Muslims. Islam is the religion of Humanity. Well no one is allowed to kill anyone. This should be done their respective Judicial System. If they decide on the basis of facts that the person deserves imprisonment or to be hang....only and only if he/she committed something wrong.
Now a days people are trying to promote negative things in Islam. No individual is allowed to take such decision to kill any one. Only Estate is authorized to frame rules for death and things like that.
Islamic SMS
Islam is the worst religion in the whole world. They are taking over and it is a religion for the tribes in the desert five hundred years ago. It hates women and calls followers of other faiths dhimmi! All people that do not believe in the Koran are considered less than!
WAKE UP WORLD, the only good Muslim is one that wants to spread the word of ALLAH by the sword! Read the Quran, it is the death of civilization and freedom!
May Allah help all of us in retrieving the real message of Islam. Surely Allah is the most merciful and graceful.
I am not agreed with you. You even can not present a single verse from Quran for creating Terrorism or suppressing women rights. Islam is the only religion providing status to the Women. Now a days women has become an Advertising symbol. Islam said her ”Aurat” ”thing to be kept in veil”.
So go and read real preachings of Islam.
Why is Islam the worst religion in the world? because they give respect to their women? I agree that some people go overboard by killing their daughters or sisters because they have made a mistake, for example in this case the brother stabbed his sister because she was sleeping around. Islam is not to blame for that, its the person it self. The brother was not mentally fit and the sister she was not a good person as well for sleeping with people. Especially when she knows how her family is and the religion she comes from is extremely strict. Islam prohibits women to show their hair because it attracts men, and this girl slept with men obviously that’s like a major difference. She should not have done what she did, no one forced her to wear a burqa, she has freedom however she took advantage of her freedom and went overboard. She did not leave any honor for herself, so he brother decided to kill her he probably thought he was doing her a favor since she has not left anything for herself. However, his method was also wrong. People should stop blaming Islam for terrorism and for women rights. Islam is the best religion because it gives the MOST RESPECT TO WOMEN. When a Muslim women is fully covered and walks outside , no one judges her character because of the way she is dressed. They can not classify her as a ”whore or slut” because of her clothing. No one even pays attention to her, where as when western women go outside and a little cleavage is shown a man immediately pounces on her trying to hit on her. I myself being a western women have realized that i can not leave my house without being looked at wrong or without being hit on by a man, i am a muslim women and i believe if i wore a Burqa i would feel more comfortable as a human because at least no one would be judging me on the way i look and they would not make me feel awkward. So i believe Islam gives the most respect to woman, they give our woman honour and that is above everything. Muslim women are not sold on Tv , as sex symbols we are often misunderstood to be trapped however we are not we are very satisfied and happy the way we live.
Seems like Muslim women born into a western culture have an easier time...my family was relatively conservative but we traveled a lot, so I was pretty ”secularized.” I did clash with my dad in my teens, but I think that’s a universal experience across all cultures.
Muslimah have an obligation to each other to be reading the book ourselves, knowing our rights and standing up for each other.
Unfortunately, the sisters, aunties and mothers who were supportive behind closed doors often vanish when one sticks out her neck and stands up for herself. When you’re already ”apart” from society, fear of losing your group is powerful.