Just imagine the number of women who would be subject to “honor killings” were this heinous custom in Pakistani society practised in the West. Think Kim Kardashian and Miley Cyrus plus countless other wannabees posting on Facebook and appearing in Reality TV shows.
Pakistani celebrity star Qandeel Baloch was murdered by her brother for behavior considered inappropriate by local standards. Family honour must be protected in Pakistan even if it means killing a woman deemed to have stepped out of line.
The “honor killing” of this young, free-spirited girl is tragic.And the men who rushed to view her pictures on Instagram, and who are now applauding her murderer, are nothing less than depraved hypocrites.
Cases of women being killed for ‘dishonouring’ their family are common in Pakistan with Human Rights organisations reporting more than 500 deaths a year.
A law imposing capital punishment on those who enact this medieval custom is long overdue. Prison is too good for a brother who strangles his sister, or a husband who stones his wife to death as one did on the steps of the Lahore High Court and which just about says it all…
Misogyny must be stamped out in Pakistan. Until such a law is enacted, the government is just as responsible for these crimes as the perpetrator himself.
RIP: Fouzia Azeem (real name) 1990-2016.
Christine Osborne’s AMONG BELIEVERS is a lavish treat of world-class photography and restrained but intelligent supporting text. The author’s many decades spent in Middle Eastern countries lend her an authoritative voice on this part of the world. Much of AMONG BELIEVERS shows people, most respectfully, at prayer in a variety of religious settings. A thoroughly inspired piece of work from Christine Osborne!
Thank you for your comment. While I did spend some years working in the Middle East, the book covers all the mainstream religions.