Honor Killings: Ramle and London

From The Corner, Katherine Jean Lopez has 2 posts--one in Ramle

No Honor, All Shame

From Haaretz:

The discovery of the body of 19-year-old Hamda Abu-Ganem in her home in the Ramle neighborhood of Juarish didn't surprise Ramle Police Superintendent Yigal Ezra. Although many people, including Ezra, tried to help Abu-Ganem run from the fate that awaited her, she remained in her parents' house - and became the seventh woman in her family to be murdered in an "honor killing" in as many years. Three youths were arrested for the crime yesterday and are expected to face a remand hearing today.

"A few young criminals in Juarish set up a group that decides which of the women has violated the honor of the family," said Ezra. "For instance, if a woman spoke to someone on a cell phone, or laughed with a man, that is sometimes considered a violation of the family honor, from their perspective. They plan how the murder will take place, who will carry it out and even find an alibi for the murderer. From the moment someone is marked, there is no way out." ...

and the other in England

And From Londonistan

Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) — Samaira Nazir rejected Pakistani suitors chosen by her family and planned to elope with her Afghan boyfriend. The penalty for her defiance: death from 18 stab wounds inflicted by her brother and cousin at the family home in Southall, England.

More than a dozen women are killed for violating community standards each year in the U.K., according to police. While Nazir's killers were jailed for life, U.K. police ignore hundreds of ``honor crimes'' to avoid inflaming relations with Muslim enclaves as they work to head off homegrown terror plots, say lawmakers and women's rights advocates.

``There is a kid-gloves approach on the basis that you don't want to offend these communities,'' says Usha Sood, a lawyer and lecturer at Nottingham Trent University who specializes in forced marriage cases. ``If you take into account the whole range of honor offenses, the number runs into the thousands.''...

that have far too much in common with each other.

Technorati Tag: Islam.