Toronto
Star
Strangely, the most disturbing image on the screen is not one of
violence but an ominous declaration by some men, that killing women who
dishonor the faith and the family, is a matter of pride. Three hundred people sit horrified watching A Matter Of Honor, an
unflinching documentary on the practice of so-called honour
killings of girls and young women by close male relatives in Pakistan.
These women, are killed or burnt beyond recognition if they are
suspected of immoral activities which could range from being seen with
the wrong person, expressing a wish to marry someone they like or going
out alone at night. The camera pans on to Foqqia Bibi, only 16, who has
50 burns on her body. The only sounds she can make are groans of agony
as she cries out in torment. Married against her will, her
husband's family sprinkled her body with kerosene and set her alight.
By
the time the documentary was through being filmed, Foqqia Bibi was dead
- no arrest was made.
The
occasion was a fundraising dinner earlier this month at the
Talim ul Islam Centre
in Weston to raise awareness and money for the
International Network For The Rights of
Female Victims of Violence
in Pakistan.
The
dinner, organized by Thornhill educator Ahmed Motiar, was supported
by
The Canadian Council of Muslim Women, International Development and
Refugee Foundation, Muslim Chronicle
and
York Region Islamic Society.
Motiar, 59, is pleased a large number of men attended the dinner.
`Violence against women is not just a women's issue,'' he says.
`It
involves men, so awareness has to be raised within a larger framework.''
The
audience is primarily Muslims from diverse backgrounds but also includes a few non-Muslims. This problem is not isolated in the
Muslim world but has a menacing international presence and needs to be
addressed across the board. Unfortunately, events in Turkey, Jordan and Pakistan have come to
the
attention of Western media recently so it seems that this is a Muslim
issue.
But
so-called honor killings are totally and unequivocally against all
teachings of Islam. Therefore we want to erase this misconception
and
express
a universal message of support and solidarity towards those
working for the cause of violence against women.
The
guest speaker, a professor of religious studies and humanities at the
University of Louisville and founder of the network, is such a crusader.
Hassan begins her address in a light vein. ``I've read many books on the rights and roles of Muslim
women but have
never seen anything on the rights of Muslim men .. does this mean they
have
none?''
Men look sheepish, women applaud. Hassan, who has been accused for blowing the issue of honour killings
out
of proportion, explains the importance of the history of her campaign:
``If a
trains becomes derailed, you have to go to the start to see the
reason why it
got derailed and only then can you remedy the damage.''
In
February, 1999, ABC's Nightline aired
A Matter of Honor.
One commentator
was Hassan, the other Asma Jehangir, president of the Pakistan Human
Rights Commission. Following the show, I received a large number of
e-mails and faxes from
concerned individuals. Two important sentiments were expressed: a strong
sense of outrage at the brutality against women, coupled with a keen
desire to take
action; and a concern that the documentary should not be interpreted so
that Islam condones or justifies honour killings.
The
day after the Nightline show, Hassan founded the
International Network
For The Rights of Female Victims of Violence
in Pakistan as a non -
profit
organization, primarily to create awareness, mobilize a lobby against
honour
killings and collect funds for building Burns Units in Pakistan. In less
than
four weeks, 300 people had joined and expressed their support.
But
she also faced resistance and criticism.
"Many
Muslims reacted negatively to the documentary calling it biased and
anti - Islam. They said setting up INRFVVP would only fuel the Western
media's propaganda against Islam and Muslims.''
This
reaction was repeated in Toronto before Hassan's visit. It fell upon
Hassan to diffuse a volatile situation and counter the criticism with
her
knowledge and expertise in the field.
To those who are in a state of denial, I wish to say that what is
important in this context is that regardless of the intentions of those
who
broadcast A Matter of Honor, the fact remains that female victims of
violence shown in this film are real human
beings, speak in their own voices, whose intense pain and agony we see with our own eyes.
"By
denying, ignoring or obscuring the occurrence of these horrible crimes ranging from having acid thrown in one's face to being set on fire to
being
physically mutilated to being murdered ... one is neither taking
the high
moral ground or advancing the best interests of Pakistan.''
Hassan stresses the importance of addressing the issue of honour
killings and taking steps to bring the killers of innocent women, to
justice.
"Most such murders are never reported. When they are, the police rarely
prosecute the killers.''
Ominously,
Amnesty International recently reported that "the number of
honour killings is on the rise as the perception of what constitutes
honor widens. There are signs that honour killings will become the
next major
international women's issue.''
Hassan
is aware of the fine line that separates cultural practices from
those deemed Islamic. For 25 years, this devout Muslim has analyzed the differences between normative Islam and how patriarchal cultures
have interpreted it. She clearly differentiates between culture and faith and
says
honour killings are neither condoned by nor part of Islam.
"Islam
is not the reason these women are bring killed,'' she says. "These
killings are not happening because men are following Islam rather
the opposite. True Islam is very protective of women's rights. The Qur'an
offers no religious or ethical justification for discriminating against women.
If we
were to construct a society on the true basis of Islam, men and women
would
be equal in the sight of God.''
Hassan has written many papers and books on the subject, her most
controversial ones are:
Women's And Men's Liberation: Testimonies
Of Spirit,
Greenwood Press, Inc. Westport
1991;
Women's Rights and
Islam: from ICPD to Beijing,
NISA publications, Louisville 1995 and
Equal Before Allah? LSPPA Yayasan Prakarsa, Indonesia 1996.
She says in order to understand the psyche of those
who discriminate against women in Islam, it's necessary to study the
religion
in detail.
"Women are discriminated and victimized due to social, political and
economic causes. But religion becomes the raison d'tre and men use Islam
to
legitimize their crimes. This is the reason this reality has to be
dealt
with, from within Islam.''
It
was her personal search to find a niche for herself that led Hassan, a
native of Lahore Pakistan to the study of Qur'an and Hadith 25 years ago. Several years after earning
a
Ph.D.
in England in 1968, Hassan moved to United States to teach and
research.
A single mother, she worked as visiting lecturer and professor at
Villanova University, the University of Pennsylvania and Oklahoma State
University before being hired by the University of Louisville. In 1991
she was
selected by the arts and sciences faculty as "A Woman of
Achievement.'' Hassan
has also lectured at Harvard.
In
February this year, frustrated by lack of action in Pakistan, Hassan
wrote
an open letter to the country's military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf,
outlining her quest for justice for women.
There
are some indications international pressure is working. In March, the
government of Pakistan announced its opposition to honour killings and
said it
would improve medical care for female burn victims.
In
addition, the first national Human Rights and Human Dignity conference
was recently held in Islamabad. At the opening, Gen. Musharraf condemned
honour
killings and said such actions have no place in religion or law. Honour
killings, he promised, will now be treated as murders and medical
facilities
will
be provided to the victims and their families.
"Despite
such hopeful signs, much remains to be done,'' Hassan says. "Laws
have
to be put into place, support is needed for building and sustaining an
international movement such as was launched for the elimination of
female
genital mutilation, and for setting up humanitarian assistance for the
victims
who are mostly poor and illiterate.
"Support
is also needed for conducting investigative research so that hard
data can be obtained for a systematic analysis of the growing problem.''
For
more information, contact The International Network For The Rights of
Female Victims of Violence in Pakistan, P.O. Box 17202, Louisville,
Ky.,
40217,
phone (502) 637‑4090, fax (502) 638‑4002
Raheel Raza is a proud Muslim and a proud feminist.
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