About book Murder In The Name Of Honor: The True Story Of One Woman's Heroic Fight Against An Unbelievable Crime (2009)
You might have heard of Anita Sarkeesian, a feminist who is doing a study about female characters in video games. She posted a request for funding on Kickstarter and then got many hateful comments. And some jerk male gamer made a Beat Up Anita Sarkeesian game.(Don't worry, she exceded her funding request).Women who do not stay in the lines of the established role, whatever that role may be, tend to get punished in some way. Exhibit 2 - Kristen Stewart, whose movies I have never seen. She apparently had a consenual affair with her director. Her MARRIED director who has children with his wife. She told her boyfriend, he dumped her (understandable), and she has been an object of hate and comedy. She wasn't married, committed relationship yes, married no. The director was (and was older), yet she is the only one blamed and mocked for the scandel.And don't you remember all those people asking what Rhianna did? You know because Chris Brown had to have a reason for beating her up. (Apparently Brown being an abusive a**h*** doesn't count).If you don't live in a culture where honor killing is common, you live in a culture where women, honor, and violence are viewed differently than men, honor, and violence.Which is why you should read this book.Husseini's book is not, NOT, a collection of stories about victims of honor killing (though there are several stories in the book), but more of a tale about trying to change the laws that allow for the killings (even in places like South and North America). It focuses largely on the actions in Jordan, but also includes infromation about such killings in Europe, the rest of the Middle East, the UK, and the US and Canada. Husseini's cares deeply about women's rights and she deeply loves her country. This is not "the Middle East is evil" type of a book.(As an aside, I have to say while I was happy to see Husseini using the term "so-called honor killing", I prefer the British PC Cox's term of "control murder".)Of great interest is the look that Husseini takes in trying to figure out while such killings occur. The connection she makes to tribal history is interesting, not because she has done it (it has been done before) but because she shows all the effects of the murder - divocrce, imprisonment, distrust. And she points out that men are victims of honor killing as well, not only those men who are killed because of thier homosexualy (and if you think it is hard to get justice for the female victims) but also because of what the tribal beliefs due to the men who are pressured, in some cases, to kill thier sisters, mothers, daughters. But also to those men who do not take part in the killing and try to stop it. The story of the father whose daughter is raped by one brother and murdered by the other brother due to honor is a prime example. He was in the US when the events occured, his wife supported her sons. The father has disowned them and divocred his wife.In others, this isn't a men are evil book either. Many men want the reforms too.Husseini does get emotionally tied to the subject, and while it may wrong, the reader totally understands and applauds her desire to physcially harm certain people. How Husseini managed to interview the killers without at least spitting on them, I will never know, but she deserves a prize for it.Husseini's writing is actually the best when she is talking about the laws, how they are applied, and the attempts at reform. And she is right, even in the West, people are inclined to judge men who kill thier adulterous wives differently than a general killer, and far differently then a women who kills her adulterous husband. She doesn't quite ask how this is different than honor killings? She doesn't have to; her writing is so good that the reader can ask and answer it.The answer is, it's not.And that's why you should read it.
At times sad, at times infuriating, at times inspiring, Murder in the Name of Honor is Rana Husseini's brief overview of honor killing and the story of her crusade against it. As explained by Husseini, "so-called honour killing occurs when a family feels that their female relative has tarnished their reputation by what they loosely term 'immoral behavior.'" The offense can range from consensual out of wedlock sex, to flirting, being raped, wearing make-up, or wanting to chose her own husband. Even rumors, gossip, suspicion, having unknown numbers on her cell phone, chatting on line with a man, can trigger an honor killing. Generally, the family chooses a male relative to murder the offending woman. The methods are often brutal. The victim may be stabbed, shot, beaten or burned to death, and it is thought that the murder cleanses the family of the shame brought upon it by the victim. Often, a younger brother is chosen, because it is known that the law will treat a juvenile more leniently than an adult. Many countries where honor killing is practiced have laws that provide for leniency for these acts, whether committed by a juvenile or an adult. The murderers frequently turn themselves into the police immediately after the killing, and often feel they had no choice, that if the victim had not been killed, the family would have been ruined and disgraced. Although many men feel that they too are victims of the system, still, the idea of honor killing is deeply rooted in many cultures, and attempting to change it has proved to be a slow and frustrating struggle. Perhaps trying to change ideas about morality, sexuality and gender roles is always like playing with fire. If one wanted to make an argument to that effect, this book could serve as exhibit one. It's a sad read.
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When I got this book, I had high hopes for it. As I read this book, I realized it wasn't for me - I wanted a book about stories of victims of honour killing. This book tells about Husseini's cause/crusade/justice for the victims and what's going on in Jordan (as well as England/USA). It felt more of a textbooky to me (not what I was interested). I recommend this book to those who want to understand and know indepth of honour killing and what is being done (politics, etc.). If you are looking for book with just stories or a story about a victim - you will see many little short stories of victims throughout the book.
—Brenda
Rana Husseini’s Murder in the Name of Honor is not an easy book to read. One story after another about the murder of women made this a tough book to get through, but I’m glad I read it because I am now far more aware of the complexity of this issue. Husseini is an accomplished activist against these so-called “honor killings,” and has worked hard to get people talking about these horrific events.Throughout the book, Husseini uses the stories of many women to paint a gruesome picture of the state of women’s freedoms. The hardest ones to read for me were the stories about women who were murdered by their fathers/brothers/uncles/male cousins after being raped. On top of the pain that comes with rape, they are then seen as dishonorable by their families and murdered to cleanse the family’s name. Oftentimes the rapist goes free, or with very minimal punishment. How can this possibly be?Husseini interviews a young man who murdered his sister to restore his family’s honor. He was encouraged into his actions by his family and tribe, and was welcomed into jail as a hero as her served a short amount of time. But once he was released, he was shunned by the same family members who had urged him to commit the horrendous act, and now suffers from depression. By telling his story and showing the reader the perspective on this issue from a vastly different side, Husseini demonstrates how this obsession with honor ends up hurting everyone involved. While some say these so-called honor killings are traditions and culturally necessary for their identity, Husseini makes a good case for how it is actually harmful. It was a unique perspective, and one I greatly appreciated.
—Shana
Dear Ms. Hussieni,Thank you very much for this wonderful piece of work and congratulations for every accomplishment you have done in you life.'Murder in the Name of Honour' takes you on a journey of struggle, heartbreak, hate, confusion and frustration but it is a journey that ends with hope. Throughout the book the passion and perseverance of Ms. Hussieni can be felt with every written letter. It is a subject that has long been shaking the foundation of the human race and I am proud that a Jordanian woman had thee courage to stand up against the howling winds and fight for the rights of the thousands of oppressed women out there, in different countries and continents.The book was easy to read and every word had fallen into place beautifully so as to make such a difficult topic easier to swallow and understand. One of the major assets of this book is the amount of research conducted, it is enormous! And this is what it sets it apart I am sure. And the most interest part was the chapter with the various countries involved in such despicable acts. That proved that so-called honour crimes do not only happen in the Middle East but internationally as well. In addition, it proved that Islam does not promote such murders. Also it was clear that Jordan is NOT the only country in which they occur and that numerous individuals including the royal family have condemned these acts and are fighting against it.If I were to point out a downturn for his book it would be one thing; throughout the book the reader could hear Ms. Hussieni's voice as she wrote the book because you can read that passion. However, towards the end of the book it became more factual and less personal. That passion was somehow silenced in the crowd of figures and numbers.My favorite part in the whole book is the end. It gave me hope. Hope for the future and a plan. Which most books lack, a plan to start on and act now.I highly recommend it to everyone with or against the idea. This is a life fact that everyone must be aware of.One is better knowing all that is wrong in the world rather than being ignorant.
—E.
