Avan Najmadeen: Victim of Honor Killing in England.
In the month of April 2019, the news sources of Europe have published the story of a woman who suffered a brutal honor killing. The victim was an Iranian migrant by the name of Avan Najmadeen, a 32-year-old mother of four who was killed by her husband, Dana Abdullah, for converting to Christianity and for refusing to support his case for citizenship. Dana Abdullah was denied citizenship and deported for committing sexual assault against a child. He came back to the UK illegally and stabbed his wife fifty times, killing her. Dana Abdullah has been convicted of murder and will serve at least 19 years in prison and the couples children are now orphans. This was a horrific crime and there is no justification for it, but to understand why this heinous crime happened, one must understand the concept behind the Honor/Shame culture that permeates the Middle East.
The dynamic of Honor/Shame in the Middle East wasn't necessarily a uniquely Arab or Islamic phenomenon, but it was in fact and ancient belief system that was followed by many Near East societies. These societies were built up around the a family/clan society. In the Honor/Shame system, any perceived injury to the honor of one member of the clan is considered an injury to all members of the clan. Therefore, the drive to cleanse the "shame" justifies the killing of the one guilty of committing the "dishonor" who have to pay the price to wipe away the "shame." Children are taught from an early age on how to bring honor to a clan, and how to avoid shaming the society, this is different from the Western views that hold the belief that family is more of a voluntary association, and that each individual member must be free to go and find their own way for themselves. For women in the Near Eastern Society, the honor of the woman is dependent upon her obedience to the patriarchy of the clan. The most important of which in many of these societies is the preservation of her virginity until her assigned marriage. Even the Old Testament details this dynamic. in Deuteronomy 22:13-21 which details that if a woman is found not to be a virgin on the night of her wedding, she must be punished for her promiscuous act and stoned to death. Now granted these Laws were passed for a specified time and place (ancient Israeli society, which was surrounded by other honor/shame societies), and these laws were not meant to be permanent (Christians live by the New Covenant Laws of Christ, not the Old Covenant Laws of Ancient Israel). However, other cultures in the region continue to follow this Honor/Shame practice to this day.
Arab culture is based on the cultural concept of honor/shame. Dr. Ahmed Mansour, a former professor at Al Azhar University, the most prestigious Islamic University in the world, confessed that much of Sharia Law derives from the pre-Islamic tribal society that permeated throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Not surprisingly, these practices spread through much of the Islamic world as the Islamic faith is Arabic in origin. A family’s respect and position within the Islamic community is dependent on the family’s honor, and that honor is the sole responsibility of the women of the family who are taught from childhood the consequences of their behavior. The woman is the property of the man, whether her father, brother, or husband. Shame is linked to every aspect of the woman’s behavior: her dress code, social behavior, her proper head covering, and many others. In some societies, leaders have become so obsessed with maintaining the Honor/Shame status quo that some have passed laws that many in the West consider outrageous. For instance, Article 475 of the Penal Code in Morocco dictates that "a rapist may be exonerated of his crimes if he marries his victim. The law is designed to protect the honor of the family, which is stained, when a woman loses her virginity prior to getting married. Marrying one's rapist restores that honor."
As I previously mentioned, the Honor/Shame Society, any perceived injury to the honor of one member of the clan is considered an injury to all members of the clan. Therefore, the drive to cleanse the "shame" justifies the killing of the one guilty of committing the "dishonor" who have to pay the price to wipe away the "shame." Under the Law of Sharia, leaving the Islamic faith is a Death Sentence. There is a consensus by all four schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence (Maliki, Hanbali, Hanafi, & Shafii) as well as classical Shiite jurists, that apostates from the Islamic faith must be killed. These laws were codified by the teachings of the founder of Islam, Muhammad:
Quran (4:89) - "They wish that you reject Faith, as they have rejected (Faith), and thus that you all become equal (like one another). So take not Auliya' (protectors or friends) from them, till they emigrate in the Way of Allah (to Muhammad). But if they turn back (from Islam), take (hold) of them and kill them wherever you find them, and take neither Auliya' (protectors or friends) nor helpers from them."
Sahih Bukhari (83:37) - "Allah's Apostle never killed anyone except in one of the following three situations: (1) A person who killed somebody unjustly, was killed (in Qisas,) (2) a married person who committed illegal sexual intercourse and (3) a man who fought against Allah and His Apostle and deserted Islam and became an apostate."
Sahih Bukhari (84:57) - In the words of Allah's Apostle, 'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'"
For the wife of the Iranian migrant, she not only dishonored him for committing the capital offense of apostasy, but also dishonored him by refusing to obey his demand to help him get asylum, which in his eyes violated the decree of Sharia that a man has authority over women. This law that is mandated under Islamic jurisprudence as it is mandated under Muhammad's decree in Surah 4:34 that"Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other."
In many nations where Islamic practices dominate, "Honor Killings" are the Law of the Land, and they often go unpunished. Thousands of Honor Killings occur worldwide, many of which go unreported. Unfortunately, it's no longer limited to to Middle East world. The mass, uncontrolled migration of refugees and immigrants from societies who have long been based on Islamic Honor/Shame practice has lad to a growing epidemic of honor killings occurring in England, France, Germany, the U.S., Canada, and other Western nations. This trend has led Western activists to realize that this is a world-wide human rights issue that must be addressed and they are now beginning to partner with other activists from the Near East who believe that this is an ancient, abusive practice that has no place in the modern world and must be stopped. Sadly, it's a growing the problem that both humanitarians and law enforcement officials must learn to understand if they're going to prevent these crimes, change they long-standing societal dynamic, and bring those who commit these "honor crimes" to justice.
Sources
Dr. Ahmed Mansour. Islam Uncensored. Interviewed by Jeff King. Washington D.C.: International Christian Concern, 2011.
"Man Jailed for Life for Murdering his Wife in Immigration Row." BBC. April 04, 2019. Accessed from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-47819363
UK: Iranian Mother Murdered by Husband for Converting to Christianity. Christians United for Israel. April 12, 2019. Accessed from https://www.cufi.org.uk/news/uk-iranian-mother-murdered-by-husband-for-converting-to-christianity/?fbclid=IwAR2Bk-p26kY4EvjtEiFoJmns-g6qqBqrju3V5A4KFhml4cFYnuRvZO1Urhc
The dynamic of Honor/Shame in the Middle East wasn't necessarily a uniquely Arab or Islamic phenomenon, but it was in fact and ancient belief system that was followed by many Near East societies. These societies were built up around the a family/clan society. In the Honor/Shame system, any perceived injury to the honor of one member of the clan is considered an injury to all members of the clan. Therefore, the drive to cleanse the "shame" justifies the killing of the one guilty of committing the "dishonor" who have to pay the price to wipe away the "shame." Children are taught from an early age on how to bring honor to a clan, and how to avoid shaming the society, this is different from the Western views that hold the belief that family is more of a voluntary association, and that each individual member must be free to go and find their own way for themselves. For women in the Near Eastern Society, the honor of the woman is dependent upon her obedience to the patriarchy of the clan. The most important of which in many of these societies is the preservation of her virginity until her assigned marriage. Even the Old Testament details this dynamic. in Deuteronomy 22:13-21 which details that if a woman is found not to be a virgin on the night of her wedding, she must be punished for her promiscuous act and stoned to death. Now granted these Laws were passed for a specified time and place (ancient Israeli society, which was surrounded by other honor/shame societies), and these laws were not meant to be permanent (Christians live by the New Covenant Laws of Christ, not the Old Covenant Laws of Ancient Israel). However, other cultures in the region continue to follow this Honor/Shame practice to this day.
As I previously mentioned, the Honor/Shame Society, any perceived injury to the honor of one member of the clan is considered an injury to all members of the clan. Therefore, the drive to cleanse the "shame" justifies the killing of the one guilty of committing the "dishonor" who have to pay the price to wipe away the "shame." Under the Law of Sharia, leaving the Islamic faith is a Death Sentence. There is a consensus by all four schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence (Maliki, Hanbali, Hanafi, & Shafii) as well as classical Shiite jurists, that apostates from the Islamic faith must be killed. These laws were codified by the teachings of the founder of Islam, Muhammad:
Quran (4:89) - "They wish that you reject Faith, as they have rejected (Faith), and thus that you all become equal (like one another). So take not Auliya' (protectors or friends) from them, till they emigrate in the Way of Allah (to Muhammad). But if they turn back (from Islam), take (hold) of them and kill them wherever you find them, and take neither Auliya' (protectors or friends) nor helpers from them."
Sahih Bukhari (83:37) - "Allah's Apostle never killed anyone except in one of the following three situations: (1) A person who killed somebody unjustly, was killed (in Qisas,) (2) a married person who committed illegal sexual intercourse and (3) a man who fought against Allah and His Apostle and deserted Islam and became an apostate."
Sahih Bukhari (84:57) - In the words of Allah's Apostle, 'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'"
For the wife of the Iranian migrant, she not only dishonored him for committing the capital offense of apostasy, but also dishonored him by refusing to obey his demand to help him get asylum, which in his eyes violated the decree of Sharia that a man has authority over women. This law that is mandated under Islamic jurisprudence as it is mandated under Muhammad's decree in Surah 4:34 that"Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other."
In many nations where Islamic practices dominate, "Honor Killings" are the Law of the Land, and they often go unpunished. Thousands of Honor Killings occur worldwide, many of which go unreported. Unfortunately, it's no longer limited to to Middle East world. The mass, uncontrolled migration of refugees and immigrants from societies who have long been based on Islamic Honor/Shame practice has lad to a growing epidemic of honor killings occurring in England, France, Germany, the U.S., Canada, and other Western nations. This trend has led Western activists to realize that this is a world-wide human rights issue that must be addressed and they are now beginning to partner with other activists from the Near East who believe that this is an ancient, abusive practice that has no place in the modern world and must be stopped. Sadly, it's a growing the problem that both humanitarians and law enforcement officials must learn to understand if they're going to prevent these crimes, change they long-standing societal dynamic, and bring those who commit these "honor crimes" to justice.
Sources
Dr. Ahmed Mansour. Islam Uncensored. Interviewed by Jeff King. Washington D.C.: International Christian Concern, 2011.
"Man Jailed for Life for Murdering his Wife in Immigration Row." BBC. April 04, 2019. Accessed from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-47819363
UK: Iranian Mother Murdered by Husband for Converting to Christianity. Christians United for Israel. April 12, 2019. Accessed from https://www.cufi.org.uk/news/uk-iranian-mother-murdered-by-husband-for-converting-to-christianity/?fbclid=IwAR2Bk-p26kY4EvjtEiFoJmns-g6qqBqrju3V5A4KFhml4cFYnuRvZO1Urhc
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