The Honor Killing of Maria Maghdid
Maria Maghdid, a 20-year-old Iraqi-Kurdish woman, was recently stabbed to death in Erbil by her brother and uncle in an honor killing. Maria was found along the side of the road, tied up, and with multiple stab wounds. The reason for her death was that Maria defied her orthodox Islamic culture by posing on Tiktok wearing Western style clothes with her hair uncovered. A long-standing advocate of woman's rights, Maria was forcibly married to a man at the age of 12. Though she escaped the marriage 4 years later, she still lived under repression. Some time later, Maria made the decision to covert to Christianity, and for her family, this was the final act of "Shame." Maria's father was an orthodox Imam who was of great importance in the Muslim community in the region, and his family made the decision that they could no longer stand Maria's "dishonorable actions."
In what can be considered an ironic "Twist of Fate," Maria was murdered on International Woman's Day. Her death serves as a living reminder that women all over the world are still being denied basic human rights which include the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Maria's decision to choose her own faith and make her own life ultimately led to her death. Yet Western feminists, like so many others, continue to turn a blind eye to this ongoing atrocity that affects so many women Middle Eastern women, both those living in the Middle East, and those who have immigrated to Western Nations.
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