Honor Killing & Honor Rape

Link to Video 

In the media, the phenomenon of "Honor Killings" is something that has gained the attention of the press.  In an Islamic society a family’s respect and position within the community is dependent on the family’s honor.  The 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.  Within these societies, shame must be avoided at all costs.  Shame is linked to every aspect of the woman’s behavior: her dress code, social behavior, her proper head covering, and many others.  In these societies, an unmarried woman must remain a virgin until marriage, if they do not bleed on their wedding day, they are often murdered by their family for their dishonor.  

There is no exception to this, even if the woman lost her virginity due to rape.  This has therefore led to another phenomenon that is not widely reported by the media: "Honor Rape."  This phenomenon was brought forth to the public in 2002 by Pakistani woman Mukhtar Mai.  A resident in a remote region of the Punjab district of Pakistan, Mukhtar, who was 28-years-old,  was sentenced by her tribal council to be gang raped as punishment for her younger brother allegedly having an unsanctioned relationship with a woman from a rival tribe.  The punishment was in line with the "honor for honor" mentality that dominates the region.  In a room with over 200 witnesses, Mukhtar was grabbed by the men after the tribal council and taken away to be raped, though Mukhtar begged for mercy, nobody intervened.  While some may ask why the authorities did not take action, one must understand that this region is very isolated.  Populated by 5000-6000 people, it is almost another world.  The nearest Pakistani police station was 18 km away.  Here, tribal laws dominate, and a family's honor is everything.  

Link to Mukhtar Mai's Video

Mukhtar, like many women in Pakistan, had already lived a tough life before this travesty.  At the age of 13 she was forced into a marriage against her will and later divorced.  She was forced to move back with her parents and did odd jobs such as stitching clothes and cleaning homes so she could try and support herself.  Now, as a victim of rape, it seemed that her life was over.  In many cases, rape victims in the society are murdered in honor killings or they commit suicide, which is what many expected Mukhtar to do.  However, Mukhtar not only refused to do this, but she took her case public and demanded justice against her rapists.  She left her village and went to the authorities for help.  The Pakistani authorities then proceeded to arrest six of her rapists and sentenced them to death.  However, on appeal five of the rapists were acquitted and the sixth had his sentence reduced to life imprisonment.  

Despite being denied justice, Mukhtar continued to fight for women's rights in her country.  She opened the first girl's school in her village, and after her case went public in 2005, she began to receive substantial financial backing for her efforts from various areas of the world.  Mukhtar has since built two schools for young girls as well as a crisis center for abused women.  Sadly, despite all of Mukhtar's efforts, this practice has still not stopped in Pakistan or other Islamic Honor-based societies.  In the Rajanpur district of Punjab, an incident occurred on July of 2017.  Fifteen-year-old Omar Wadda was accused of raping a 12-year-old girl in the fields.  The rape victim's family demanded atonement for their "dishonor."  The village council convened and sanctioned that the elder brother of the rape victim, Mohammad Ashfaq, age 20, be granted permission to rape Wadda's Omar 16-year-old sister in retaliation, and he proceeded to do so.  

Mukhtar, like many, was outraged over this and stated that "Unless poor people get justice, such incidents will keep happening.  When the perpetrators of such crimes do not fear the law or punishment, when they enjoy political patronage, such practices will not stop."  

Sources:

Davies, Catriona.  "Gang Rape Victim Fights Back for Girls' Education."  CNN.  Feb. 21, 2023.  Accessed from https://www.cnn.com/2013/02/19/world/asia/mukhtar-mai-pakistan-gang-rape/index.html.

Werft, Megan.  "25 Arrested After Rape of Girl, 12, Led to 'Revenge Rape' by her Brother."  Global Citizen.  July 27, 2017.  Accessed from https://www.globalcitizen.org/es/content/arrest-revenge-rape-girl-12-pakistan-brother/.