Beyond honor 2

Beyond Honor 2

SOCIO-HISTORICAL CONNECTIONS
All conquerors and rulers have made a deep impact on indigenous cultures at family and community level. Islam is a code pf life, and spritual cuts across the boundaies of politics, culture, economy and civilization. Due to reinterpretation of the text ( in the Abbasid period) ever changing socio-economic and geographic contexts women suffered the most. Conversion of local population to Islam constructed, deconstructed and reconstructed the political and cultural system of the community. the major architects of Shariah were not free from political influence and scial preferences.
During the early centuries of Islam misinterpretation of the institutions of veiling, physical segregation, polygamous marrraige and concubianage had a very negative impact on Muslim women's status. Historians tell us that during the period of the prophet and the righteous caliphs the concept of veil, segregation and exclusion of women from out door social and economic activities did not exist. ( prophet's first wife continued her business and his last wife Ayesha RA led an army).
Veiling as a device of social exclusion of women emerged in the latter period of Ommayad rule ( AD 661-750). It was due to increasing profligacy, rampant polygamy, ownership of concubines (slave girls) which led to male jealousy and prudery in concealing their women from the eyes of other men.
By the advent of Abbasids (AD 749-1258) veiling and segregation of women had trickled down to middle classes. Due to growtrh oh Harem ( in araqbic place for women) women reached the level of degradation when they were denied the right to exist as human beings. By the peak of Abbasid period they had been completely domesticated.
The medieval Muslims never questioned the Harem as Clerics convinced them of its Islamic sanction who also justified polygamy, slavery, concubinage as Islamic institutions.
Turkish regions in the south of the country in which honor crimes are frequent are still in the grip of feudalism and tribalism.
By the end of Ommayad period captive women and purchased slave girls began poring into military camps and displaced wives.Medieval Muslims feared greatly for the life and honor of their women. Even Turk and Mongol non-Muslim tribes who sacked Abbasid Baghdad ( in thirteenth century AD) very quickly adopted the ways of their victims and the status of women remained unchanged. They had before the conquests been able to barely afford one wife. Izzat (honor) which had hitherto meant respect for others and elder cameto stand for more wealth, more women and more veiling and segregation .Shram ( modesty) came to mean shame for men if their womenappeared in public.
HONOR RELATED VIOLENCE IN NON-MUSLIM SOCIETIES
Such violence among Hindus is related to caste system ordianed by religion. Feminists have traced historic roots of culture of virginity in hindu religion- one should marry a virgin, younger than oneself...(Yajnvalkya Smiriti) In the christian community in Pakistan it serves as resistance to conversion and preservation of religious boundaries.According to Rahul Verma (One world South Asia 2004) a caste Punchayat distinct from legal punchayat hands out death punishment for transgessing women in Punjab and Haryana in India, (reaffirming that partition did not make much difference in sociological sense). In UP India, Muzzafargarh is the worst affected district.
Australian penal code allows sexual provocation as a cultural defence to murder. In Latin America it is rlated to machismo (manliness) and verguenza ( sexula purity of women). In cuba it is used as defense against mixed race marraiges. In Spain pure blood and sexual purity of women are important notions in theological, literary and ligal texts ((J.C.Baroja).
M. Asano-Tamanoi studoed the concept of shame, family and state in Japan. The state constructs a moral universe with family and households as its center. women have defined roles which control their sexuality.
PASSION VERSUS HONOR CRIMES.
PASSION
Passion crimes are defined by Abu-Odeh as a private relationship between a man and a woman as opposed to a collective one between a woman and several male relatives engaged in defending their masculinity. It is less a matter of casrated masculinity than passionate jealousy. Brazil leads in the crime. Hillary Charlesworth quotes from Women's Rights Project of America Watch defense of honor in cases of wife murder was successful in 80% of cases. Very rarely would a woman get a reduced sentenceif she murders her husband in a fit of jealous anger.
For a husband there is a ready non-violent remedy-divorce. For a brother or a father no such practice os available.
Westerm feminists and media label wife murder in the West as crime of passion, but apply the term honor crime when it occurs in the East( It may not be subconsciuos discrimination. Honor in the west is not associated with infidelity).
HONOR
Murder of female ralatives by men who are barred by society and religion to have sexual inter action with the victims (fathers, brothers, sons, uncles) the victim is usually a young unmarried female. Here it is not a fit of jealous anger, but a matter of control and control over and defiance and rebellion of the victim.The women's crime is assertion of sexual rights, demand for a divorce or refusal to marrysome one of the family's choice.
Honor crimes are predominantly in Asian-african countries, and mainly among Muslims, and not in western countries. Arranged marraige is the only so called respectable way. ( among the expatriates this is diminishing but still very much there).
In the west men are not obsessed with the idea of marrying a pure and virgin girl.
Passion and honor are supposedly male virtues, otherwise there would be an equal number of murders of husbands.
Islam broke the back bone of tribalism andthe focus of honor shifted to the family (Ghada Karmi).
According to Dr Khan honor and shame are dialectical terms, both are male attributes and by remaining silent and obedient a woman maintains a state of honor. the question of honor and shame is directly related to her body. the terms do not apply If she fails in an academic venture or succeeds.
IDENTIFYING ACTORS
They can be divided into a)direct and b) indirect.
Direct are the perpetrators. Indirect are first the members of the community who goad perpetrators to the crime, protest them after the crime. Second are the lawyers and judges who defend and aquit or give light sentences to criminals on the pleas of passion-honor.
FAMILY/MEN AS DIRECT ACTORS-MYTH OF FAMILY BONDAGE.
Mothers in the East play overt/covert role in oppression of their daughters either because they are afraid or because they have been so socialised in a repressive manner.
People are shocked by mother's and not father's involvement in honor crimes. Is there a lesser bndage between father and daughter than between daughter and mother. It is related to the value of female versus male blood. Why don't men's immoral sexual acts invite such wrath? One never hears of a father/mother killing a son. Male bondage is unity of males of the family/community on the question of sexual conduct of women. It has an economic basis that of inheritance to legitimate children. Women are socilised to obey the existing misogynist norms. Older women become enforcers. If the custom of dowry or inheritance by femalesexists in society, death of a girl does not disturb the family line. ( To keep property in the family,feudal families in Pakistan marry females to the Quran. If a man has no male issue, under Islamic law two third of his inheritance will go to his brothers and their male issues.
Gender bias has resulted in imbalance between the two sexes.(In India it is 10 males to 9.2 females).
COMMUNITY AS INDIRECT ACTOR.
Consensus on the victim is "she deserved it".
Irrespective of class, caste creed ethnicity or religion community members develop a common mindset towards women's moral conduct. Community pressure is uch that even if men do notv want to kill their women , social coercion makes them do it.
In rural Sindh Kari ( shamed women) are buried in a sparate grave yard. Karo ( male offender) can be buried in any graveyard.
Public opinion is not significant on the matter in the West.
MECHANISM OF OCCURRENCE
Mode of production and geographic conditi9ns determinerituals related to female sexuality. Honor/shame o not exist unless recognised by community. Tarnished image of the family becomes one of the strongest motives for honor crimes.
Men weigh their level of honor on the scale of coommunity perception. It is like relative poverty per Marx " it is not livnig in a hovel that humiliated people, it was living in a hovel next to a place".
Male power-1)material, money and propery+ 2)non-material-control over womrn, ethnic/ religious/social group lead to recognition by community.
For the upper class it is a combination of 1&2. For the middle class it is only 2. Economically didpossesed men uphold tend to uphold social possessions more strongly as that is ll they have. They some times cash in on their women.They black mail richer men or may kill both and put the bodies together and hope to get lighter sentence on the plea of provocation. This is a common practice in rural/semirural areas of Punjab and Sindh.
Women have been considered weak in matters of politics and economics, but powerful and active disruptors of social fabric with the slightest sexual disobedience.
RELIGIOUS ROOTS OF FEMALE SEXUALITY
Isalm continued most of the sociolegal disciplinary tools, with some modifications.
JUDEO-CHRISTIAN SEXUALITY; OVERVIEW
In contrast to Islam in which female sexuality is consiered very strong though under male domination, it is considered weak, passive and abhorrent in Judeo-christian tradition.(JC) Islam created more rigid mmethods to curb pre and extra-marital sex.
Once inheritance was introduced marraige became an important mens and virginity an important commodity for linking blodd lines and estates.(Coole)
Marraige were arranged purely on basis of socio-economic calculations. Romantic love was not a factor.
WOMAN'S PLACE IN EARLY JC WORLD.
Absence of honor crimes in the West is related to changes in mode of production.
Family institution is political. In Greek, Roman, Jewish and Christian systems woman had a lowerv positin. Women were special targets of inquisition. Women were burnt as witches for devaincy.Napoleonic code chracterised women as lifelong, irresponsible minors.
But historical roots of misgynt existed before christainity. In Biblical times a Jewish wife, sometimes one of many ould be put away at the wish of her husband.(Agonito).
Under Mosaic law divorce was initially oermissible though only the husband could give it. Part of the clash between Jewish society and christian doctrine was related to abolition ov divorce. Single women beame a burden on parents and society.
Women are supposed to keep silent in churches. If they want to learn any thing they should ask their husnbands.
Stoning to death as punishment for loss virginity predates IsalmVeling and proper dress code for upper class women long predates Islam and was practiced in Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and Bhuddism. ( Umar the second Caliph is reported to have beaten a slave girl for wearing a head scarf, accusing her of trying to look like her superiors-Al kindi).
Coole qoutes St Paul "women but not men should cover their heads in church as a sign of submission.. Martin Luther women by nature were made or care of infants and home.
FEMALE SEXUALITY IN MUSLIM FAMILY AND OMMUNITY
Mecca was the home of competing tribal communities. Tribe superseded family. Some tribes were matrilineal, others were patrilineal. Islam transformed all into strict patrilineal mode and abolished polyandry while legalising polygamy.
A call for establishment of ummah (supra tribal) was shcking for the political elite of Arab tribes.
Islam continued some of the beliefs of previuos monotheistic religions, discontinued others and introduced new ones.
THE CONTROLLING PROCESS IN ISLAM
Meccan society's transition from matriliny to strict patriliny eas the result of the rtesult of transition from nomadic trading to settled aggricultural one