Thesis Chapter 2

2 -Definition and Predominance of Honor Crimes

“The definition of ‘crimes of honour’ is by no means straightforward, and the imprecison and ‘exoticisation’ (in particular in the West) of its use are among the reasons for caution in use of the phrase. At it’s most basic, the term is commonly used as shorthand, to flag a type of violence against women characterized by (claimed) ‘motivation’ rather than by perpetrator […] Definitions tend to be by way of illustration; thus, in a highly significant article on ‘crimes of honour’ and the construction of gender in the Arab world, Lama Abu Odeh explains that a paradigm example of a crime of honour is the killing of a woman by her father or brother for engaging in, or being suspected of engaging in, sexual practices before or outside of marriage (Welchman and Hossain).”

Numerous communications discussing honor crimes are reported to the United Nations (UN) each year, and in this circumstance honor is defined in the context of a women’s sexual and familial roles as dictated by the family, who are consequently directed by social and cultural norms. Adultery, premarital relationships – whether they may or may not include sex – rape and falling in love outside of an engagement may all be considered violations of sharaf al-‘aylah , or family honor. A woman’s virginity is of great importance to her family, as not only their honor is tied to it, but also rights of inheritance and the continuance of family lines (Welchman & Hossain 4-5).
Traditionally speaking, the virginity of the women in a household is the center of the male gender identity, especially for the eldest brother. It is his job to guard, chaperone, and defend against possible social wrongs on his sister's part. To be a man is to engage in daily activities that were an important part of insuring the virginity of those women who are part of their family. In the Arab culture, a man is that person whose sister's virginity is a social question for him. Because a man is seen to have a certain amount of ownership over his women folk he is easily shamed by her actions, and may resort to killing her to regain his position in society as a strong man. Without this action he may be seen as an effeminate; a wimp, a girl, or a ninny; that cannot perform the most basic expectations in life. These fears, also known as "castration anxiety” , speak of a psychological battle that may be waged within the man, finally forcing him to act out to bring peace to his own state of mind (Cogan, Porcerelli, & Dromgoole). These men who have been raised to be "macho, heartless, purposeful, conquering, and triumphant over women" may feel conflicted because they have been raised in a traditionally conservative fashion (Abu-Odeh 151-153).
In his book, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander Thomas Merton defines spiritual virginity as, “a point untouched by illusion, a point of pure truth ... which belongs entirely to God, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our own mind or the brutalities of our own will. This little point ... of absolute poverty is the pure glory of God in us." Since all Arabic nations are infused with a heady dose of Islam it is safe to say that at least to some degree the family’s spirituality is wrapped up in their daughter’s virginity, or at least in the idea of an all pervasive innocence that allows for the lessons of the Qur’an and Hadith to seep in untainted. When this illusion is burst by rumor or action a sense of disillusion in not only religion, but in everything the culture has taught the family through generations may pervade daily life (Norris).
Sharon Lang states in her ethnography,
“A ‘family honor (sharaf al-‘aylah) killing’ cane be defined generally as a premeditated murder of a girl or woman, committed by her brother, father, or combination of male agnates in the name of restoring the family’s social reputation […] The transgression of a woman, who defies her kin group by not marrying the proper spouse, or by committing some sexual offense, is a deeply-felt, fundamental violation of Arab norms and values. Once the family’s reputation has been damaged in this way, the sister or daughter involved is in danger of being killed. The killer, most often the woman’s brother, perceives his action as ghassal is-sharaf or ‘cleaning the honor,’ masaha buqa’a sharaf al-‘a’ileh, ‘wiping away a stain on the family honor.’ Ironically this cleansing process is accomplished by the spilling of blood (dam)” (Lang 44-45).

The etymology of Arabic says a great deal about how the Arab people culturally view the place of women within their society. “Haram!” Is a word that is heard throughout the day in nearly every conversation. The general idea behind the word when used in an informal conversation is shame or embarrassment, and may be used in reference to the skyrocketing price of gas, when a taxi driver is tries to cheat a passenger, when a man goes beyond his boundaries with a woman, scandalous conduct on television, bombings, etc. What is fascinating about Arabic is that each word is connected to a series of other words by the root word that forms that one particular word. The actual translation of haram is “forbidden,” but it is also connected to unlawful, excommunication, denied/refused, etc and while it is the root word it goes on to form the word ahataram, or to honor, venerate. The list continues with the “Sacred territory at Mecca”, al-harm. From these two polar opposites comes the word for both sacredness and wife – hurmah or juhram. A word that Westerners are used to hearing in reference to the Middle East is, harem, and this word is also connected to this line and translates as “the women of a household.” Throughout the history of the Arab people women have been seen as sacred, something that must be protected and held close to the hearth and home. If this sacredness is violated it becomes a blemish on the honor of the family, especially the males in the family who were charged with safeguarding this venerated sacred person in the household (Wortabet & Porter).
While women conventionally become victims of crimes of honor it is not unheard of for men to also be victimized as well. In 1998 in Sindh, Pakistan the Human Rights Commission investigated reports of 97 men and 158 women in karo-kari (honor crimes) (Welchman & Hossain 6). Individuals of homosexual orientation also have a high risk of becoming victims of honor crimes, as their behavior is seen as implicitly and overtly out of social boundaries.
Traditionally within Bedouin society if impropriety were suspected of a man and woman they would both be either killed for their crime against the tribe, or they would be ostracized together. It is only more recently with conflicts between the values of tradition and modernization that there has been a greater shift towards punishing the woman alone. Since most honor crimes come from the poorest and most over-crowded portions of cities and villages it is assumed that in the face of the confusion that can be caused by a rapid switch to modernization these people are desperately clinging to a way of life that has held meaning to their people for centuries (Adnan Abu-Odeh).
Purna Sen, in the book ‘Honour:’ Crimes, Paradigms and Violence against Women, edited by Lynn Welchman Sara Hossain lists six key concerns that need to stay at the forefront of the mind in regarding crimes of honor,
1) Gender relations that problematise and control women’s behaviours, shaping and controlling women’s sexuality in particular;
2) The role of women in policing and monitoring women’s behaviour;
3) Collective decisions regarding punishment, or in upholding the actions considered appropriate, for transgressions of these boundaries;
4) The potential for women’s participation in killings;
5) The ability to reclaim honour through enforced compliance or killings;
6) State sanction of such killings through recognition of honour as motivation and mitigation (Welchman & Hossain 50).

Each of these issues represents a major problem facing the societies where these crimes take place and as such must be addressed with all due concern from both those within the society and without.
In the West it is common to look at honor crimes and to automatically equate them with developing nations or countries where Islam is the predominant religion. Yet, research has shown time and again that it is not necessarily economics or religion that reinforces this behavior, but that of the “belt of classical patriarchy” or the principles in patriarchy that lead to domestic violence (Welchman & Hossain 47).


The issue of domestic violence, of which honor crimes are an uber example, is one that can be observed throughout the world’s cultures and societies, as well as throughout time. It is not limited to one specific culture, set of circumstances, or people, but sadly an issue that affects the entirety of humanity. As previously stated in the section on society and culture, great disparities still remain, and “in many places, most women’s lives remain wretched,” especially where there are rigid gender roles usually defined through patriarchy (Inglehart & Norris 3).
Where these crimes are most predominant are those countries that continue to struggle between the values of tradition and modernization. It is human nature to rapidly revert back to a safe and trusted way of life when change rears its head and in the case of countries where modernization has not come as easily (or where there may be warfare, famine, and other related hardships) as expected a trend of patriarchy and domestic violence becomes more apparent. This is particularly the case with older generations that find it harder to change their way of life and those younger generations who eagerly seek to adopt the new changes. A clash of values ensues, and in the case of women who are generally dependent on their families for numerous assets it is common to find them caught between two worlds. If the battle becomes such that social disgrace may occur (or has occurred) the father, brother, or uncle may resort to a forced marriage (which is vastly different from an arranged marriage that a woman willingly enters) or murder (Welchman & Hossain 46-47).