Honour Killing In Egypt: Tribal Mentality Persists Among Muslims Even In Modern Times
By S.
Arshad, New Age Islam
26 December
2020
The
prevalence of the 'custom' of honour killing in the Arab world, particularly in
Egypt is indicative of the fact that tribal mentality still persists among the
Muslims of the country even in the modern times.
In Egypt,
girls are killed in the name of salvaging family honour which is tainted due to
the slightest act of 'immodesty' of the girl. They have their own definition of
modesty and immodesty. For example, a girl was killed because her neighbour
reported to her father that she was laughing aloud in the street. Girls are
also killed when they are seen with their boyfriends. A girl was killed by her
father because she received a phone call from a boy. A girl was killed by her
father and her brother after they found her in a compromising position with her
boyfriend.
Killing a
girl only on suspicion is not supported by the Quran or Hadith. The Quran and
Hadith ask Muslims not to form an opinion about someone only on the basis of
hearsay or unconfirmed reports, not to soeak killing someone.
But in
Egypt, as also in other Arab countries, these Islamic teachings do not have
importance to them when it comes to the family honour (sharaf). A girl is
looked at with suspicion on coming home late or talking with her neighbourhood
boy and is killed.
For the
Egyptian men, the woman's virginity is the proof of her chastity. They are not
aware of the scientific fact that a girl may lose her hymen during a sporting
activity or due to fall or even due to heavy work at home.
In tribal
areas of Egypt, during marriage celebrations, the men of the neighboorhood
stand outside the bridal chamber. They are shown the sheet with blood of the
bride to convince them that the brideg was a virgin. If she does not bleed, she
is considered an adultress woman and the honour of the groom's family will be
lost. So she will be killed.
Arab
cultural law says that an immodest or unchaste woman corrupts the family blood
and it can be cleansed or purified only by killing the immodest woman or girl.
The spilling blood of the woman washes or purifies the family blood.
A woman was
killed only because she did not bleed on the first night because she had an
elastic hymen. It was not her fault but God had made her that way. However, the
family had to save their honour (sharaf) and that was possible only when she
would be killed.
If the
family does not kill the immodest woman of her family, other girls of the
family will not get married because no family will marry their daughters or
sons into a family with a bad blood.
The
Egyptian law is also tilted towards the male which shows leniency towards the
perpetrators of honour killing. Article 237 of Egyptian Penal Code prescribes
lenient punishment for men committing honour killing. Article 17 gives the
judges the power of clemency with which they can reduce the punishment from 25
years to, say, six months. This is because the judges also come from the same
society and are brought up in the same environment in which women are
considered a sex object.
Sometimes a
girl is killed for no fault of her. The father or the son-in-law impregnates
her and she is killed to hide their sin and save the family honour.
The justice
system is dependent on the police system. The judicial system cannot deliver
justice to the victims if the police does not discharge its duty with honesty
and in an unbiased manner. Unfortunately, the police in Egypt try to protect
the killer family by registering the killing as suicide. Therefore, most of the
honour killings are registered as suicides.
It would
take centuries to change the centuries old tribal mindset of the Egyptian men.
The Quranic teachings need to be propagated and circulated widely among the
Egyptians to change their definition of Sharaf and their mindset towards
their women and girls. The Islamic organisations should work for the cultural,
religious and social reforms of the Muslim society instead of trying to
establish an Islamic state without the Islamic spirit.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/honour-killing-egypt-tribal-mentality/d/123889