Updated
While Vice President Joe Biden played the part of a dishonored diplomat in Jerusalem, his wife, Jill Biden, was visiting the Bedouin Women’s Empowerment Project in the Negev.
I hope she understood just how “empowered” these women really are. Sixty of these Israeli Arab Bedouin women recently came in busloads from the Negev to Nazareth to join a total of 500 Israeli Arabs in a protest against honor killings in their communities. They constituted the largest continent of women, “thanks to the work of Hind el Sana, a lobbyist in Shatil’s Bedouin Women’s Leadership Project. The Project, which is funded by the American State Department in conjunction with The New Israel Fund, is run in collaboration with Ma’an, the Forum of Arab Women’s Organizations in the Negev, where el Sana is based.
The anti-honor killing demonstration was attended by Israeli MKs (Members of Parliament), the mayor of Nazareth, (a city in northern Israel and protected by Israel), and other prominent figures. Many demonstrators were young, many were not; most wore western clothing, many wore hijab. They carried amazing signs and banners in Arabic: “Your Silence Equals Permission to Kill”; “A Civilized Society Does Not Kill Women”; “The Hands are the Killer’s, but Silence and Understanding are a Society’s Crime”; and signs which bore the name of Palestinian honor murder victims such as Reem Abu Ghanem (murdered in 2006), Halima Ahmed (murdered in 2009), and Abeer Abu Damous (murdered in 2010).
The demonstrators called for an “end to the murder of women who are thought to sully the honor of their families by violating traditional, patriarchal restrictions on relationships between men and women. A young woman who dates a young man without her parents’ consent falls into this category.”
“There is no honor in this crime” declared MK Masoud Ghanayem.
MK Muhammad Baraka added: “Whenever someone kills his sister, his daughter, his wife, he does not become more honorable, but he becomes a murderer and villain.”
The demonstration was organized by Women against Violence in Nazareth. This kind of demonstration has never taken place in Gaza City or in West Bank cities under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
Last year I interviewed a Palestinian feminist, Asma Al-Ghoul, who told me that she’d been writing about honor killings among Palestinians in Gaza and on the West Bank and that doing so had probably gotten her fired from her job as a journalist. Wherever she is, I hope she’s safe and I would like to hear from her.
Still, this demonstration is wonderful news. Arab men and women, young and old, modern and traditional–all marching for Palestinian womens’ lives.
In April 2008, a Swedish researcher, Emma Hansson, working as an intern at the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group, did a study, “Women Under Siege,” as part of her studies of Peace and Development at Linne University. The work was supported by the Swedish Central Bureau for Studies. Hansson’s text editor was Elizabeth Freed, an American college graduate. (Ms. Hansson has just given me this information).
They found that in “Palestine, the integration of traditional tribal laws and the establishment of official laws through the PA result in an unstable and inconsistent application of law. Being based on patriarchal and tribal structures this legal fusion (creates) a system (which) is highly discriminatory against women. Domestic violence is considered a ‘minor’ offense, ‘honor’ killings are regarded as a family matter, and if a rapist marries his victim, he escapes punishment.”
They suggest that violence against women, honor-related violence, and honor killings in Palestine “serve to uphold the male dominated structures, instilling fear in women.”
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The protesters are very brave to stand for women in the midst of such a thoroughly misogynistic culture.
(BTW, in paragraph two, I think you meant “contingent”.)
This is really wonderful. Muslim women standing up for their rights. We have to all come together and emphasize that Universal Human Rights take precedence over any religious teachings, no matter what religion one belongs to.
Regards,
Sekhar
Much of the Israeli media is leftist so they don’t want to cover anything that goes against their ideology/biases. This is why claiming to be a “feminist” is old school. It can cover up their not doing anything such as protesting “honor killings” because it would be viewed as aiding “the Right”, and the Left never wants to do that. Dead and injured women be damned – “we ain’t gonna help the redneck conservatives badmouth our friends, the Palestinians”.
At least some Moslem and Jewish women are willing to take a stand that crosses both political and cultural/religious lines. That is a good start.
it is good to see that the work of the New Israel Fund is yielding tangible benefits for the courageous women involved in this protest against honor killings.
This article highlights how misguided it is for the Israeli government to investigate the New Israel Fund.
#3 Max Friedman, that is very interesting. Our National Organization of Women used to promote women’s causes in Afghanistan (RAWA) but haven’t mentioned the country since Bush invaded.
Thanks for your work, Phyllis.
Praise such women and their supporters. This is why we need programs not just pretty talk form the State Dept. These pictures should be everywhere.
Marion L.,
You are certainly right that it is good to see that the work of the New Israel Fund is yielding tangible benefits. It is actually a surprising and wonderful omen: a leftist organization has decided to put the rights of women above its support for anti-Zionism. In fact, everything about this demonstration is both surprising and wonderful. There are Arab women who disapprove of their oppression and who dare to say so openly.
I gather from this event and other things I have read that Bedouins are the least anti-Israel of all Arabs and, logically, the Arab societies in which the subjugation of women is lowest.
This is all well and good, however these “palestinian” women still support the jihad against Israel. Notice the kaffiyah. The day I see these kinds of demonstrations protesting terrorism against Israel is the day I will believe “palestinian” society has moderated. The litmus test for a muslim to be considered moderate is their acceptance of Israel as a Jewish state and the acknowledgement of Jewish historical and religious rights in Israel.
“They found that in “Palestine, the integration of traditional tribal laws and the establishment of official laws through the PA result in an unstable and inconsistent application of law. Being based on patriarchal and tribal structures this legal fusion (creates) a system (which) is highly discriminatory against women. Domestic violence is considered a ‘minor’ offense, ‘honor’ killings are regarded as a family matter, and if a rapist marries his victim, he escapes punishment.”
They suggest that violence against women, honor-related violence, and honor killings in Palestine “serve to uphold the male dominated structures, instilling fear in women.””
This is pretty much the case in neighboring Jordan, as well. The laws are a mixture of constitutional law, Sharia law, and tribal law.
Sekhar, I totally agree with you.
Ellen R. Sheeley
“This article highlights how misguided it is for the Israeli government to investigate the New Israel Fund”.
………………………………..
No it doesn’t. The NIF provided FALSE testimony to the Goldstone commission.
Laura, #8–I agree with you 100%. To be pro-Jihad and anti-murder simply doesn’t make sense.
Few! So glad to see Muslims finally stand up to the tenets of Sharia and Islam! Oops! They’re not. They’re protesting false and comforting Leftist constructs and canards which do nothing to counter or expose the Islamic nature of the entire morass. At least the signs apparently aren’t designed for Western consumption like so many other Muslim signs generally are. That is something, and maybe conveys that this “protest” isn’t a completely synthetic astro-turf ploy cooked up by a bunch of parasitic Leftist groups determined to demand more Western funding. Time will tell, and perhaps at this rate, in 500 or 1000 years, the Muslim world will be prepared to join the modern world, if they haven’t beheaded us all by then.
This is a direct result of the venomous hatred they bring their children up with.
It has backfired on them, time and time again.
A society that treats its women like slaves and property is a FAILURE.
13 Morton Doodslag ‘do nothing to counter or expose the Islamic nature of the entire morass.’
It may seem like baby steps to you but this is huge for these women. They are risking a lot here. I am sure no one wishes for faster change than Muslim women but taking on an entire establishment of any kind can result in a backlash that just makes things worse for them. BTW, their protest does a lot to expose the truth about the cruelties of Islam, what doesn’t expose it is, as usual, the media.
…”Major Palestinian Demonstration Against Honor Killings in Palestine”
Nazareth is in the state of Israel. It is not Palestine.
Sounds like there will be more then 500 honor killing in the next few months.
Dear Laura:
The Israeli government does not have to agree with testimony or policy from the NIF. It could say that it disagrees with the NIF without investigating the NIF. Investigations of this sort have a chilling effect on free speech.
In the U.S., we learned as much from McCarthyism.
Who cares? Give them both more guns and let god decide their fate.
The fact that you think Nazareth is in Palestine, rather than it being in Israel proper, leads me to believe you have no idea what you’re talking about.
Well I think this is great. I disagree with those posters who think that this news doesn’t mean anything, or just isn’t that significant since the NIF and the Palestinians haven’t come all the way over to seeing everything in a new light. I think that every small step in the march toward progress is important.
If a movement like the one that these folks are demonstrating for can make some headway in Palestinian society, then maybe they can actually help to change some of the values that shape that culture and society. Some day, it would be great to see a Palestinian society that resembles Israeli democracy and pluralism. Maybe by then they would stop bombing us?
Dear Marion, it isn’t simply a matter of disagreement. The NIF provided FALSE TESTIMONY to the Goldstone commission. It engaged in slander against the IDF. Yes it needs to be investigated for its conduct.
Well, Nazareth is a very meaningful Place for Christians –
I do not know whether the Protest is
against Christian Horror Killings (does this Inhman culture among Christians, Palestine/Israel’s Natives, exist?),
or against Islamic Horror Killings (this Inhuman Culture among Islamics from Saudi Arabia exist),
whether it is a Protest for Human Rights of Women or
for Human Rights of Islamic Women (only).
***
I wait for a Protest asking for Islam to recognize
Human Rights of Non-islamic People in general, and
of Non-islamic Women, too.
***
Until then, Protests against Horror Killing within Islam
are not to be considered Protests in favour of Human Rights,
but in favour of Islamic (Community) only,
excluding Anyone else.
***
We recently had an Article by Tarek Fatah (Islamo-pakistani immigrated in Canada),
alleged Moderate/Secular/…,
which harshly attacked Wafa Sultan (Islamo-syrian immigrated in the USA),
because her giving a Speech in Toronto,
denouncing Violation of Human Rights of Others,
by Islamic People/Community,
since the very Beginning of Islam.
Though, Tarek Fatah claim to be fighting for Human Rights of … Islamic … Women.
***
With his Words, Tarek Fatah
Horror murdered his former Co-religionist Wafa Sultan,
a Woman,
just for her being a (true, and efficient) Critic of Islam,
its very Ideology and Past/Present History
(mistreatement of Non-islamic People/-s and every Woman included).
Laura’s comment at #8 is spot on.
What is the status of Rifqa Bary? I hope Ms. Chesler has not taken her eyes off the smaller skirmishes in favor of looking at the big battles.
Nothing to see here… Just like the unsuccessful election protests in Iran and the successful election in Iraq…
Oooh look, USA Today’s covering a giant cruise ship, Sandra Bullock’s husband was unfaithful, and American college basketball playoffs on TV…
We’re doomed if we don’t turn our nation around. May God forgive us for neglecting our neighbors and help us to change before it’s too late.
Must disagree with you on this, Doc, and frankly, I find your lack of multicultural sensitivity disturbing. Honor killings are part of the unique and rich Arab Muslim culture, equally as valuable as any other culture. I mean, some cultures endorse murdering your wife or your own child if they act in a way that stains your honor–such as holding hands with an unaproved boy–and some do not. But to privilege the latter over the former is really a form of cultural imperialism.
Rather than criticize this traditional culture we should celebrate it. For example, there are reports of schools having “Muslim Days” when the students are required to understand Muslim culture by reading the Koran, eating traditional Arab foods, and so forth. To fully grasp this fine tradition perhaps they could also have the boys select one of the girls in the class and beat her up. I understand this might be a bit hard for the girl so selected but hey, if it leads to greater understanding, well, we all have to make sacrifices to be citizens of the world.
Palestine you claim. If you use the word Palestine to describe Arabs you don’t know what you are talking about. As a linguist I am still waiting to read some Muslim explanation as to why -if they are such proud Islamists scions of a great civilization- why do Muslims use an old pagan Roman Latin adjective originally invented and used as a curse against a large group of indigenous natives Levantine Judaism) who don’t adhere to the Muslim beliefs, to define themselves? – Why do the Muslims use this old Pagan Latin word to describe their nationalism? the Jew who hates Jews Chomsky is a linguist but he avoids this little Socratic observation. I have been searching and searching yet still have not found any explanation by the Arabic speakers themselves as to why they use an old pagan Latin expletive to define themselves and their political aspirations.
In agreement with some of the above, I don’t think that Phyllis should call Arabic-speaking Israelis “Palestinian”. It’s tantamount to denying their Israeli citizenship, because “Palestinian” is a political definition rather than an ethnic one. As a Hebrew-speaking Israeli, I strongly object to depriving any Israelis of their status as equal citizens, whatever their language, religion, or ethnic background.
34. There are actually Terms from Foreign Languages which affect One’s Language, and yes, we might all analyze our Vocabulary and try to understand where do we huge a Culture/Mentality and where another or our very Culture,
or we might focus on what’s Essential (up to) Now.
For your Information, Islamic/-ist people and Communities curse Pagans, and Romans (and by those Terms they mean Westerners). Now I ask you:
do you agree with them? Westerners have to be cursed? Do they’re Pagans (every Non-islamic or Non-jew is a cursable Pagan? Romans have to be cursed? Every Latin and Neo-latin Culture – see its Language – must be cursed, demonized, eventually destroyed and … blown up?).
I dare to say that you’re setting yourself at the same Level of Islamists – and I personally feel cursed by you. Hopefully you don’t live in the West, within my Culture, that you hate so much.
***
I am anyway very interested in the Following, and I ask Dr. Chesler or other People to clearify it to me, please:
Islamic People (i. e. Egyptians) believe that Moses spoke Arabic. Jesus, too. Everyone (of the recognized Prophets was … an Arab).
We actually have a Jewish Isaac and an Arabic Ishmael, both being Sons of Abraham,
being the Root of Moses-ism, Jesus-ism, and self-appointed Muhammad-ism.
Now, which Language/Culture should we (objectively) refert to, while talking about Middle Eastern Israelo/Palestinian Mono-theisms?
The Jewish Culture (where Hebrew is the Essential Language) or the Arabic Culture – now wrongly associated to Islam only – (where Arab is the Essential Language)?
This must be clearified and pointed out: this will make a huge Difference at a Mentality’s Level, for both Jews and Islamics, Christians, and Non-jews and Non-islamics (i. e. Westerners).
Hope my Question was clear enough and I thank (you) for an Answer.
If the splodeydopes indulge themselves in “honor killings”, then there will be fewer women left to give birth to the next generation of homicide bombers and other assorted xxum.
Why must this article/event be ‘used’ for an unrelated poltical purpose?
“it is good to see that the work of the New Israel Fund is yielding tangible benefits for the courageous women involved in this protest against honor killings.
This article highlights how misguided it is for the Israeli government to investigate the New Israel Fund.”
If the new israel fund is corrupt or otherwise misallocating funds then it SHOULD be investigated.
All the tribes in Pakistan held a Jurga whose outcome was to ask their army today to wipe out the Taliban in Pakistan based on the murders of women and children. These changes are the result of US intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan for which as usual Bush will not get any credit.
the new israel fund sucks and israel needs them around like holes in the head.they are the israeli version of jstreet.
as for the honor killings, hopefully they will turn right around and honor kill the guys. that way *******men and women.
I just recently had the privilege of seeing “The Stoning of Soraya M”. If the steps these women took today can save one life or change one mind, we should all support them to the nth degree. Women and girls are being raped and slaughtered in the name of Islam. It has to stop.
Palestine including the rest of the logical world prefer to use honor killing due to the fact that it is a very useful tool in engaging those who choose to violate their reputation and religion. The only aspect about this wonderful tactic that I would change is make it government regulated and before any killings take place their should be a trial with jury. It is a very useful tool to rid society from its waste. God wills it.
44. I want to go further: they use Horror Killing because they re-produce themselves too much, their Birth rate is too (and senselessly) high.
By killing some of their Women (which officially must live at the Charge of Men), they relieve their Budget.
Their Caste(based on Gender) System and (mad) Ideological One makes so that:
. producing many Children is a Matter of Honor (not a matter of Love or Respect for Life);
. producing Females is a Matter of Less/Lost Honor;
. Women must (financially and psychologically) depend on Men, while Women have to serve Men, so that Men are (always) served;
. Killing a Sinner (according to Koran) is a Matter of Honor;
. therefore killing a Woman lifts their Honor up (see: giving Birth to Females is Less/Lost Honor);
. Richness means that a Family may choose the best Wives for their Sons (Wives have to be paid, purchased);
. killing Female Members of the Family means that Men have more Money at their Disposal to purchase a (or several) Wife (Wives) of their Choice/Liking,
(and this still grants them to benefit of a Servant, be it the Wife self or a – underpaid – Maid).
***
Horror Killing is a Misogynist Practice,
and Misogyny means that a Woman is considered
. a Weight or
. a Slave,
in any Case as an Object, which can be purchased and thrown away (in case it doesn’t work as expected).
***
Not to forget that even Males get Horror killed ….
What do Males think about these Killings?
New Zealand: Children (Girls) get raped, they’re forced to marry their Rapist (in Case they refuse, an Horror Killing has to be foreseen?), they’re still Minors and get secretly married by Imams, blatantly breaking the Law, 12/13/14/15 years is the normal Age to get married, according to (their) Religion with 9 years a Girl can be married, with 16 the interviewed Girl already had her Second Child, …
(now imagine, what will it be of our Society, with such an Immigration. I am very sorry for the Girls/Children [*], but Lord … for our Civilization, too!):
http://vladtepesblog.com/?p=20839
[*] In the Netherland there was an Official Paedophiles’ Party – PNVD – … now, thank God, appearently closed down (but the Question remains: ’till when?)
I was desperately glad to see this demonstration being portrayed. The more wordwide publicity this demonstration gets the better it is for women the world over.
When one considers that the wahabist muslims originating from Saudi Arabia are in a large part responsible for the continued perpetuation of the illegal anti-islamic murder of women for a whole raft of crimes under Sharia law that is in total contradiction of the Koran, then it is about time women the world over began to fight for the obliteration of these disgusting and blasphemous crimes.
The worst criminals are the Saudi Royal family who fund the Wahabist Madrasses in such violent anti women countries as Pakistan and Afghanistan.
As for the brute Dinajad of Iran, the less said the better.
This man condones the murder by official execution of 13-year-old-boys for ‘homesexual activites’ and worse still the stoning to death of 14-year old girls for prostitution. These official murders are in clear contradiction of explicit Koranic instruction but Dinajad is a blasphemous brute anyway! What can one expect from these wicked, anti islamic monsters?
Sadly, Islam has got itself frozen in the medi-evil past and is functioning just as the inquisition functioned for hundreds of years in Europe.
There are religious bigots in Islam, just as there are in Christianity. The only way forward is education, education,education and education of both sexes IS ISLAMIC
Beverly Taff.
47. Oh Beverly, your Ignorance or Collusion with Islamic/-istic Apology is almost amazing!
The Problem IS Islam, and Killing Others, – so called – Kuffars, Apostates and Anyone which is considered Non-islamic,
is deeply part of Islam,
that murderous Cult in the Name of a God called (Islamic) Allah and its self-appointed – so to call it – Prophet Muhammad.
With your Comment you just perfectly served those who support and achieve (Islamic) Horror Murder.
Shari’a is an Horror, and it’s made of Koran (Islamic Allah) + Sunnah (Islamic self-appointed Prophet) and inspired by Sirah (Muhammad’s Example).
I’m not sure whether you’re an Islamist disguised in a Western Woman’s Name or you’re an Useful Idiot, or a Convert (to Islam-ism), or simply an Apologetic Leftist – Female – whose Words/Deeds are devoted to destroy Human Rights, Women’s Rights and Children’s Rights (What for? Just … Islamic Allah and Muhammad RasoulAllah … know).
We should protest against People like you, not just against Horror Killing and Horrible Shari’a.
Being the sole author of “Women under Siege” (Elisabeth Freed was the text editor, but had no part in the study itself), I am firstly offended by the assumptions being made in the article about my country of origin and my funding. I was an intern at the Palestinnian Human Rights Monitoring Group in 2008 as part of my studies of Peace and Development at Linne University in Växjö, Sweden. My funding came from the Swedish Central Bureau for Studies, CSN – hence it had nothing to do with Dorot. (where liz got her funding from I don’t know)
Secondly, I would like to point out that the report makes very clear in its introduction that the killing of women for the sake of “honor” (or shame) is present in all patriarchal societies (including Israel), and that domestic violence, as an expression of perceived male domination, is not unique to Palestine or the Arab cultures as some seem to suggest. Rather, it is commonly known as “crimes of passion” in western societies.
And no, domestic violence taking place in Palestinian families can not be blamed on the Israeli army or government. However, the pressure of the occupation, and the persistent violence in the West bank and Gaza increases the strains put on all relationships, man to woman, adult to child ,and therefore also increasing violence taking place within homes.
However, it is wonderful to see that women are standing up for their sisters as they did in Nazareth. From Sweden I stand with them in the struggle of transforming patriarchal structures which threaten women’s security everywhere.
We’re doomed if we don’t turn our nation around. May God forgive us for neglecting our neighbors and help us to change before it’s too late.