"Violence against women is an international phenomenon, it doesn't happen in one religion, country, or society without the others. what differs is the rate of its existance. "Honor crimes" is of the most violance forms that needs to be in the spotlight".
those words were in a lecture by Dr. Leen Greir, it was held by an invitation from the youth center of religional education in the church of preaching for orthodox romans in Hims (december,18th, 2006). The lecturer handled this problem, and talked about contradiction in its name, that's (how could a criminal defend honor)?!!
Dr. Grier pointed our lack of accurate statistics for this kind of crimes. However, local newspapers gives us quite a few stories of this kind, which resembles documentation and recognition of a part of it.
+ Whose responsible of sheding women's blood using "honor" as a plea?!!
Dr. Leen divided resposibility over three main reasons:
- Manly and tribal society which implants in the men's mind that honor is stricted in the woman's body, the woman that has to stay within the social followed by the family. And if she revots, loves, or picked her own partner in life, then death will be her destiny.
- The wrong look to religion spreading among people in which they fustify their crimes when real religion is innocent of their crimes. Dr. Leen supported her sayings using words of many religional figures resembelling all cults in Syrian society, these figures have condemned "honor" based killing such as the Mufti of Syrian Arab Republic, the minister of religios affairs, Patriarch Zaka Eiwas I, Bishop Solwanos Ne'mah, and Father Frans Vanderlikht, in addition to figures representing the durzi cult.
All of those riligios figures assured that nobody, under any reason, is allowed to finish someone's life. They also agreed that all religions condemn murdering.
- The penalties in Syrian laws, originally taken from french laws which was alternated and ours wasn't, these laws contains sexist clauses against women and their rights, mostly clause 548 which divulges killing women and lets the murderer walk free in months.
The lecturer also pointed that the law is a major reason of the continuing of these crimes. That's if the penalty was strict and firm, the criminal would think twice before he murders for reasons such as a telephone call, a sign to the gas-seller, or just a ratting from someone aiming nothing but abuse, etc...
+ what's the solution
It's essetial, as Dr. Grier assured, to demand and work towards cancelling clause 548 of the Syrian law of penalties and all sexist and differing clauses. The french laws were set in 1810, where are we now after all these years that passed since then?
Also it's at the same level of importance to raise social consciousness which affirms that the woman is equal to man, and that it's her right to choose her own partner and not to allow her killing under whatever justifications. And also the importance of spreading knowledge of legal clauses in society.
The lecturer also pointed to the (National Campaign to Stop Women Murdering) whichhave been launched by Syrian Women website to demand the cancellation of clause 548 from the Syrian penalties law, she also presented the national document related to the campaign to those who wanted to sign it, assuring that the campaign aims to spare women's blood away from any call of adultery or marriage from outside one's cult.
The lecture was finished by clauses 3 &16 of the national pact of human rights whish assures the sacred right of life to all humen and the youth right of creating a family.
by: Thanaa El-Sabaa, 3/2007, (A lecture in Hims about "honor crimes")
Translated by: Nawar El-Sabaa