I know I said that I wouldn’t dissect this topic but being me I just can’t refrain from doing that. As I anticipated this issue took some time to develop into a major news story … given the sensitiveness of the issue its a hot potato for all the governments involved and a hotter human interest story for the news syndicates.
This article spoke of how his family was the one responsible for reporting him to the police. Family honour is a much bandied and misused excuse in this part of the world. Having seen it everyday of my life I can’t really blame the family for what they did … they would always look at it with the prism of prejudice that they have grown up with.
I don’t think this is a religious issue as much as it is a cultural issue. I bet most families in the east would disown their offspring for breaking ties with what they think is acceptable morality, spirituality or proprietyness, in a single word “tradition”. Try pushing the boundaries of ‘acceptable’ actions and see how fast your friends dwindle and loved ones run away. Don’t get me wrong I don’t have any issues … actually I do like and understand social responsibility, but then like all things too much of a good thing is not really good ;). I have always believed that “traditions were made for men and not men for traditions”. It was the same two thousand years ago too, and Jesus called them “white-washed tombstones”.
Honour killings are a part of everyday life in the some parts of the greater Indian subcontinent, probably already dwelled a lot upon it here. Being a part of everyday life doesn’t make them alright… ’cause the ones that do happen don’t really have honour at the core of the reason but some vested reasons of the perpetrators. There is not even a standard (as if there is a reasons for these killings themselves) for these killings, it could be as small as looking at one’s sister to eloping with a person from a different caste/religion. But this is the first case wherein the free land’s court is going to hang a person for a moral conviction. I know there are a lot of other Muslim countries that practice the shariat, but I haven’t heard of any other country prosecuting someone for conversion.
Now that the western and other governments have started putting pressure on the Karzai government about freeing the person, it has got all the more complicated with no easy solutions in sight. Especially for the Afghan government its a choice between a rock and a hard place. But then it is also a chance for them to make a strong statement about their resolve to move in a different direction than one taken by the Taliban government.
I’ll be back with more ramblings on this …
Well I have also started a new blog to just write some person musings and something that would be updated more often than this (Hopefully!!!) also CrackerJack after a short stint here has decided to start his/her own blog pretty soon!! I am looking to change the format of this website but its still on the back burner at the current moment.
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:11-12
