'Honor' killings shock Pakistan

cnn ^

[Maneesh]

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) -- Nazir Ahmed appears calm and unrepentant as he recounts how he slit the throats of his three young daughters and their 25-year old stepsister to salvage his family's "honor" -- a crime that shocked Pakistan.

The 40-year old laborer, speaking to The Associated Press in police detention as he was being shifted to prison, confessed to just one regret -- that he didn't murder the stepsister's alleged lover, too. Hundreds of girls and women are murdered by male relatives each year in this conservative Islamic nation, and rights groups said Wednesday such "honor killings" will only stop when authorities get serious about punishing perpetrators.

The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that in more than half of such cases that make it to court, most end with cash settlements paid by relatives to the victims' families, although under a law passed last year, the minimum penalty is 10 years, the maximum death by hanging. Ahmed's apparent actions -- witnessed by his wife, Rehmat Bibi, as she cradled their 3-month-old son -- happened Friday night at their home in the cotton-growing village of Gago Mandi in eastern Punjab province. It is the latest of more than 260 such honor killings documented by the rights commission, mostly from media reports, during the first 11 months of 2005. Bibi recounted how she was awakened by a shriek as Ahmed put his hand to the mouth of his stepdaughter, Muqadas, and cut her throat with a machete. She said she looked on helplessly from the corner of the room as he then killed the three girls -- Bano, 8, Sumaira, 7, and Humaira, 4 -- pausing between the slayings to brandish the bloodstained knife at his wife, warning her not to intervene or raise alarm.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

The cuckolded spouse would have been well within his rights to divorce the woman. Under Islamic law, this can be accomplished merely by striking her, uttering the phrase "N'Gos tlhogh cha!", and spitting on her. Although he could challenge her to ritual combat, it is more likely he would challenge the woman's lover. The father, however, faced with a dishonored and unrepentant daughter, could only legitimately take action in formal accusation before the council of his House. In challenging the accusation, she would select a cha'Dich to defend her before the Council. Because the right of a Muslim House to perform executions is archaic and rarely invoked, if she lost the challenge, she would most likely be discommended rather than executed - the members of her House would quite literally turn their backs on her, and she would become a non-entity.

If only - the Klingon system of justice sounds a lot better than the Islamic version.

[Travis McGee]

Islam is an insane murder cult.

[blueminnesota]

You've got to be kidding with all that tripe you just wrote. Where did you get it? a Muslim marriage ceremony is very businesslike. It doesn't unite "heart and blood" and it doesn't unite the couple before God like a Christian one does. I've been to Muslim marriages, have you? It is easily ended when it suits the man. Not by striking or spitting, though. By saying "I divorce you" three times. And "ritual combat"???!!! With a woman? Please... I don't know what science fiction you have been reading and foisting on people here. And I don't know what language you were trying to use. But it ain't Arabic. Oh, you forgot the part about the Klingons coming down from space to supervise the "Mauk-to 'Vor" ritual. LMAO.

[Isidingo]

Thanks for the insight. It sounds like something out of Star Trek.
Did we forget that this woman did not actually comit adultery but was merely running away from an abusive spouse?

[Nishay]

this is shocking because wht tht man did is not the islamic tradition.its not written in the the quran.its illiteracy and honour killings also occur in other countries like india.india is not a muslim country or they do not follow quran then y does this happen there.for the information of everybody,i would like to tell tht adultery is prohibited in islam but killin innocent daughters without any proof is not allowed even in islam.adultery is punishable in quran by hundred lashes for a person who is guilty of it.so comment on any religion only if u know about it.

[Nishay]

this is shocking because wht tht man did is not the islamic tradition.its not written in the the quran.its illiteracy and honour killings also occur in other countries like india.india is not a muslim country or they do not follow quran then y does this happen there.for the information of everybody,i would like to tell tht adultery is prohibited in islam but killin innocent daughters without any proof is not allowed even in islam.adultery is punishable in quran by hundred lashes for a person who is guilty of it.so comment on any religion only if u know about it.