Feuding Cultures

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CBN News is reporting today that on Tuesday Rifqa Bary turned eighteen.  As you may recall from a previous RightWingGranny article, Rifqa was the subject of a lawsuit when she fled her parents home after converting to Christianity.  She publicly stated that because of her conversion, she feared for her life.

Rifqa Bary feared what is commonly termed an 'honor killing.'  Under Muslim Sharia law, it is acceptable to kill a family member if they are believed to have brought disgrace upon the family.  Converting to Christianity would fall into that category.  Unfortunately, there has been an increase in honor killings in America in recent years.

The Daily Beast on June 8 of this year posted an article about honor killings in America.  Their post stated:

"Honor killings don't only happen in the Middle East: The brutal Arizona killing last year of Noor Almaleki by her own father has catalyzed Human Rights Watch and Marie Claire magazine to join together in a campaign to renew the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, which expired in 2008. Noor's father, Faleh Almaleki, disapproved of her American lifestyle (wearing jeans, posting on MySpace) and dreams (marrying for love). He beat her and ultimately ran her over in his SUV, not once but twice, to prevent her from dishonoring the family, equating her with a "small fire" that needed to be extinguished in order to keep the family safe. He is in jail, awaiting trial for first-degree murder. "For an Iraqi, honor is the most valuable thing," he said after his arrest. "No one messed up our life except Noor." Noor's mother supported him, saying, "You are not a criminal. I know how good-hearted and compassionate you are.""

I daresay that in the 'American culture' a man who ran over his daughter twice would not be considered good-hearted and compassionate.  If you follow the link to The Daily Beast, you will find a link to a Marie Claire article dealing with the rise of honor killings in America.

I have no idea how real the threat to Rifqa Bary is.  I do know that if the threat is real, our courts have an obligation to protect her in any way they can--restraining orders, etc.  I wish Ms. Bary a long, productive life lived outside the shadow of threats against her.  Happy Birthday, Rifqa.  May you celebrate many more.

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This page contains a single entry by Granny G published on August 11, 2010 9:04 PM.

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