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Old 5th November 2012, 03:04 PM   #1
TimCallahan
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Honor killing in Pakistan

I just heard about this on the BBC World radios broadcast: A Pakistani couple murdered their 15 year-old daughter, burning her to death by pouring acid over her, even as she pleaded for mercy. Her crime? She looked at a boy as he rode past on a motorcycle. That's right. You didn't read it wrong, and I didn't write it wrong. These parents - yes, the mother, too - showed no remorse, shed no tears over having killed their own 15 year-old daughter by pouring acid on her. They said they had to do it to keep the girl from dishonoring the family. Her name was Anosh Zafar. Her parents were Mohammad Zafar and his wife Zaheen.

I don't know if we should charge this up to Islam, as it is practiced in many benighted countries of the world; if it's part of culture specific to the Indian subcontinent; or if it's simply an aspect of traditional culture - the death of which, as industrial culture overspreads the planet, many of its supporters decry. I'd be interested to hear from others as to which of the three suspects is the culprit.

I'd also be interested in what punishment jref members think should be meted out to these horrid people. My own feeling is that the two of them should be submerged in a strong solution of sulphuric acid. On the other hand, perhaps they should be candidates for the Darwin Award for ending, or at least diminishing the likelihood of passing on their genes.

ETA: Lest one is tempted to see this as an isolated incident, consider this one that occurred earlier this year (from the article):

Islamabad: In a shocking incident, a Pakistani man, Arif Mubashir, has gunned down his six daughters on suspicion that two of them were in relationships with boys in the neighborhood.

According to this site (not safe for office or school), 675 women were murdered in honor killings in the first nine months of 2011.

ETA 2: According to this site, about 1,000 young people of both genders are killed per year in India, often for marrying outside their castes.

Last edited by TimCallahan; 5th November 2012 at 03:46 PM.
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