4 Persons, Including a Child, Killed in Two New Crimes Related to "Family Honor”

[oberliner]

This morning, Rihab al-Hazin, from the al-Nussairat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, was murdered by her brother on the pretext of ‘maintaining family honor.’ Last Thursday, three persons, including a child, were murdered for the same reason.

At approximately 03:00 on Monday, 13 April 2009, the body of Rihab Ali al-Hazin (28) was brought to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. The body was subsequently referred to the forensic medicine department at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Police sources informed the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) that al-Hazin was strangled to death by her 21-year-old brother, who later turned himself in to the police and confessed that he had killed his sister to ‘maintain family honor’.


On Thursday, 9 April 2009, three members of the ‘Olaiwa family – including a child – were murdered in Gaza City. The police found three bodies belonging to Sufian ‘Arafat 'Olaiwa, 45, his wife, Miriam al-Majdoub (‘Olaiwa), 30, and his son, Jawhar Sufian ‘Olaiwa, 5, in their houses in al-Shoja’eya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. The victims were shot by several bullets to different parts of their bodies. On the same day, the police arrested three members of the ‘Olaiwa family for questioning. Yousef Abdul Wahab, Chief of the Police Criminal Investigation Bureau in Gaza, told PCHR that the crimes were related to ‘family honor’.

http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/PressR/English/2008/49-2009.html

[MissHoneychurch]

1. Such news make me sick to the stomach

I just can't understand how someone can kill a family member (most times women) in the name of honor. It feels like we live in the Middle Ages instead of the 21st century.
Here in Germany such murders happen too when the girl wants to live a life in the modern world and is trying to escape those medieval rules.

[Berry Cool]

2. As far as I'm concerned

any family that engages in "honor killings" HAS no "honor" to lose.

[Violet_Crumble]

3. Amnesty International fact-sheet

http://www.amnestyusa.org/violence-against-women/stop-violence-against-women-svaw/honor-killings/page.do?id=1108230

[get the red out]

4. This needs to be discussed more by Democrats

We have glossed over the atrocities of these extremists for far too long. These hateful acts need to come to the forefront and any aid given these people must include real efforts to prosecute crimes like this. If they won't do everything possible to stop these crimes, let the fuckers do without any aid from the US.

And no, we can't excuse this because of poverty or because the Israelis are complete assholes. Poverty does not excuse depravity.

And no again, we can't just say "oh but it's their culture, we have to respect that" and still be human beings ourselves. That attitude is just trying to ignore the human rights violation because we liberals are supposed to hate Israel (which is fine, I don't think much of their tactics either, but it doesn't excuse this or make the Palestinian "culture" saintly).

And we also are totally sick and care nothing for human rights if we say "But who are WE to tell them what their culture should be, after all Bush got us into Iraq so we are too evil to talk about human rights." If Bush's actions have forever taken the voices of US citizens and made us unable to speak for human rights, he succeeded far more in his efforts to undermine this world than even he can guess.

And another disgusting thing people will want to say to push this under the carpet is "This is their law, we can't speak against the LAW!" If it isn't the law, insert "religion" or "culture"; lots of people will want to defend to the death other religions and cultures no matter what they do so long as they are not western democracies. Any atrocity will be overlooked if it is committed by the third world flavor of the month.

[Vegasaurus]

6. It has been discussed time and time again here on DU

People excuse the most awful crimes to humanity, civil and human rights abuses, because of "culture", "religious law".

There is no excuse for murdering women as these cultures do.

Or allowing marital rape, or flogging a woman in public, for what crime?

Being seen outside of her home?

Disobeying the "modesty law"?

There should be worldwide uproar, but it is strangely silent, as "progressives" continue to scream about the evil Israel instead.

There have been two recent reminders of the cost of extremism. In Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai signed a law that effectively sanctions marital rape. In Pakistan, a video surfaced of the Taliban in the Swat Valley publicly flogging a young woman screaming for mercy. Pakistan’s government compounded the indignity on Monday by giving in to Taliban demands and formally imposing Shariah law on the region.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/opinion/15wed1.html?_r=1&hpw

[LeftishBrit]

5. Horrible.

This sort of thing happens in too many parts of the world.

www.stophonourkillings.com

[Howardx]

7. another one of oberliner's...

"look how bad the palestinians are" posts.

[oberliner]

8. This is from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights

I would think that anyone who cares about the topic of human rights in regard to Palestinians would be interested in knowing about events like these and speaking out against them as the Palestinian Center for Human Rights has done.

[Howardx]

9. so?

you post it because it suits your agenda.

[azurnoir]

10. The same story from Maan 2 days ago

Al-Hazin’s body was brought to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the city of Deir Al-Balah at 3am on Monday, according to PCHR. The body was then referred to the forensic medicine department at Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Last Thursday, three members of the Olaiwa family were killed in Gaza City. Police found three bodies belonging to Sufian Arafat Olaiwa, 45, his wife, Miriam Al-Majdoub Olaiwa, 30, and their son, Jawhar Sufian Olaiwa, 5, in their houses in the Ash-Shuja’iyya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. Each had been shot several times. Later, police arrested three members of the same family.

Yousef Abdul Wahab, Chief of the Police Criminal Investigation Bureau in Gaza, told PCHR that the crimes were related to so-called ‘family honor’.

These killings, PCHR said, are a sign of a resurgence in so-called honor killings. The Center called for these killings to be prosecuted as murders, and for the Palestinian judicial system not to hand out reduced sentences to perpetrators who claim reasons of “family honor.”

http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37098

in case it has not been noticed there has been a rash of family killings in the US also however here one does not get a lighter sentence if it is called an "honor killing" there are other excuses in the west bur IMO the phenomena most likely has somewhat the same causes and stress factors, if memory serves it led to a prolonged debate with "someone" as to their opinion that there could not possibly be any similarity between the 2.