George Cobbold

In the name of Honour?

Why are honour killings seen as a culturally sensitive issue in the UK today
isnt it domestic violence? How would feminists respond?
In 2006, an Iraqi Kurdish woman, Banaz, was killed for being in love, by
her family under the guise of honor. Detective Caroline Goode
investigated this case, eventually recovering Banazs body and
persecuting all involved. A honor killing is the homicide of a member of a
family by other members, due to the perpetrators' belief that the victim
has brought shame or dishonor upon the family, or has violated the
principles of a community or a religion. Culturally sensitive is being
aware that cultural differences and similarities between people exist
without assigning them a value positive or negative, better or worse,
right or wrong. Domestic violence is violent or aggressive behaviour
within the home, typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or
partner.Ann Oakely is a feminist who views domestic violence as being
systematically linked to sexual and economic power relations. This
essay will explore the reasons why honor violence has essentially been
brushed under the carpet in the political arena, and the feminist
sociologists view it.
British and Kurdish cultures share little common ground. Britain is an
individualisation culture, meaning the importance of family life is pale in
comparison to that of the middle east. The Kurdish culture perceive family
as a collective, almost like a brand. This ideology is occasionally primacy
to Kurds who emigrate to different countries. An example of a cultural
difference is circumcision, which is implemented in certain cultures to
refrain women from feeling sexual. These traditions are occasionally
carried with immigrants who move into a new culture, and are grasped
onto when they feel a lack of identity. In the Kurdish culture women are
often abused. Forced marriages are often practised, with women
sometimes being sexually, mentally, and physically abused by their
husbands. Family life is instrumental in this, as women are expected to
move in with their new husbands and be respectful. If shame is brought
upon families, some members see it just to punish the women involved to
the extent of erasing them; in Banazs case, Goode reports there was
not a single picture of her in the family house. Most British citizens are
far removed from this, thus they associate such extreme acts with the
foreign culture and tradition.
Kurdish women are fully controlled by men. They cannot wear perfume,
long nails or pluck their eyebrows and are often beaten. Feminists would
have a major issue with this as women are inferior to men, and victims of
violence. In Banazs case, she went to the police and reported multiple
incidents of violence, sex without consent, and being degraded
physically, verbally and emotionally. However this violence is not always

issued by a single man often it is a collective male family decision to

punish a woman for not showing enough respect to a male member.
Dobash and Dobash view this evidence of patriarchy, in which men
dominate women through domestic violence. For Banaz, this violence was
not restricted to the home. She was under constant surveillance and
allowed no freedom. Palbinder Singh says women do not have the
freedoms of a white Anglo-Saxon women. This implies that it is not just
the patriarchy that explains the continuation of domestic violence in the
Kurdish community but also the culture differences. Often, people feel it
not their place, or politically incorrect to comment on other cultures; this
egg-shell behaviour even evident in the British government, where honor
crimes are still majorly ignored.
Feminists see domestic violence as instrumental in a patriarchal system
which affords male dominant power. Singh, in regards to Kurdish culture,
says Men get fed, sexually pleased, and looked after they have
everything on the table for them. Feminists would also view this system
(branded as tradition) as patriarchal as men are exploiting women for
their own gain. Oakley, a feminist, says men and women remain unequal
within the family and women do most of the housework this is
applicable to the life of exploited Kurdish women. However the type of
domestic abuse these women faced is often tied in with culture and
heritage. Therefore, in Britain, similar cases of exploitation are found as
the family see it acceptable for a daughter to be the property of the
family.
In conclusion, feminists would consider honor killings as domestic
violence, because women are exploited and abused by men, for their own
gain. However, immigration, dubious political standings, and the clashing
of modern and traditional cultures leads to honor crimes as often being
brushed aside in the name of being politically correct. In the UK alone it
is predicted there are 12 honor killings a year, however many sociologists
think this is just the tip of the iceberg. Banazs case marked a change in
the UK governments way of tackling honor crimes. Her killers were
brought back to the UK from Iraq, marking it the first ever extradition from
Iraq to Britain.