There is no honor in honor killings

       November 29th of each year has been designated for honor crimes or crimes of dishonor to remind us of what are called honor crimes. On this day, an Egyptian judge issued a verdict that was almost an acquittal, releasing the killer of his sister in the name of honor, Zahra Al-Azzou, who was slaughtered by her brother, lies today in her grave, unable to tell you how many victims will follow her, Can humanitarian organizations, those concerned with women’s issues, and human rights activists make October 29th of each year a thorn in the side of those who support killing in the name of honor, while the killing represents dishonor par excellence!

There are many questions in this regard! Why is a woman not allowed to kill her husband if she catches him in the act of so-called adultery? And does such a thing as adultery even exist? Meanwhile, the law is lenient in punishing those who kill in the name of honor! What prevents the laws related to so-called honor crimes from being changed? And have the recent amendments to Article 548 of the Syrian Penal Code deterred those who kill in the name of protecting honor?

Syria has the undisputed first place in the world in committing honor crimes, according to Article 533 of the Syrian Penal Code, As an example, a 16-year-old girl was slaughtered by her brother for the purpose of washing away shame, after she was kidnapped by a relative, then returned to the family home and months later married to another relative, The perpetrator was arrested and tried, and the result was the release of the killer after he spent about two years in prison, before the final verdict was announced against him.

What is the meaning of limiting the assault on honor to women, an assault that may lead to the woman’s murder and the acquittal of the killer? Shouldn’t a man be considered an aggressor against honor when he openly and proudly engages in what is called adultery? How can the murder of a woman be justified in any way under the pretext of defending honor? And how can the woman’s killer be acquitted of the murder in any way? And what does all of this have to do with equality? Knowing that there is no adultery in voluntary sexual relations, forced marriage or marriage for material reasons such as dowry or other reasons is a crime, and there is no objection to calling it adultery. Adultery is the title of Misyar marriage, Mut’ah marriage, and other forms of the sixteen legalized prostitution., Double adultery is in the slaughter of the husband and the rape of his wife on the same night of the slaughter, as Ibn al-Walid, one of the ten promised Paradise, did,Adultery was in the marriage of the child Aisha, and in the marriage to Safiyya, which was done in the same manner as the rape of Umm Tamim on the night of the slaughter of her husband Malik bin Nuwayra, There are countless examples of legalized prostitution practices, which are represented by rape, selling a woman, marrying a child even before menstruation or even an infant, and legalizing her thigh-rubbing, and other practices that are too shameful to mention.

So-called honor crimes express several problems, They are an expression of male dominance, even legally under the Syrian Personal Status Law, in which Article 192 permits killing those who tarnish honor and customs, Article 192 speaks of the “honorable” motive for killing, and the “honorable” motive is sufficient to reduce the punishment and turn it into a kind of formal punishment such as imprisonment for a short period that may not exceed two years! Is there such a thing as killing with an honorable motive?

But where did these laws come from? The main source of these laws was religious law and tradition,It was said, “Do not approach adultery. Indeed, it is ever an abomination and an evil way.” And it was also said, “And a believing woman who gives herself to the Prophet if he wishes to marry her—this is exclusively for you, not for the believers,” How do the first statement agree with the second? Isn’t the second statement a project of adultery? The young Aisha denounced it, saying, “I see your Lord hastening to fulfill your desires.” And who is the adulterer in marrying the captives of war, for example, after the Battle of Autas and in most other wars and raids? And how did Amina become pregnant for four years after her husband’s death? There are thousands of examples of committing abominations, such as rape, especially at the hands of men!

Despite the similarity of religious frameworks in Middle Eastern entities, Syrian law remains the most reactionary and religiously oriented, It’s important to note the Ottoman influence, which still partially operates within the laws of former Ottoman colonies, This Ottoman religious framework perpetuates male-dominated so-called “honor killings,” in addition to other male transgressions, such as the privilege of polygamy without the wife’s knowledge, and the male guardianship of the children and, subsequently, the male members of the family, excluding the wife, In the Personal Status Law, derived from religious law, a man’s testimony is equivalent to that of two women, A woman who kills her husband for adultery is sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor, However, if a husband kills his wife for the same reason, Article 192 renders the punishment merely a formality, devoid of any life sentence or hard labor, It’s also worth mentioning other aspects of how women are treated, such as nationality and naturalization, Syrian women cannot pass on their nationality to their children, while men can. Regarding divorce… The arbitrary nature of the law is beyond description… a worn-out law and a shameful law with an even more shameful reference!!