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The story of the Nun who was raped
The concept of 'honor killings' goes beyond all comprehension. There is nothing honorable about it, it is simply murder and yet the practice continues throughout the world. Not just in countries where leniency in the courts encourage those who feel their honor has been sullied to continue to honor kill, but in the West where they find the courts don't look so kindly on killing another human being, regardless of motive.
Apparently, murdering a person in Jordan will usually net you the death sentence, however, if you happen to kill someone because you claim you felt compelled to cleanse your family's honor, bingo- ten years in prison, that's all. Ten years is nothing for snuffing out someone's life, but that's the pitifully short sentence that a 41-year-old Jordanian man, Jamil, received after shooting his 16-year-old niece, Abir, not once but eight times. Abir had the terrible misfortune of having been raped in 2008, and about two months after she bore a child (a little boy) her Uncle decided to play God and murdered his own niece. So, not only do the poor girl suffer the horror and indignation of being raped, her Uncle kills her to cleanse the family's honor. If he felt so dishonored, why didn't he just shoot himself.
He was initially condemned to death but the courts later changed it to ten years after the family petitioned the courts to commute the sentence. Supposedly, it's very common to have sentences reduced or commuted for 'honor killings', and even more so if the family of the victim recommends it. I can understand that if you don't believe in the death penalty (which I doubt, in this case, was the reason) you might be against having someone executed, but ten years? Who is to say this man won't suddenly feel the need to cleanse his honor once again, once he is released at the young age of 51? And if you are going to avenge someone's honor, why not the rapist?
According to Al Arabiya, there are around 15 to 20 females who are 'honor killed' each and every year in Jordan. That's 15 to 20 too many. And the government doesn't seem to be doing much to stem the practice by allowing murderers to get away with murder with their paltry ten year sentences. But it also goes beyond changing laws, people need to be educated that killing someone else to cleanse 'your' honor is morally and spiritually reprehensible. Until people realize this, women (and it's usually women) will continue to get cut down in the prime of their lives. I'm not sure Allah would approve.
Source: AlArabiya
