Palestinian Man Who Honor Killed His Sister Said He'd Do It Again

So many barbaric traditions like honor killings and female genital mutilation (FMG) continue to occur amongst Arabs and some Africans because there are few if any laws against the practices. If there are no repercussions for honor killing a sister, or aunt or mother or daughter, or for mutilating the genitals of a baby girl, people will continue to do these horrendous things because they know nothing will happen to them. And whether it's considered cultural or religious tradition or not, FMG is physical abuse and torture, and honor killings are acts of murder, and the Arab world needs to start looking at it in those terms.

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Thankfully, it seems that some Arab nations are finally starting to change their outlook regarding honor killings.

There is a growing push in the Arab world to have men responsible for so-called honour killings treated as murderers by the courts.

Every year hundreds of women are killed by their husbands or brothers or another male family member for supposedly bringing shame on their families.

In many countries the honour killers are given leniency. Many men are not charged, or they spend only a few days or weeks in custody.

But Palestinian human rights groups have recently drafted their own amendments to have them treated as murderers.

Most honor killers, and the operative word is "killer", feel justified in what they do, and if they know they will get leniency what's to stop them from doing it again.

In fact, 21-year-old Palestinian Khaled Mahmoud blatantly admitted to honor killing his 23-year-old sister in a drunken rage (I thought Muslims weren't supposed to drink!)

"She has made very wrong decisions," he said.

"I started drinking then I got crazy. When I saw her I beat her. I smashed her head to the wall."

A university student, Mahmoud's sister (who was engaged to a Muslim) allegedly slept with a Christian man, and for that Mahmoud became her judge and jury and executed her because his honor was sullied by another person's actions.

"I was telling her that she should stay away from him and she shouldn't talk to him because he was playing," Mahmoud said.

"He wasn't serious with her and he is bragging about what he was doing. I was so ashamed with my sister."

Mahmoud says it is hard to describe how he felt after killing his sister.

"I don't say that I wish I hadn't killed her, but I say I wish she hadn't done that," he said.

And what's even more egregious is the fact that Mahmoud admitted that he would do it again.

"I am really sorry for what happened, but I think even if I'm in the same situation now after this experience and she does the same thing, I would kill her again."

Mahmoud says he found a note belonging to his sister with several phone numbers and rang one to find it was a clinic that restores a woman's virginity through surgery.

He says that was the final straw.

"She was violating rules of the society. Why has she done that?

"She didn't have the right to do that. She shamed our family."

"She didn't have a right to do that." What kind of twisted logic is that? What right did he have to kill her?

And according to Mahmoud, most people in the West Bank feel the same way that he does regarding family honor. And the sad thing is that some of these women are killed after they have been raped or victims of incest, as if it was their choice to be sexually violated.

And what happened to Mahmoud after bashing his sister's head against a wall until she was dead? Six days in custody with no charges leveled against him. As far as contrition or culpability, he has none.

"It wasn't my fault, and I haven't done anything wrong," he said.

"I overreacted but I don't think that it makes me deserve jail for a long time."

Overreacted. God help any woman he happens to marry.

But activists and Palestinian government ministers are working in concert to change how honor killings are viewed.

Ashraf Hayyeh from the Palestinian Women's Centre for Legal Aid is one of the strongest advocates for reform.

"Killing is killing, whether it's for honour or anything," he said.

"And if someone kills that way they should deal with it as murder. He should be sentenced to at least 15 years' jail."

But as much as people want change, it doesn't seem as if it will happen any time soon.

The Palestinian penal code, in the West Bank at least, is a Jordanian law drafted 50 years ago.

To change it the Palestinian government needs to abolish that law and draft its own.

But since the militant group Hamas refused to take part in elections due last January, the Palestinian Legislative Assembly is effectively paralysed.

So, women will continue to get killed by their men-folk and the murderers will walk free, alive and well so they can murder others who offend their honor. At least Palestine, is 'thinking' about doing something about the problem, what about the other Arab nations?