Educational Media Reviews Online

Rania Arafat's words, "I'm lost in a desert; I don't know where it begins or where it ends", set the tone of despair felt by many of the women profiled in Shelley Saywell's Crimes of Honour. Originally broadcast as part of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's television series, Witness, this powerful exploration of crimes in the name of Islamic family honor reveals the destructive cultural undertow of a segment of the lower socio-economic classes in Jordan and the West Bank.

The tragedy of Rania Arafat's life is interwoven throughout the film with the reading of her poignant letters which describe her painful ambivalence in dutifully wanting to remain part of her family, while at the same time, craving to become an individual. For each victim, however, we are shown an activist and given a ray of hope. Jordanian human rights lawyer Asma Khader is fighting to change a section of Jordan's penal code not altered in 200 years. A plea of honor is still considered a legal defense and usually results in a lenient sentence of three months to a year for the murder of a woman. Many victims of incestual rape are further dehumanized by being "honor" murdered by their attackers, as rape ordinarily carries a 15-year sentence. One of Khader's legal victories was to obtain a seven-year sentence for a man who, with the help of his father, strangled his sister while reciting the Koran. Although femicide has no basis in Islamic religion which calls for forgiveness and understanding, it has also been known to be committed by Christians and Jews. Its prevalence in certain Islamic groups of impoverished families where honor is as important as wealth, is seen as a cultural phenomenon hiding behind the veil of religion. A family refers to the act of murdering their daughter as an act of God. Yet, through interviews we are shown it to be a web of deceit. We are told that women's bodies are the property of the family and that they scheme to marry off their daughters before any gossip can harm their reputations, particularly in very densely populated areas where gossip travels quickly. Hymens are frequently surgically restored to dupe husbands, but if there is even a question of a rumor, the woman is killed to reestablish family honor.

Activists point out the three available options for women refusing to submit to cultural sublimation: prison, psychiatric hospitals, or death by family members' hands. The mitigating factor in most victims' cases is education. Relatives and neighbors clearly notice the change in women after they begin to attend university and see the world beyond their own narrowly focused lives. Education breeds self-confidence, independence and a feeling of equality thus leading to their silencing. But, it is also now leading women to protest in the streets in an attempt to shatter the silence and effect change.

This stirring cultural snapshot on the eve of change is highly recommended as it will promote discussion in a variety of areas associated with Women's Studies and Cultural Studies, as well as Anthropology and Sociology. It also adds another grim layer to related topics such as female genital mutilation, clitoridectomy and ritual sati practices in addition to addressing issues of incest and rape. Shelley Saywell is also known for the earlier Kim's Story: The Road from Vietnam.