Raped a million times...

[Mohanned]

This is the story of Abeer, a sixteen year old teenager.

Abeer was robbed. She was robbed of her innocence. She was raped. She was killed. Then her memory raped again.   

Abeer was raped by her cousin and her “brother” in law. She carried a child.

The father sued. The uncles knew.

One uncle decided to cleanse his “honor”.

He loaded his gun. Went to her house. Got into her room. Shot her 9 times in the head and chest. Left the house. Fired more bullets in the air to celebrate the “cleansing” of his honor.

Nine times she was shot. Left drowning in her own blood. She was raped. She was sixteen.

She was a kid.

Parents dropped the charges. Uncle sentenced to 10 years in prison.Less than her age. She was 16.

The system raped her memory.  The system still rapes her memory and the memories of many like her.

Everyone seems to OWN a piece of this innocent soul. The uncle had a “stake” in her. 

The father and the mother too.  

The system is an owner too, so is the society.  

The cowardice of the system and those who run it is in cahoots with a society that reduced honor to the protection of a woman’s vagina.

It doesn’t matter if she was the victim, what matters is the aura around the vagina.  

Her body isn’t hers. “Honor” makes everybody part owner of her.

The only one that seems to have lost ownership of her own soul and body is the victim. 

The little girl.

So here it goes:

To the unaccountable in our country: How do you sleep at night knowing that you have the power to protect future Abeers? I can’t comprehend how you can maintain an image that is at odds with the injustices that you protect in our society?!

Your inaction and deafening silence is killing the souls of the victims a million times.  

Your silence is raping their memory.

Your inaction and cowardice is helping in digging the graves of other Abeers.

When will you stand up for what is morally right? When will you say enough is enough?

To those who have the power to change things but CHOOSE not to: SHAME on you.  

Your political calculations are nothing but moral cowardice.  

To those who read the story of Abeer and do nothing: SHAME on you.

Keep the memory of Abeer alive.

Shame our leaders into action. 

[Zeid abu-Odeh]

يا اخي شو بدي احكيلك لاحكيلك!!
قبل ايام قليلة تعرض مرشح"وصفي الرواشدة) لكمين وهو في سيارته بصحبة اصدقاءه حيث اعترضته مجموعتان امطرا سيارته بالرصاص نجم عنها مقتل شخص واصابة الباقي.
معدل المشاجرات العشائرية بالشهر يصل الى 200 مشاجرة.
هل سمعت عن الأب الذي كان يغتصب ابنته ثم عندما حملت بطفله اجرى عليها عملية بيديه لاستخراج الطفل مما ادى الى وفاتها بالطبع؟
الخ الخ الخخخخخخخخخخ
المغزى انه اصبح قتل امريء في الاردن مثل شربة الماء.الشعب يشعر بعدم الأمان وبالاضافة الى عوامل اقتصادية اخرى يلجأ الى العنف.لا الدرك ولا الأمن العام قادر على تطبيق القانون.
بالنسبة لجرائم الشرف ,طالما هناك تنازل من قبل الأهل عن حقهم الشخصي سيبقى القاتل يتلقى عقوبات مخففة.لا رئيس الوزراء ولا الملكة ولا الملك ولا الله نفسه قادر على تغيير عقلية الشعب البدائية هذه لا بل هي في انحدار سريع ومستمر

[Samir Nabil Atalla]

حتى لو أسقط الحق الشخصي، ألا يوجد حق عام يجب أخذه؟
هذه جريمة ضد المجتمع الأردني وليس فقط الطفلة البريئة.

[A7lam Shams]

This is another horrific crime committed in the name of honour!
Did you know that Jordan is the only Arab country that is actually facing up to this issue that is rooted in the bedawin mentality and twisted religious beliefs. When Queen Rania - about 8 or 9 years ago - started to publicly talk about this, she was heavily criticized. As the result of her consistent work and insistence on pushing the boundaries we now have a Family Protection Unit in each police station in the country. I myself was involved in some of that work. I can't tell you the kind of resistance we faced while training the police force on how to deal with domestic violence incidences. They strongly believed that if a man is fighting with his wife and beating her it was a personal family issue that is no body's business!
As the result of these ongoing efforts, we are the only Arab country that actually has a safe house for abused women and a hotline for women to call for any kind of legal and psychological advice.
So your accusations of deafening silence and inaction are far from accurate. 
Eight years ago this was a taboo subject. Today we have made steps that have saved the lives of many women.  Clearly there is lots more that needs to be done so that no other woman will meet the fate of Abeer, may she rest in peace.

[Nadine Toukan]

It takes moral will and moral skill to implement the action needed... and it's simple:

1. A crime is a crime. Abolish the option of 'honor' crimes. Change the language and the sick mindset.
2. Criminals who continue to commit such crimes and attempt to cry 'honor' are public enemies. Families dropping charges cannot be accepted.
3. These criminals get sentenced for life, no matter what.

Time to realize what this moral decay is doing to us. It's the 21st Century...live it!


..........
On a side related note, may I please ask that this conversation be mirrored and/or taken forward on La Sharaf Fil Jareemah as well? It's so important to build this collective voice there so that we grow a force focused on this shameful issue. The platform is also a ning site, so same logins apply.