Cold, Premeditated, Ritual Murder: The Honor Killing of Aasiya Z. Hassan, Part II

The horrific beheading in Buffalo was not a crime of passion or even of temporary insanity.

By Phyllis Chesler

Was Aasiya Z. Hassan the victim of an honor murder or was this simply a form of domestic violence? Did her husband kill her in an act of spontaneous passion or was her death carefully premeditated?

Yesterday, I published my study: “Are Honor Killings Simply Domestic Violence?” in Middle East Quarterly. To the best of my knowledge, it is the first such study of its kind. You may read it in full HERE. It will be out in hardcopy at the beginning of March.

If we refuse to understand what an honor killing is and how it differs from western-style domestic violence, we will not be able to prosecute honor killers, grant asylum to those in flight from being honor murdered, nor will we be able to educate people against honor killing. Many Muslim-American organizations insist that honor killing is “Un-Islamic.” Yet, many scholars of Islam equally assert that the Qu’ran as well as custom permits grave punishment for “disobedient” women. Read more ...

Source: Pajamas Media

Should honorcide be classified as a hate crime?
	I am a Muslim
	Yes
	No
	No: any female dishonoring her family must be disciplined
	No: any female dishonoring her family must severely punished
	No: any female dishonoring her family must be put to death
	No: honorcide is a fiction
	I am not a Muslim
	Yes
	No
	No: any female dishonoring her family must be disciplined
	No: any female dishonoring her family must severely punished
	No: any female dishonoring her family must be put to death
	No: honorcide is a fiction