FORBIDDEN LOVE BY NORMA KHOURI

ISBN  1  86325 348 3

I have read a book left to me by my friend, entitled as above. It is a book that leaves me sad at the honour killings of young women in Jordan and other Moslem countries where a girl or woman is killed by family members on even the suspicion of adultery.

Women are completely subservient to the men in her house down to her small brother. From the age of 10 she is regarded as a woman who has to be guarded by her father and brothers. They will be required to accept or reject all her wishes. A woman may be killed by her young brother who will be freed by the Courts.

She may not go to school without their permission. They will approve all her studies. Then they will approve her occupation. Her husband may not allow her to work in her occupation. She is escorted everywhere she goes and escorted home. She may never talk to a man under threat of an honour killing. Her husband has complete authority. Her chastity is family property.

The friend of the author was killed by the men in her family because she fell in love with a Jordanian army officer who was Catholic. When the family men found out, she was stabbed to death. 

I can not help but compare this to the family discipline in Papua New Guinea and other Christian parts of the world. I do not suggest that the Christian lifestyle be as rigorous in discipline of women and girls as we read in this book.

But I cannot help notice that PNG is at the other end of the scale. Often there is no family discipline. There is no family honour. Many men do not look after their wives and children. They have no honour as they spend their fortnight pay and drink booze.

They do not give money to their wives. In the National HIV/AIDS response, there are foreign advisors who tell boys and girls about rights without responsibilities.

There are Australian advisors wanting to weaken family and tell children that they have rights not responsibilities. They want to advise them to use condoms. They say that the parents have no authority over their children.

If the Australian advisors went to Jordan or other Moslem countries, they may be killed. In Iran, a group of missionaries was imprisoned for preaching Christianity. How much more punishment would expatriates be given for telling children that the family is not important?

Sexual offences may be punished by stoning. The girls they advised may be killed by their fathers and brothers. But the advisors as infidels would never be allowed to talk to the women.

I do not judge the human rights aspects of the Moslem culture. That is not the purpose of this report.

But I do compare Papua New Guinea and declare that this is a country of many weak families and no honour. Violence towards women is not about honour but control by violent stupid boozy men. There is no respect for anything except the next SP stubby.