In Islamic countries, women are second class citizens if not much worse. If women step out of line, they are targeted, or killed. In Pakistan there are 1,000 “honor” killings every year.
On July 15, top media star Qandeel Baloch was strangled by her own brother because of images such as the one below, Baloch posted on Facebook.
Please consider Brother Admits Murdering Model Sister Over “Honor” Lost to Facebook Pics.
The brother of slain Pakistani model Qandeel Baloch on Sunday confessed to strangling her to death for “family honor” because she posted “shameful” pictures on Facebook.
Baloch, who had become a social media celebrity in recent months, stirred controversy by posting pictures online taken with a prominent Muslim cleric. She was found dead on Saturday at her family home in the central city of Multan.
Police arrested her brother, Waseem Azeem, and presented him before the media in Multan, where he confessed to killing her. He said people had taunted him over the photos and that he found the social embarrassment unbearable.
“I was determined either to kill myself or kill her,” Azeem told The Associated Press as he was being led away.
He said that even though Baloch was the main breadwinner for the family, he slipped her sedatives the night before and then strangled her in her sleep.
“Money matters, but family honor is more important,” said Azeem.
Nearly 1,000 women are murdered in Pakistan each year for violating conservative norms on love and marriage. The so-called “honor killings” are often carried out by family members.
Such killings are considered murder. But Islamic law in Pakistan allows a murder victim’s family to pardon the killer, which often allows those convicted of honor killings to escape punishment.
This year alone, a schoolteacher, Maria Bibi, was set on fire for refusing to marry a man twice her age. The prime suspect in the case — the father of the man she refused to marry — and the other four are in custody.
A month earlier, police arrested 13 members of a local tribal council who allegedly strangled a girl and set her on fire for helping a friend elope. The charred body of 17-year-old Ambreen Riasat was found in a burned van.
In June, a different 17-year-old girl was burned alive by her own family for eloping with the man she loved quietly. Her mom said she had no regrets.
Qandeel Baloch Video
Tweet Promoting Hot and Bold
Word About Pakistan
Wikipedia notes Islam is the State Religion of Pakistan practiced by about 95-98% of the 195,343,000 people of the nation.
The constitution limits the political rights of Pakistan’s non-Muslims, and only Muslims are allowed to become the President or the Prime Minister. Moreover, only Muslims are allowed to serve as judges in the Federal Shariat Court, which has the power to strike down any law deemed un-Islamic, though its judgments can be overruled by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Politically speaking, there are lots of questions about the relationship between the US and Pakistan such as …
Whose Side is Pakistan On?
Please consider this May 2016 article Pakistan-US Relationship: A Double Game?
Earlier this month it was revealed that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) suspected its Islamabad station chief may have been poisoned by Pakistan’s military intelligence service, the ISI, following the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
While the reports have not been confirmed, some say such level of suspicion points to growing distrust between the two countries.
Those within US intelligence argue Pakistan is playing a “double game” by saying it supports the US’ role in the region, while also supporting the Taliban.
Pakistani officials have denied these long-standing allegations, while others believe double games are essential because their interests do not always align with those of the US. Such distrust, however, has left many to wonder about the future of relations between the two countries.
In this week’s Arena, we bring together former heads of the two countries’ intelligence agencies to debate their sensitive relationship.
Michael Flynn, former director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency under President Barack Obama and author of, The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies, is in debate with Asad Durrani, the former head of the ISI, and one of the main architects of Pakistan’s Mujahideen policy in Afghanistan.
Editor’s note: The Arena was recorded prior to the US drone strike in Pakistan that killed Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour.
Video of Flynn (Former Director of US Intelligence) and Durrani (Former Head Pakistan Intelligence)
Video Link: Michael Flynn vs. Asad Durrani on US Pakistan relationship.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Life, on any level, is not cherished in such backward countries.
You’re so right.
Those Pakis kill millions like the US.
Why didn’t he just kill himself?
Why doesn’t Hilary kill herself?
That is meant to be a serious question. The two have similarities.
There are many cultures in the world with many different standards. Everyone thinks the world should live by their standards and pushes them on others. Most of the troubles in the world are due to people not minding their own business. If 98% of pakistan is Muslim and live by whatever standards it is not the worlds responsibility to change them. No more than is it their business to change us.
So the honor killings are ok? What about when they immigrate to the west?
You are incorrect Sir. You see, according to Islam, the last tyranny Religion of antiquity, it is their business to change you.
Evil is not so shaded as you think. Power over others is a form of evil.
It is stated by many “Power corrupts”. This also is fundamentally flawed. No reasonable persons seek to be powerless, to be a victim subject to the discretion of others; to have no control over there own lives and decisions. So others refine this saying, “The love of power corrupts” Yet this has the same problem. All love to feel empowered. Even the one who willfully submits to one in authority wishes to feel that it is both their choice, and that in that submission, they will gain the power to attain some end, either personal or to some benefit of society. The one who submits within a system does not mean he wishes to have no power or influence. All seek power, and in some ways all love power. A far better statement is that “Power reveals corruption” or alternatively, “love of power over the free will of others is corruption.” The corruption that power reveals is the use of power to compel others against their will, the desire to exercise tyrannical control of other people to accomplish some objective.
So in this sense we see that both the desire to have power, and the desire to achieve personal gain are not inherently evil. It is the desire to exercise tyrannical power over others in connection with the desire for personal gain (even if one portends it is only for the protection of the less fortunate) that is fundamentally immoral or dishonest and which is evil and destructive to a society. “This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.” (Plato)
Almost always the manifestation of seeking power in an immoral way involves exercising a form of tyranny, however petty it may be, over someone else or some other group. Thus what is immoral is the practice of seeking gain via an expression of tyranny over another person.
Murder, as a blatant example, involves both the removal of another’s same right for seeking self gain, and is an expression of tyranny over another person. Almost all crimes which are common to societies are a reflection of this fundamental abuse of power which can manifest in either a personal or group expression.
Those social systems which mostly easily engender tyranny should be rated poorly in their chance of producing a prosperous and happy society. To try to enforce selflessness, requires a strict application of the verb in this sentence, force. A society that so fundamentally distrusts the common people of the governed that strict central planning of economies and wealth is required, is in high danger (100%) of eventually falling victim to the revelation of the corruption which such consolidated power reveals, as well as becoming overburdened with inefficient bureaucracy.
The recent British threatened prosecution (because the were not licensed care providers) of two professionals who were each taking care of the other’s child while the other was at work, is a literal example of “The Nanny State” , and such examples will only get far worse with the environmental fascists currently trying for one world government in Copenhagen.
The Unites States recognition of the right to seek self gain, (capitalism) combined with the fact that we are a “republic” guaranteeing freedom from tyranny of other groups or from the tyranny of the majority, be that majority religious, political, corporate, or a combination thereof, is highly moral. However in empowering the individual there must be a strong co-commitment element of self-responsibility. One cannot expect the protections such a society enables, without both self responsibility and offering some form of service back to that society.
The love of power for the purpose of subjugating others for one’s own end cannot be removed by any system. It just operates less effectively within a system built expressly for protection from such tyranny. The responsibility of the US form of government is to prevent the formation of such tyrannies: Corporate monopolies that unfairly drive out competition, lobby groups looking for special privileges, banking methods that rig the monetary system and allow leverage of assets tantamount to gambling, fractional reserve banking on steroids, government decisions making risk public but profit private, government sponsored enterprises that, under direct supervision of government regulators, do all of the above, are not caused by a capitalist / republic, but are a sick perversion of it caused by the love of power over others, and the lack of wisdom. It is the failure of the US government to police the above which is dereliction of their primary responsibility, the protection of individual freedom and power, from the tyranny of those with group power.
No form of government can be free from intrinsic ignorance, but the evaluation of all systems should be based on their ability to resist the corruptions power reveal. Since WWII the US has been the most powerful nation on this planet. Despite its flaws, the US has demonstrated a far greater resistance to exerting tyranny over others then any other nation, relative to the power possessed. Remember that if power reveals corruption, the US has passed this test far better then any other nation. Many on the left often repeat the mantra, “live and let live,“ but remain ignorant of the danger of the system they wish to implement which is inherently duplicit to this maxim. The US system was the best “live and let live” system, specifically due to its republic / capitalist system, and within any society but particularly a large non-homogenous society this has many advantages. The “let live” part is easily forgotten in socialism, and both the “let live” and the “live” part are discarded in murderous communism.
Thus you see this mans actions were simply evil. Islam as written and proscribed and practiced in Sharia nations, is evil.
Started like a libertarian writing and ended like a neocon extolment of failed government.
Total bait and switch.
As I said, you are just another one of those who want to tell others what to do according your standards. Heaven forbid someone come along and tell you what to do.
seenitallbefore, I did not tell you to do anything. I just disagree with your moral relativism. Regarding neocon charge, well I do not and have not advocated war. That is not a reason to remain blind to Islamic immigration and the last empire religion of antiquity.
European are much more caring and civilised they just kill women , cut off their head and throw it in the toilet and flush it , u see very civilised and developed nations!champions of women rights
I will be a little clearer, Islam is just another religion or system or whatever you wish to call it that is being misapplied to society instead of residing in the individual. It is not about right or wrong but forcing their way of life upon society. Thus telling others how to live to their standards. I do not agree with it but if a country lives by that code it is not the worlds place to go in and change it. Also though wrong, anyone who flaunts those standards in that country will face wrath. It is the same in any country, neonazis in Germany, the kkk in America, etc.
Pakistan = Saudia Arabia, without the oil.
In other words, a socially/culturally backward, third-world sh*t-hole.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are all 70+% Sunni. Neomuslimcons.
Honor killings aside one should note that Pakistan and Bangladesh, which used to be part of it, are in the usual position (for a muslim country) of having or having had female prime ministers. In Bangladesh the head of the main opposition party is also a woman, leading to jokes about the battle of the begums. For that matter India is the same: the position of women there is generally pretty terrible yet high-class women can hold a lot of power ad India has had two female prime ministers. So it’s more complex than commenters here will allow and the comparison with Saudi Arabia, in particular, is patently absurd.
The brutal history of Islam in India is not complicated. It is Sharia 101.
So, women in the 1% are not treated like dirt. How satisfying that must be for all the women in the 99%.
Typo in the above post: I meant of course “in the unusual position” etc.
I wonder how many times the brother enunciated “Allah’u Akhbar” while he had his hands around his sister’s neck (and how many times the trucker in Nice said the same as he crushed children and babies in strollers).
For these monsters, Islam is not a religion but a psychosis.
Aloha Snack Bar !!!
All cultures are equal.
Diversity is our strength.
Let’s import muslims by the millions. What could go wrong?
Heck, we don’t even need to vet them.
And they will vote democrat for generations.
Until they get to vote for sharia law.
And thousands are slaughtered every year in Chicago in a genocidal orgy…so what’s the point of this post.
No soup for you….NEXT!
When the British left their colony of India, it was much bigger (it included Bangladesh and Pakistan — in addition to what is now India). The British were in a hurry to leave, India had Gandhi (and others) unifying it. Pakistan and Bangladesh (originally East Pakistan) were the parts that didn’t fit.
Pakistan isn’t really a single country — its dozens of factions who’s main connection is they don’t want to be part of India. Bangladesh/East Pakistan separated from the other groups pretty quickly.
The semi-autonomous regions of Pakistan (where the Taliban are concentrated) considers Islamabad law as mere suggestions (kind of like Obama and Hilary treat US law). Lahore has lots of people who hate India and want to liberate it so they can run it instead. The rest of the country has 1001+ groups with Islam the only common thread.
Saying “Pakistan thinks XYZ” is a western media concept. Pakistan isn’t a single group, and it barely holds together in the best of times (one reason the British didn’t want to keep it — they wanted India proper or nothing).
Lets not forget that Osama Bin Laden was living within eyesight of Pakistan’s military training school, with countless retired military officers as his neighbors. How did Pakistan’s military miss the most wanted man in the world living next door?
Obviously they didn’t. Lots of Pakistani military officers saw him and/or knew he was there. Maybe they lied to their own (General / later President Musharaff), or maybe (probably) Musharaff also lied to the US… but the Pakistani military seems perfectly capable when they want to be. Obviously they didn’t want to know OBL was standing right next to them.
This brother / killer was trying to fit in with a lot of groups that would sooner kill both him and his sister. The sister was trying to fit in with a broader audience — half of whom approved and half didn’t. Not an easy thing to do even in western culture where people claim (pretend?) to be more tolerant.
Now western media outlets have descended on Baton Rouge or Sandy Hook or Columbine or Baltimore or Multan? (Pakistan) to sit atop their high horses and pass judgement / stir up controversy. Maybe the media exposure can get the president to say something stupid and make things worse; maybe the attention will inspire copycats; maybe both! Controversy gets eyeballs, eyeballs get advertising dollars. Who gives a &*$% which group gets killed as long as those advertising dollars roll in?
Trump knows how to play the media against itself — which drives them nuts. Obama thinks he is preaching to a choir that already agrees with the speech someone else wrote (its on the teleprompter). And Hilary is just going to lie no matter what the situation.
Before we run halfway around the world and tell the Pakistani’s how to fix their messed up country, perhaps we should fix our own messed up country first?
Agreed, who said we should now do that? But why import the dark age mentality of Islam as practiced today and historically.
Trump said he wants to fix the US first
Hilary said she wants a bribe, but make the check out to the Clinton Foundation
Muslim women should be bred and not seen.
I find 200 million Pakistanis in the world infinitely more troubling than 300 million guns in the US.
When Obama ran for Prez in 2008, he promised to use drones to bomb/attack Pakistan, and he kept his word (ditto Obamacare; might have been better if he lied about both those things). If 8 years of drone attacks and some collateral damage (hard to distinguish wedding parties from terrorist barbecues from a distance) have not taught the Pakistanis respect for human lives and female rights, then I doubt there is much more the USA or NATO can do without making things much worse.
Maybe the Prez needs to send his pupils from Black Lives Matter over to Pakistan to show them the American way of justice. Or perhaps the Prez should point out with pride that USA.gov drone attacks kill men, women and children, all ages and genders, “without discrimination.” No gender or bias other than beliefs (e.g. witchcraft, heresy, terrorism) is the EU and USA way of killing, unlike those backwards Pakistanis who think the family knows better than the government who to kill.
Government trumps religion and family in the modern progressive West. Go along with the program and quit discriminating against women with a religion that is second rate compared to Marxism and Western religions, or USA.gov and the West will kill you with drones or Libya style with NATO bombs, simple as that. Our way, or rubble and death. Perhaps Hilary will have a second chance to “tutor” those backwards Pakistanis like she did Libya and show them how “the civilized West” applies the rule of law and transcends religion to achieve women’s rights even if it is over their dead bodies.
“the civilized West” ??
When a reporter asked Mahatma Ghandi what he thought of western civilization, he replied:
“I think it would be a good idea”.
We need to give India the green light to nuke Pakistan.
Yeah right.. India
So.. are you picking sides in the third world war on women?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bride_burning
First of all, i strongly condemns this brutal act because only state/judiciary is allow to punish anyone. But is strongly condemn you statement: Islamic “Honor Killing”.
What if Prejudice against blacks in western world refer to as Christian Extremism?