Honor killing worries Pakistanis in Denmark

Copenhagen Post:

A suspected 'honour killing', where a Pakistani man allegedly killed his younger sister, leads members of the immigrant community to reflect on the practice

A Pakistani man's alleged shooting of his younger sister in a so-called 'honour killing' over the weekend has led members of the Pakistani community to discuss ways of halting the practice.

The Organisation of Pakistani Students and Academics intends to discuss the practice during an upcoming debate forum, according to the organisation's chairman Qasam Nazir.

'Many (Pakistanis, ed) are very disappointed that this problem has again appeared in contemporary Denmark,' said Nazir.

Many members of the Pakistani community were shocked over the weekend to hear reports that a 29-year-old Pakistani man was apprehended on Saturday, accused of shooting his 19-year-old sister and her Afghan husband in broad daylight on a street in the southern Zealand town of Slagelse on Friday. The girl died shortly after from her gunshot wounds.

The couple were married the day before, supposedly without the bride's family's consent.

'We will try to find imams and other prominent people to get a discussion about this cultural phenomenon, which is not a religious practice in any way,' said Nazir.

How society could prevent killings committed in the name of honour would be the focus of the discussion forum.

'We don't know the actual background for the killing, but if there is talk of an 'honour killing', I would say there is no honour involved,' said Nazir. 'He has lost a sister, and the family must now mourn over two losses, both the daughter and the son are gone. Honour is a strange word to use.'

Immigration consultant Fahmy Almajid told daily newspaper MetroXpress that while he supported the young Pakistanis' initiative, he feared it would not prevent future murders of a similar nature.

'It's not the young people who decide whether a girl is to be killed,' he said. 'It's the head of the family. So it's the parents who need to be reached, and they are harder to approach.'

Almajid, who has often acted as mediator in family conflicts where daughters have rejected their family's demands on marriage and lifestyle, said honour killings happened more often in families with strong ties to the old homeland.

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