There was a great diary posted here a few days ago about "honour killings" in Iraq. The post was based on article from the Independent written by an Iraqi woman, Houzan Mahmoud, currently living in exile. I was appalled by the stories, and I commend the writer for bringing this issue to light. One thing that does kind of irk me though, is a trend in the media as a whole to attribute these actions to "Islamic extremists". I think calling the perpetrators "Islamic extremists" is absolutely appropriate for any actions that are actually sanctioned by Islamic religious law, but I dispute that the term should be applied to common criminals who act without any religious authority or conviction. Below is a copy of a letter I wrote to the author.
Dear Houzan,
Asalaamo Alaykum sister, I just finished your article entitled "Iraqi Women Find Election a Cruel Joke". I didn't catch the original in the Independent, but it is still making the rounds at progressive websites. The article was very thought-provoking, and is understandably causing a great deal of concern among progressive people of all stripes. I commend you for drawing attention to the plight of Iraqi women, and it seems that many are indeed paying attention thanks to your work. While I agree with the basic gist of the article, I do however take issue with one thing.
The thing that greatly concerns me is the constant reference to "Islamists" and "Islamic extremists" with regard to murder, kidnapping etc. The trouble is that you know as well as I that there is absolutely NO Islamic justification for "honour killings" and random violence against women, we know that, but the rest of the world doesn't. Muslims living in the west are under increasing pressure and danger from the majority populations in their host countries, especially in America. I can speak from personal experience about violence directed at us from ignorant people. The progressive community has been somewhat free of that... definitely free of the violence, but not of the stereotypes. The reader in the west who hears such tales assumes that these barbarous acts carry some kind of Islamic sanction, like Islam calls for this behavior, as such, we in the west get the backlash from it.
I would like to see a distinction made between what represents "extremist Islam" and common criminality. Honour killings clearly are a cultural manifestation that has no basis in Islam, it's just plain old murder. I doubt there is a scholar alive who would condone such a thing. Individual people are responsible for those atrocities, not Islamic theology. The fact that certain idiots and criminals claim to be muslims when they commit crimes doesn't make it so. Ascribing such an atrocity to Islam is like ascribing the destruction of Fallujah to Christianity, because George Bush claims to be Christian. Obviously there is no "Christian" theological sanction for Fallujah, and likewise there is no Islamic authority for "honour killings", so to describe it as an act done by Islamic extremists is misleading. Islam has nothing to do with those crimes, but random muslims are too often held responsible for them in the west. We are left to deal with the negative stereotypes because someone wrote an article somewhere about "Islamic extremists".
I know you are a secularist and probably couldn't care less if you put me and my family at risk. I accept that, it is your right to say what you will. But consider another angle. I think we both can agree that we want these atrocities to stop, yes? By calling these criminals "Islamic extremists" you are giving them an aura of legitimacy...you are actually helping them. Just using the word "Islam" in describing them intimates that they have some sort of religious sanction for their crimes. They should be called what they are... criminals and killers. Islam itself is an effective tool to shame and disparage these people. Don't let them have the word, take it back for those who believe in justice and I think you will find that we can have a greater impact on Iraqis.
Iraq will never be completely secular, that is simply a fact. One of the best weapons in your arsenal then is to strip the thugs of legitimacy by taking the word Islam away from them. This would serve the dual purpose of telling the rest of the world that these killers aren't acting with religious authority. They would be quickly marginalized if people started thinking of them as kafirs and common killers. The rest of us could breathe a little easier too.
The term "Islamic extremists" is appropriate for atrocities committed with religious sanction...ie taken from Quran or hadith. If the issue was stoning for adultery or something, I would support the use of the term (and some of the contexts that you used it in were appropriate) because it draws attention to the fact that these people ARE acting with religious authority. In other words Islam is responsible for it's doctrine. It is not responsible for random crimes committed by "muslims".
Thank you for your time sister, and if I may be of any service to you, please do not hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Moses