No Honor in "Honor Killings": Why We Should Care About People Like Farzana Iqbal

Why Should We Care About Farzana Iqbal? (English)

Farzana Iqbal Ke Baray Mein Ham Ko Kyun Khayal Karna Hey? (Urdu)

I recently uploaded two version of essentially the same talk: one in English and one in my barely functional Urdu regarding my frustration at so many levels about the phenomenon of "Honor Killings" and its most recent well-known spectacle in the case of Farzana Iqbal, Allah have mercy upon her.

It is a very unpolished talk, which comes from the heart, and it is something I had to say, as a Muslim, as well as a student of sacred knowledge, if anyone cares to listen.

It expresses my broken heart about something that I know to be an element of jahiliyyah in many, though certainly not most, Pakistani Muslims, as well as people's lack of courage to speak out against it, which includes, sadly, many who serve sacred knowledge.

It expresses my broken heart about people and police watching, and not stopping it.

It expresses my broken heart about people, Muslim, and not, Pakistani and not, thinking that this has something to do with Islam. To tell you the truth, the fact that a Muslim might think that this has any good in it at all is a bigger catastrophe than the fact that a person of another faith might think so, as case one damages one's belief, whereas case two just takes a person from one disbelief to another.

It expresses my broken heart about people thinking that this horrific act has anything to do with the messenger of Allah, Muhammad, sallallahu'alayhi wa sallam, in any way, shape or form.

Allah guide us to something better, and make our tomorrow better than our today, and make our akhirah better than this life...