Patriarchal Society Taboos and Honor Killings

The murder of another girl at the hands of her father has once again brought the issue of honor killings to the media. The efforts of social activists to raise awareness about honor killings fade in the shadow of Islamic Republic laws that support patriarchal culture.

For the social deputy of Kerman Province’s law enforcement command, it is important that the media do not publish incorrect information about the Rihaneh Ameri murder case. Colonel Kourosh Ahmad Yousefi told the Islamic Republic News Agency on Wednesday, June 28: “Rihaneh Ameri’s father did not kill his daughter with an axe; he became angry and threw an iron rod at her, which hit her head. The repentant father is currently in police custody.”

Rihaneh Ameri, a 25-year-old girl from Kerman, was killed Tuesday night. Law enforcement found her body in the deserts surrounding the city. The “repentant father” instead of taking his daughter to the hospital, abandoned her in the deserts surrounding the city.

It is unclear how long this young girl survived after the iron rod or axe struck her head. Iranian media outlets reported, citing Rihaneh’s mother, that she had returned home late and her father had threatened her with death.

Contrary to what Colonel Kourosh Ahmad Yousefi, the social deputy of Kerman Province’s law enforcement command, says, Rihaneh Ameri’s murder cannot be reduced to the sudden throwing of an iron rod at her.

Her murder is another example of honor killings in Iran, which in almost all cases are carried out with premeditation and planning, and share a common point: there is no institution to support the victims of honor killings who are threatened multiple times before death.

Asia Aminee, a women’s rights activist, told Deutsche Welle: “We are traditionally a patriarchal society. The patriarchy that we criticize in law is rooted in our culture. We still face many taboos regarding women, for example, talking about the female body or simple sexual education issues are taboo. The government has continuously reinforced these taboos in society over the past 40 years and, for example, prohibited literature, art, and media from even discussing the female body.”

Rihaneh Ameri, whose videos are now widely shared on social networks, was apparently a wedding dress model. Several Iranian media outlets cited her father’s “anger” as being caused by her work as a model.

“Modeling” in cyberspace is a crime and is pursued by Iran’s cyber police. A young girl’s interest in modeling, like her style of dress, choice of profession, or spouse, falls into categories where the patriarchal laws of the Islamic Republic make decisions and is considered as conspiracy with a fanatical father or husband.

These laws, such as the Islamic Penal Code, even if a father commits murder of his daughter, still consider him the “blood heir” and have not defined “retribution” for him. Not only the judiciary, which is an appointed body determined by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, but also elected institutions like the government and parliament make decisions in line with the patriarchal thinking that dominates society.

For example, the bill on ensuring women’s security, which was proposed nine years ago by women’s rights activists for government support of girls and women in the family and was finally passed last year with the renamed “Bill for Dignity, Honor, and Security of Women Against Violence,” has not yet been implemented.

In this bill, many cases that were criminalized in the original text, such as sexual and psychological violence in the family sphere, were deleted. Nevertheless, Massoumeh Ebtekar, the vice president, hopes that the government, by addressing this bill, will find a way to support victims of domestic violence.

Massoumeh Ebtekar said in the first week of June, after the murder of Romina Ashrafi, that the government cabinet intended to “expedite” discussions on the women’s security bill. On Wednesday, June 28, Ebtekar, four weeks after Romina’s murder and following two other high-profile honor killings, told News Online: “The best thing we can currently do to prevent this type of murder is to expedite the implementation of the bill ensuring women’s security against violence.”

Romina Ashrafi, a 14-year-old girl from Talesh in Gilan Province, was murdered at the hands of her father on June 1. Her murder received extensive coverage in domestic and international media and press. Her brutal murder by sickle, however, was forgotten after a few days. Just three weeks later, 19-year-old Fatima Bahravi from Abadan was beheaded by her husband on June 25. Rihaneh Ameri’s murder is the third honor killing in June of 2020 whose news has spread on social networks.

The fate of these three people, who are among the few known victims of honor killings in Iran, sparked reactions from many users and once again raised discussions about laws protecting children and women, and safe houses.

Research by Amin Naja Police Science University shows that a significant portion of murders in traditional communities in southern and western provinces of Iran are honor killings: 39 percent in Khuzestan, 45 percent in Kermanshah, and 40 percent in Kurdistan. This figure is estimated at around 30 percent nationwide.