Let’s Stop Othello and Save Desdemona (No More Honor Killings)
Even William Shakespeare doesn’t spare his efforts to warn us from the so-called honor killings. You might be surprised by my statement, but he really did. Don’t you remember Othello the Arab Prince who slaughtered his wife Desdemona just because of rumors about her cheating on him with another man ( his friend, Cassio)?. I bet you did at least hear about it. Thanks God! Shakespeare made Othello – before he commits suicide upon knowing the truth – say some words that show how foolish are those who think that they are saving their honor when killing their dearest ones:
(Othello : then must you speak of one that loved not wisely, of one not easily jealous, but ,being wrought, perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand like the base Indian threw a pearl away richer than all his tribe…)
What does Othello gain from all the glorious victories that he achieved in Italy and Europe when he committed the mistake of his life? The answer is nothing, and he deserves to die dishonored; yes dishonored because he doesn’t understand what honor is, and he looks for it in the red drops of innocent Desdemona’s blood.
How many of that rash Othello do we have in our midst today, living with us, breathing the same impure air of the Middle East that we breathe; they might be people we know and see frequently.
The last Othello I heard about is from Syria, and what a hair-raising story that was! This person had unjustified suspicions that his wife was cheating on him, and one night he heard noises coming from the roof of his house in a late hour; brave Othello held his gun and went up to find out who was there. He didn’t find any trace, but his sick mind told him that that was his wife’s lover trying to get in. What he did was that he shot HIS WIFE two fatal bullets and she died directly. It was found out later that the noises were that of a CAT! ( read the story in details in Arabic on my blog http://ghashmary.blogspot.com )
But still the future is in our hands, and hand in hand we can change the world. All I need from you is to support LAHA the new Mideast feminist initiative to save the innocent souls of our women.
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Great article Ahmad, we’ll be sure to try our best and generate as much support and interest for LAHA. Thank you for helping women across this region in making a difference in our future! I believe that change is possible as long as there are people like you fighting for it.
Hi Ahmad and welcome to mideast youth! Esra just gave me a link to your Ikbis video clip, you make us very proud. Keep up the important work you are doing and please let me know what I can do to help.
Thank you Esra’a and Murad for your comments. and regarding how one can support this project, in the coming days I will provide Mideast Youth with an overview about our project and its major issues. As a first step, we will be launching a campaign against honor kilings.
Ahmad, good for you for not only paying lip service to this issue, but for trying to do effect concrete change. It can be done, but it will take effort and a certain willingness to have your ideas criticized and your name dragged through the mud. But don’t let anyone get you down.
Wishing you every success.