In Honor of Fadime: Murder and Shame

by Unni Wikan, Anna Paterson (Translation)

In 2002 young Fadime Sahindal was brutally murdered by her own father. She belonged to a family of Kurdish immigrants who had lived in Sweden for almost two decades. But Fadime’s relationship with a man outside of their community had deeply dishonored her family, and only her death could remove the stain. This abhorrent crime shocked the world, and her name soon became a rallying cry in the struggle to combat so-called honor killings. 
 
Unni Wikan narrates Fadime’s heartbreaking story through her own eloquent words, along with the testimonies of her father, mother, and two sisters. What unfolds is a tale of courage and betrayal, loyalty and love, power and humiliation, and a nearly unfathomable clash of cultures. Despite enduring years of threats over her emancipated life, Fadime advocated compassion for her killer to the end, believing him to be trapped by an unyielding code of honor. Wikan puts this shocking event in context by analyzing similar honor killings throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States. She also examines the concept of honor in historical and cross-cultural depth, concluding that Islam itself is not to blame—indeed, honor killings occur across religious and ethnic traditions—but rather the way that many cultures have resolutely linked honor with violence.
 
In Honor of Fadime  holds profound and timely insights into conservative Kurdish culture, but ultimately the heart of this powerful book is Fadime’s courageous and tragic story—and Wikan’s telling of it is riveting.

Genres: Anthropology, Islam, Religion, Nonfiction, Biography

314 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Unni Wikan is professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo, Norway. She has served as visiting professor at the University of Chicago (2011), Harvard University (1999–2000), Goethe University, Frankfurt (2000), London School of Economics (1997), École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris (1996). She has also been a visiting scholar at Harvard University (1995), guest lecturer at Harvard (1987), guest lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel (1983) and visiting assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University (1977).

Wikan has worked as a consultant to UNICEF and the World Food Programme in Bhutan from 1989 to 1994, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation in Palestinian areas in 1999, and United Nations Development Program in Yemen (2004).

For almost ten years, Wikan has campaigned to change Norwegian policies towards immigrants, arguing that generous welfare and a policy of multicultural tolerance are creating a culture of welfare dependence, and destroying self-respect. A reviewer of her book Generous Betrayal: Politics of Culture in the New Europe claims that she used invalid methodology, not giving "a far more complex social reality" its due.

Wikan has performed field work in a number of countries (Egypt, Oman, Yemen, Indonesia, Bhutan, Scandinavia) and her research has resulted in ten books being published. Her works have been translated into Japanese, Arabic, Kurdish, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, German, and Italian.

Wikan was awarded the 2004 Fritt Ord Award "for her insightful, outspoken and challenging contribution to the debate on value conflicts in the multi-cultural society."

She is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oman

"The sake of honor must take into account a world view in which the privacy and peace of family life are alpha and omega and public exposure is the most extreme kind of shame."

"The code of honor stands against the rule of law."

"Honor killing is a matter of tradition rather than religion."

"The United Nations estimates that annually about five thousand persons die in honor killings."

"Religion is a part of culture. In practice, the two can not be separated. Relgion is a matter of interpretation and understanding."

"Respect for culture has been a tenet of the integration policy of most western societies--so central that you risk being branded racist if you do not show respect for the culture of others."

"In April 2004 Norway became the first country in Europe to criminalize forced marriage. Belgium and Denmark have followed suit."

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Focuses on the case of Fadime Sahindal, a young Swedish woman of Kurdish descent, who was murdered by her father after breaking from the family to be with a Swedish man. Also examines several other cases of honor crimes that have occurred somewhat recently within various immigrant communities of Scandinavian countries. Honor killing is often regarded as an Islamic practice. This author dives home the point that honor killing, though it does happen in some Muslim societies, is in no way sanctioned by Islam or the Qur'an. Cases of honor killing have also been documented among Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Confucians, Jews, and others; and in all cases, it is practiced only within certain social groups. Honor killing seems to be on the rise among some immigrant communities in fairly liberal nations such as Sweden and Norway, as well as parts of Western Europe, and even in America.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started reading this book thinking it was going to be a novel, and was mistaken (guess I could have done my research there). I was committed before I figured that out, so I kept at it. While I wouldn't say I enjoyed reading this book, it certainly provided a different perspective on honor killing, and tried to explain why - to some - it is a reasonable outcome of a turn of events.

[Elli (The Bibliophile) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but left me asking a lot of questions. Good as a biography, but not that great as an exploration of the causes of honour killing. Maybe my expectations were too high...However, overall an engaging read. Would rate 3 1/2 stars if possible. A very emotional read, for sure.

[Ann Tonks · Rating 3 out of 5]

A deeply depressing exploration of "honour" killings in Europe focusing on the live and death of Fadime Sahindal in Sweden. Another book that demonstrates the tension when tribal families, with the commitment to community above individual and men above women, move to the west.