Alvin M. Keeling 
Iraq (MNN) — Iran and Iraq have recently experienced two “honour killings” women.
Joe Willey with SAT-7 United States talks about a case from northern Iraq. “Now these so-called honor killings can be defined as the killing of a relative, especially a girl or a woman, who is perceived to have dishonored the family. One of these two women was killed after posting a video of herself on TikTok singing Christian songs.
“It is suspected that his murder was in retaliation for his apparent Christian beliefs.
This woman was daughter of a Muslim cleric and had been married at age 12. She had separated from her husband and had become an activist for women’s rights. Her brother and her uncle killed her.
In Iran, a husband beheaded his 17 year old female after returning from a flight to Turkey. People took photos of him parading his remains through the streets. She had also been married at age 12, younger than the Iranian legal limit of 13 for girls (15 for boys).
Unfortunately, the Iranian government’s response was to shut down the news agency that first published the story.
Value of women
This is an illustration of the low value these societies place on women. Willey says: “Iranian civil law says that if a wife abstains from her duties towards her husband, she does not receive financial support. Women face stress and challenges if they leave their homes without the right kind of clothing. And I found it surprising from my American perspective, but even riding a bike can expose a woman to criminal prosecution.
SAT-7 programs work to change this culture through programs like Insiders, broadcast on the Farsi channel SAT-7 PARS. Willey says, “Iranian viewers are confronted with the biblical truth that women are made in the image of God and have intrinsic worth. It is the same value as a man. SAT-7 programming also breaks a cultural taboo by even discussing these topics.
Ask God to change the cultural view of women in Iraq and Iran.
Header photo courtesy of SAT-7 USA.
