Mary Ann Bruni: Quest for Honor Film Screening and Discussion

The alarming rise in “honor killing,” the act of men killing daughters, sisters, and wives who threaten “family honor,” endangers tens of thousands of women in Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, and adjoining countries. Global communication through satellite television, Internet, and cell phones has raised the expectations of young Middle Eastern women, who now are not content to marry a much older relative their father might choose and live a life of servitude. While young women respond to new ideas from cyber pals in Los Angeles or episodes of popular Western sitcoms, their fathers and brothers demand strict tribal justice for their acts. Particularly in rural areas, women have been killed simply for having unfamiliar phone numbers on their cell phones or speaking to men who are not relatives.