To Kill in the Name of Honour

Browsing through the shelves at Readers a couple days ago, I found a very important book that weaves a fictional account of the killing of Leen by her brother Ali. The story is led by Jude, the lawyer and activist who relentlessly tracks the appalling details of a case that reveals victims of others and their own culture, and the honor that shames societies.

To Kill in the Name of Honour is told from the brave point of view of Jordanian teenage writer, Shirin Mired. Shirin's engaging storytelling is filled with honest insight about the painful and confusing issue of crimes committed in the name of honor, the challenges our society faces, and the need for an entire nation to rise and take a stand against crimes that mar a culture and its people.

Shirin's remarkable effort is a call to action towards the goal of reminding ourselves and each other what the fabric of honor in humanity truly is, and to work towards the transformation of this deeply ingrained cultural mindset. A crime is a crime, there's no honor in that.

From the book jacket:

To Kill in the Name of Honour is a shocking expose of the practice of honour killing, which illustrates the human and emotional costs of such traditions for victims and perpetrators alike.

Shirin Mired was born in Amman, Jordan in 1993. She is a student in the Amman Baccalaureate School and, at the time of writing To Kill in the Name of Honour, is in grade ten. She has a keen interest in social causes, is outspoken among her peers and hopes to make a difference in the future.

In Amman available at Readers/Cozmo.
ISBN 978-9957-406-82-0

Take time to pick up and read Shirin Mired's book. Then ask yourself and others to define honor. It's a conversation that needs to grow, get loud and unstoppable until we achieve the mindset shift for an entire culture to regain the true meaning of honor. It's our right.