at will. Even when there exists no grounds for divorce, men are able to work the systemin order to get a divorce. Women rarely choose to fight court decisions or ask foralimony.16Sexual impropriety or a failure to comply with the expectations surroundingmarriage and divorce may lead to murder in many Islamic countries. These brutal murderscommitted by family members have become known as "honor killings."Honor killing has its roots in the crude Arabic expression "a man's honor lies betweenthe legs of a woman." For Arab women, virginity before marriage and fidelity afterwardare considered musts. Men are expected to control their female relatives. If a womanstrays, it is widely thought, the dignity of the men can be restored only by killingher....The slightest sniff of a scandal can be a death warrant..."Once the story is out inthe community, " says Asma Khader, a lawyer and feminist, "they have to kill." Forbidden sex isn't always the issue. Marrying or divorcing against family wishes canalso provoke murder.17Men that have committed murders such as these feel very proud about the fact,and unfortunately many countries do not condone or try to adequately prevent suchkillings. In Jordan, the state tries to prevent these murders by locking up the women whomight be at risk until the family has signed a document that says they will not harm thewomen. Despite these agreements, many women are killed after they have been released,and men serve relatively short terms in prison for the murders.Because of the Arab logic that exists behind honor killings, virginity testing isdangerous for Muslim women to undergo. In Islamic societies women are forced toundergo virginity tests. This has led to depression and suicide attempts among Muslimwomen. The practice of forced virginity testing is a basic denial of rights, liberty, andhappiness. It is a violation of the body and the individual. Doctors consider virginitytesting to be inaccurate, wh...
