Saturday, December 19, 2009

It's Not One World

From the obfuscated BBC:

'Honour killing' father given life for Tulay murder.

"A father has been jailed for life, with a minimum tariff of 22 years, for murdering his 15-year-old daughter in a so-called honour killing.

Tulay Goren disappeared in 1999 after having a relationship with a man her family disapproved of.

At the Old Bailey, her father Mehmet, 49, was convicted of murder. His brothers Cuma Goren, 42, and Ali Goren, 55, were cleared of the charge.

Tulay was last seen at her home in north London, in January 1999.

The body of the schoolgirl - who told a friend she may have been pregnant just before she disappeared - has never been found.

The court previously heard Mehmet Goren disapproved of Tulay's relationship with factory worker Halil Unal because of religious differences and the fact Mr Unal was 15 years older than Tulay."

Notice the headline quotation marks. And the first paragraph description of the crime as a "so-called honour killing" - all as if to minimize the motivation proceeding the crime.

And notice the names. Not European. Maybe they're immigrants. Perhaps East Indian? Middle Eastern? And what religion precipitated these "religious differences?" Jewish? Christian? Perhaps Anglican or Catholic.

Who knows? The first dozen or so paragraphs are disturbingly vague, but we finally get a clue in the 14th paragraph:
"Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, said (the father) killed Tulay "to restore the so-called honour" of the family, who originate from Turkey.

The term "honour" was an "appalling and inappropriate way" to "dignify" the offence, he added.

The court heard Mr Unal was brought up as a Sunni Muslim while the Gorens were from the Alevi branch of the faith.

Despite coming from places no more than 60 miles apart in Turkey, a relationship between the sects "would not have been tolerated", and Tulay was killed by Goren "to avoid further humiliation."

Oh. So their Muslims. A religion with a horrific rash of headlines lately for this type of brutality - specifically against women.
"Police said they were now better able to recognise "tell-tale signs" connected to honour violence.

Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, said that the Goren case was a "terrible reminder of what honour-based crime can involve" and a "wake-up call" to the existence of the problem in this country."

The BBC maybe clueless, but British police & prosecuters seem to grasp the severity of this malignant situation in their nation.

Coming soon to a North American continent near you.