Back at school for January term, I face the daunting task of writing my introduction for the thesis. My adviser constantly tells me that the introduction is the most difficult, anxiety pulling, and frightening section to write. So far, it seems like it will be tough. This post will be used to merely free-write and explore what I want to say. For those still sticking with the blog and reading it, I commend you. I have more plans for this blog in the future so stay tuned......
Notes for an Introduction
This thesis explores the consequences of the book Forbidden Love/Honour Lost written by Norma Khouri. In this book, Khouri tells her "true" story about the honor killing of her best friend Dalia. Dalia and Norma consider themselves visionaries regarding Arab women. They believe all Arab women live in a universal hell created by their culture, Islam and Arab men. These factors hold them back. Instead of leaving, the spend their times deceiving the system. Still living with their families, a factor they resent, they open a hair salon. While at the salon, Dalia meets a Christian man named Michael who she fancies. Excited with the prospect of setting up Dalia and Michael, they further deceive their family to allow Dalia and Michael time together. Eventually, they are found out and Dalia is killed by her father. Khouri is outraged and escapes to Greece with the help of Michael. Apparently, her country and her parents are threatening to kill her.
The book is dominated by a superior tone. Khouri believes she is right, that the Freedom of the West is the freedom that the Arab world needs.
This story is a lie.
The book sold over 20,000 copies in Australia. It was translated into 15 languages. Khouri went on tours around America and Australia promoting her book. Arriving in the post-9/11 climate, the insight the book provided about Arab women and the Arab world was consumed greedily. She could not have published this book at a more critical point for a successful reception.
Confessional memoirs are not a phenomenon. Even memoirs regarding honor killings. There are several. Perhaps the best example is Burned Alive written by an anonymous author who claims she survived having her entire body burned. Several themes reemerge. There is the note of barbarism of the Arab life which is promoted and controlled by the brutal males. Furthermore, there are sections that are written from the UN worker that "saved" her. This also introduces a very Westernized tone, one that suggests the necessity of "saving" Arab women.
So this book has a lot of issues as well including debates on its truth. But why do I focus on Khouri? Why is her controversy worth exploring? For several reasons.
1. The response: The book was well received. It got a lot of reception, received a lot of fanfare.
2. The political climate
3. The reflection of Khouri's language in the news media
4. The rising importance of the Arab Woman for the United States
5. The damage in Jordan
6. The books potential use as a collective memory for the political climate
What I aim to explore in this thesis is the possible value in Khouri's book. Although it caused a lot difficulty in Jordan, it represents a certain agreed upon collective memory regarding how the United States in particular viewed Arab women. A memory we agreed upon by publishing articles and increasing the dialogue about Arab women. Since Khouri spent most of her life in Chicago, she saw this dialogue, she absorbed it and she published it. This is my speculation.
Is it a worthy document to study? Can students in the future learn from it?
To truly understand this issue, we need to dissect honor killings themselves. We cannot accept Khouri's definition, but rather must look at them more substantially. Then we can see the contrast in the rhetoric about honor killings and see the mistakes. We can understand why Khouri represents them.
Also, we can see this book as a new type of colonialism. It is an invasion, an affront. Much like colonizers of the past chose to moralize their missions, this book justifies itself by a moralization of the countries policies. It disrupts the country and makes further divisions. It accomplishes nothing in the way of decreasing honor killings.
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Alright everyone. This was just a moment of writing it all out, without stopping until I ran out of steam.
I ran out of steam!
Best,
Liz
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