23 May, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has written on his blog about his heartbreak and rage over the savage murder of Dua Khalil Aswad. This story has clearly shaken him and moved him to take action, just as it has done for me and many others. On his blog, he rails against the misogyny that exists everywhere in this world:
Women’s inferiority – in fact, their malevolence — is as ingrained in American popular culture as it is anywhere they’re sporting burkhas. I find it in movies, I hear it in the jokes of colleagues, I see it plastered on billboards, and not just the ones for horror movies. Women are weak. Women are manipulative. Women are somehow morally unfinished. (Objectification: another tangential rant avoided.) And the logical extension of this line of thinking is that women are, at the very least, expendable.
I’m glad that someone in Hollywood is aware of these issues, since Hollywood plays such a key role in women’s worldwide exploitation and dehumanization. (Wheedon’s comparison of the Dua videos to a current Hollywood movie trailer is a must-read.) It’s important that someone like Whedon is writing about this because he has a much louder voice than the rest of us. And I think it’s important he is urging people to do something about this, not just rant and rave.
I also think it’s important that men write about this issue. It seems the majority of the outraged comments on my blog posts about Dua have come from men. I’ve received e-mails from men who are heartbroken over this, who say they are having nightmares, who say they are embarrassed to be men because of this story. I think all too often, we think of something like this as a “women’s issue.” We think that women should lead the charge to eradicate misogynist horrors like “honor killing.” That’s a mistake. This is just as much a men’s issue as a women’s issue. Men have so much to contribute to this. If you are a man and you are reading this, you have a tremendous amount of power to work for change, to help create a world where women are not brutalized and victimized. Whedon links to Equality Now as a place to start. Amnesty International is another place (US site, UK site). Madre is another important organization for women’s rights and they are focusing a lot on the situation in Iraq.
See my previous post on the letter writing campaign.
Tags: Dua Khalil Aswad
Anglofille said @ 3:44 pm | feminism |
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Ritika Says:
May 29th, 2007 at 6:21 pmDu’a,
The last few moments of your life were truly horrifying and my heart bled for you when I watched the video. I am not sure of the intentions of the video being sent in, but what I know is - watching it in reality evoked a whole range of emotions from within my soul. I can’t feel what you felt, but I came closer to it than I could ever have by simply reading about inhumane event.
Simply put, this segment of your life has been broadcasted to millions across the world and it has inspired MANY people to take a stance against such horrendus acts. Your death has empowered many women throughout the globe and although it will take some time, these inhumane practices will eventually be put to rest.
In Urdu, your name, “Dua” means prayer. Your existence and experiences have inspired the rest of us to do just that: pray for humanity amongst all.
God Bless.
Hope your soul is peace.Love,
Ritika -
Serjio Says:
June 2nd, 2007 at 11:52 pmTears on my face…about this video(((( Tears about your tragic love…
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Tommy Says:
August 11th, 2007 at 3:19 amThe moment i saw the video, tears drop and my heart felt your brutal death. How i wished i can pulled you out from stoning by the brutally merciless crowd, and take you here in U.S.A. to help you and to start a new life. You’re a hero and a martyr. A woman who died because of love. You’re death will live to my heart as long as i lived, and im praying for your justice. Dua Khalil Aswad. I will see you soon in heaven, may you rest in peace.
love,
Edmar (tommy) -
It has been 8 months since I first heard of Dua’s murder and watched the video and I still think of her daily and wish, like Edmar (Tommy) that I too could have reached into the crowd and taken her away. Dua has touched so many lives, I know she will be forever in my heart, I am still enraged that these murderers have gone unpunished and that these atrocities continue day after day. When will it stop, does signing a petition really help? Does anyone see it, what more can we do? Dua’s video has opened our eyes to this horrendous act and I will continue to write letters to my newspapers and spread the word to as many people as possible, hopefully someone with power will read and listen and do something to help these victims, this violence must be stopped and those that participate in this act must be punished to the full extent of the law, not a slap on the wrist but the maximum punishment - hanging is a start! This violence against women is unacceptable - Dua’s death should not be forgotten - she represents all victims of this so called “honor killig” - I have set up a memorial site - please go to http://doa-aswad.memory-of.com/ and “light a candle” in Dua’s memory - don’t ever forget her - she is now part of all of us - Judy
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char Says:
July 18th, 2008 at 7:17 pmThis terrilbe atrocity has been in my mind, unerasable, since I saw it in May 2007. I thought–what was I doing while she was suffering her last moments in unimaginable horror. It was Saturday, near Easter I think; I was sleeping late, doing errands, reading, watching tv, getting ready to go out that evening. Usual things.
For Dua it was the end of the world as she knew it.
What evil evil people to murder her like that. Their world would not have collapsed had she gone on with her love plans and her boyfriend. All they had to do was forget about her if it offended them so much–this is the 21st century. But instead they left a legacy of evil and cruelty that will never be forgotten.
