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Why Iran's women kill their husbands
Restrictive laws leave them feeling murder is the only way out
By Ali Akbar Dareini
ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...854&call_pagepath=News/World&col=968350060724
TEHRAN — Married at age 13 to a man 18 years her senior, Ferdows was the wife
that Iranian society expected her to be: obedient and silent, despite the
beatings and humiliation.
But after 30 years of marriage, she had enough. She arranged to have her
husband, Hedayat, killed, authorities say.
Ferdows, who has been convicted of murder and sentenced to death, is one of at
least 20 Tehran women accused of murdering their husbands since February.
Initially, the reports of the slayings were largely unnoticed. That changed as
the number rose and Iranians began to see the killings as signs of social
stresses.
"Husband killing is a new phenomenon in Iran's male-dominated society. It means
economic hardships and social crises are reaching a crisis point," said
sociologist Mohammad Ahmadi.
He cited a number of problems in Iranian society that lead to frustration and
desperation: forced marriages, philandering by husbands, impotence, poverty and
no healthy entertainment in a country where Islamic laws ban socializing
between men and women not closely related.
Others blame restrictive divorce laws that leave women feeling murder is the
only way out of a bad marriage.
For Ferdows, the problem was abuse by her husband. "During 30 years of
matrimonial life, Hedayat always beat me. He was a doubter and skeptical of
everything and didn't trust me. He had made the life hell for me," Ferdows told
authorities, who identified her only by her first name.
Ferdows paid a man the equivalent of $5,715 to stab her husband to death three
years ago, prosecutors said. The crime was hidden until February, when police
found her husband's remains in an abandoned building. She had told people he
abandoned her.
The hit man and Ferdows were convicted and sentenced at a closed trial in
April. Word of the outcome leaked out a few weeks ago.
Death is the penalty for women who murder their husbands here. Some have been
convicted and executed. Others are on death row or await trial. They come from
all social classes.
"Divorce is the first solution for women to get rid of an undesirable troubled
life. But why did these women ignore this option and resort to something that
carries the death sentence?'' asked the monthly magazine Zanan (Women).
Iranian men can divorce almost at will. But a woman must go through a legal
battle that can take up to 20 years — and still not end the marriage, said
lawyer Sara Irani.
Under Iran's Islamic laws, a man is allowed to keep four wives at a time. Even
if a husband is having an affair, he can claim to have undertaken a sigheh, or
temporary marriage. It is a contract under Iranian law that allows a man and
woman to be ``married" for any length of time they choose. Critics call it
legalized prostitution.
Nor does a wife trapped in a violent marriage have much recourse.
"A woman has to bring four men witnesses confirming violence against her by her
husband," Irani said. "How is a woman in Iran expected to keep four men in her
bedroom to witness her husband beating her?''
To Irani, husband killing is the "outcome of humiliation and discrimination
against women" and the recent surge in cases should pressure the country's
leaders to improve legal protection for women.
Ahmadi said there is virtually no sex education in Iran, so unhappy marriages
and domestic violence can arise when couples do not know how to please each
other. "Many couples don't have enjoyable sex."
Abdosamad Khorramshahi, a lawyer, sees social change as a factor.
"Previously ... women were not allowed even to get out of the home without the
husband's permission. Now, things have changed. They are more outspoken and
courageous. Women have become aware of their rights and are fighting for
equality."
Restrictive laws leave them feeling murder is the only way out
By Ali Akbar Dareini
ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...854&call_pagepath=News/World&col=968350060724
TEHRAN — Married at age 13 to a man 18 years her senior, Ferdows was the wife
that Iranian society expected her to be: obedient and silent, despite the
beatings and humiliation.
But after 30 years of marriage, she had enough. She arranged to have her
husband, Hedayat, killed, authorities say.
Ferdows, who has been convicted of murder and sentenced to death, is one of at
least 20 Tehran women accused of murdering their husbands since February.
Initially, the reports of the slayings were largely unnoticed. That changed as
the number rose and Iranians began to see the killings as signs of social
stresses.
"Husband killing is a new phenomenon in Iran's male-dominated society. It means
economic hardships and social crises are reaching a crisis point," said
sociologist Mohammad Ahmadi.
He cited a number of problems in Iranian society that lead to frustration and
desperation: forced marriages, philandering by husbands, impotence, poverty and
no healthy entertainment in a country where Islamic laws ban socializing
between men and women not closely related.
Others blame restrictive divorce laws that leave women feeling murder is the
only way out of a bad marriage.
For Ferdows, the problem was abuse by her husband. "During 30 years of
matrimonial life, Hedayat always beat me. He was a doubter and skeptical of
everything and didn't trust me. He had made the life hell for me," Ferdows told
authorities, who identified her only by her first name.
Ferdows paid a man the equivalent of $5,715 to stab her husband to death three
years ago, prosecutors said. The crime was hidden until February, when police
found her husband's remains in an abandoned building. She had told people he
abandoned her.
The hit man and Ferdows were convicted and sentenced at a closed trial in
April. Word of the outcome leaked out a few weeks ago.
Death is the penalty for women who murder their husbands here. Some have been
convicted and executed. Others are on death row or await trial. They come from
all social classes.
"Divorce is the first solution for women to get rid of an undesirable troubled
life. But why did these women ignore this option and resort to something that
carries the death sentence?'' asked the monthly magazine Zanan (Women).
Iranian men can divorce almost at will. But a woman must go through a legal
battle that can take up to 20 years — and still not end the marriage, said
lawyer Sara Irani.
Under Iran's Islamic laws, a man is allowed to keep four wives at a time. Even
if a husband is having an affair, he can claim to have undertaken a sigheh, or
temporary marriage. It is a contract under Iranian law that allows a man and
woman to be ``married" for any length of time they choose. Critics call it
legalized prostitution.
Nor does a wife trapped in a violent marriage have much recourse.
"A woman has to bring four men witnesses confirming violence against her by her
husband," Irani said. "How is a woman in Iran expected to keep four men in her
bedroom to witness her husband beating her?''
To Irani, husband killing is the "outcome of humiliation and discrimination
against women" and the recent surge in cases should pressure the country's
leaders to improve legal protection for women.
Ahmadi said there is virtually no sex education in Iran, so unhappy marriages
and domestic violence can arise when couples do not know how to please each
other. "Many couples don't have enjoyable sex."
Abdosamad Khorramshahi, a lawyer, sees social change as a factor.
"Previously ... women were not allowed even to get out of the home without the
husband's permission. Now, things have changed. They are more outspoken and
courageous. Women have become aware of their rights and are fighting for
equality."
