WUNRN
Women Make Movies - WMM
Film Segment: http://www.wmm.com/advscripts/wmmvideo.aspx?pid=139
CANADA - IN THE NAME OF THE FAMILY -
HONOR KILLINGS
MUSLIM IMMIGRANT FAMILIES - CAUGHT
BETWEEN CULTURES
In
the Name of the Family
A
Film by Shelley
Saywell
Canada,
2010, 60 minutes, Color, DVD
Schoolgirl
Aqsa Parvez, sisters Amina and Sarah Said, and college student Fauzia Muhammad
were all North American teenagers—and victims of premeditated, murderous
attacks by male family members. Only Muhammad survived. Emmy® winner Shelley
Saywell examines each case in depth in this riveting investigation of
"honor killings" of girls in Muslim immigrant families. Not
sanctioned by Islam, the brutalization and violence against young women for
defying male authority derives from ancient tribal notions of honor and family
shame.
As friends and relatives trace escalating tensions leading to the crimes, IN
THE NAME OF THE FAMILY explores community reactions to the tragic events. The
film also delves into the dual, precarious existence of other young Muslim
women struggling to bridge two worlds, along with Muslim women’s efforts to
help girls at special risk. With consummate documentary skills and a passion
for human rights, Saywell puts a much needed human face on a subject that is
all too often silenced or sensationalized in post-9/11 North America.