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NEWS EXTRA

Govt must 'stop hiding behind the shield of political correctness' on 'honour killings'

Christians need to sharpen up their pastoral care when responding to wider community issues, including so-called "honour killings".

Christian Peoples Alliance leader and London Mayoral candidate Ram Gidoomal made the plea in response to the sentencing recently of Kurdish Muslim, Abdalla Yones, who was jailed for life for killing his teenage daughter Heshu because she had become "too westernised" and had started dating a Christian.

Abdalla stabbed her 17 times and slit her throat, before trying to commit suicide.

In a note found after her death Heshu wrote: "I will find a way to independently look after myself. I will go to social security and get myself a flat or hostel. I will be okay. Don't look for me because I don't know where I'm going yet ..."

Mr Gidoomal was one of many Christians to respond to the death of 16-year-old Heshu Yones. For Pall Singh, director of East+West Trust, the news was a sad reminder of the young women he knew who needed sanctuary from abusive homes.

Pall said: "Even in my childhood in India, I remember a young girl who lost her virginity before the arranged marriage was take place. The most 'honourable thing' was for the family to somehow dispose of her."

Pall now runs a weekly meditative worship service called Sanctuary and is also involved with 9Javan ("new life") a youth group for Christian British Asians. He and his family have provided a home for young women, like Heshu, who need to escape a difficult family situation. He said: "We do have a responsibility to be family to them. Just getting alongside, being friends, being mediators ...

"There is a lot that Christians are involved with, in terms of coming alongside young people who are having to make very difficult decisions because of living in two cultures and two worlds."

He told the story of one "girl in danger" whose parents were forcing her to go to a Muslim country for an arranged marriage. "She literally ran away," he said. "She went to the police station and they put her in a hostel. It was too westernised, and they didn't understand anything of her culture. So she left and walked the streets of London, just crying and she prayed to God."

Later that day, she met a Christian couple. "They said 'Can we pray for you?' They were able to contact us ... and we arranged to look after her and support her. As Christians one of the things we can do is pray, for the young person, and pray for the family as well."

He said that, when possible, the goal is not to "isolate" the young person, but to "build a relationship with the family. To build the right to talk to the father, and the mother, and say: 'have you thought about this?' And that has happened. It is Christ that is the centre, not the culture. And Christ relates to all colours, creeds and backgrounds.

"I don't want Asian families reading this and saying 'they're out to divide our family'. We're out there to strengthen the family. The issues are real. We can't just walk away from them."

Ram Gidoomal added: "It is time that all those in authority stop hiding behind the shield of political correctness, which allows the shameful practice of such killings to take place under the guise of a 'cultural norm'. They need to actively pursue practices that ensure that the rights of all our citizens, particularly those who are vulnerable to family abuse, are not violated."

He also stressed that the Church has a responsibility to issues affecting the wider communities, and that Christians should not feel they are "not involved or immune". He said that teachers, hospital staff, schools workers and those in the police force have a particular responsibility, urging them to be on the "lookout for kids" whose grades drop and who seem upset and "nervous" adding that Christians' "pastoral side needs to be sharpened".

One Christian charity worker, who had first hand experience with an area where an 'honour killing' took place, said that as a result it stirred up questions in the community - particularly among young girls.

"Ethnic minority groups are very sensitive about how the community perceives these things," she added. "They are the minority here and they have to live here ... This is not just a Muslim thing, it happens across other communities. People who want to marry, or have relationships, outside their community have great difficulty."

She asked Christians: "Don't judge the whole community on one person. Pray for communities as they work out their culture within a wider culture."

For further information about East+West Trust, ring 0121 632 4462 or visit www.eastandwest.co.uk

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		NEWS EXTRA Govt must 'stop hiding behind the shield of political correctness' on 'honour killings' Christians need to sharpen up their pastoral care when responding to wider community issues, including so-called "honour killings". Christian Peoples Alliance leader and London Mayoral candidate Ram Gidoomal made the plea in response to the sentencing recently of Kurdish Muslim, Abdalla Yones, who was jailed for life for killing his teenage daughter Heshu because she had become "too westernised" and had started dating a Christian. Abdalla stabbed her 17 times and slit her throat, before trying to commit suicide. In a note found after her death Heshu wrote: "I will find a way to independently look after myself. I will go to social security and get myself a flat or hostel. I will be okay. Don't look for me because I don't know where I'm going yet ..." Mr Gidoomal was one of many Christians to respond to the death of 16-year-old Heshu Yones. For Pall Singh, director of East+West Trust, the news was a sad reminder of the young women he knew who needed sanctuary from abusive homes. Pall said: "Even in my childhood in India, I remember a young girl who lost her virginity before the arranged marriage was take place. The most 'honourable thing' was for the family to somehow dispose of her." Pall now runs a weekly meditative worship service called Sanctuary and is also involved with 9Javan ("new life") a youth group for Christian British Asians. He and his family have provided a home for young women, like Heshu, who need to escape a difficult family situation. He said: "We do have a responsibility to be family to them. Just getting alongside, being friends, being mediators ... "There is a lot that Christians are involved with, in terms of coming alongside young people who are having to make very difficult decisions because of living in two cultures and two worlds." He told the story of one "girl in danger" whose parents were forcing her to go to a Muslim country for an arranged marriage. "She literally ran away," he said. "She went to the police station and they put her in a hostel. It was too westernised, and they didn't understand anything of her culture. So she left and walked the streets of London, just crying and she prayed to God." Later that day, she met a Christian couple. "They said 'Can we pray for you?' They were able to contact us ... and we arranged to look after her and support her. As Christians one of the things we can do is pray, for the young person, and pray for the family as well." He said that, when possible, the goal is not to "isolate" the young person, but to "build a relationship with the family. To build the right to talk to the father, and the mother, and say: 'have you thought about this?' And that has happened. It is Christ that is the centre, not the culture. And Christ relates to all colours, creeds and backgrounds. "I don't want Asian families reading this and saying 'they're out to divide our family'. We're out there to strengthen the family. The issues are real. We can't just walk away from them." Ram Gidoomal added: "It is time that all those in authority stop hiding behind the shield of political correctness, which allows the shameful practice of such killings to take place under the guise of a 'cultural norm'. They need to actively pursue practices that ensure that the rights of all our citizens, particularly those who are vulnerable to family abuse, are not violated." He also stressed that the Church has a responsibility to issues affecting the wider communities, and that Christians should not feel they are "not involved or immune". He said that teachers, hospital staff, schools workers and those in the police force have a particular responsibility, urging them to be on the "lookout for kids" whose grades drop and who seem upset and "nervous" adding that Christians' "pastoral side needs to be sharpened". One Christian charity worker, who had first hand experience with an area where an 'honour killing' took place, said that as a result it stirred up questions in the community - particularly among young girls. "Ethnic minority groups are very sensitive about how the community perceives these things," she added. "They are the minority here and they have to live here ... This is not just a Muslim thing, it happens across other communities. People who want to marry, or have relationships, outside their community have great difficulty." She asked Christians: "Don't judge the whole community on one person. Pray for communities as they work out their culture within a wider culture." For further information about East+West Trust, ring 0121 632 4462 or visit www.eastandwest.co.uk © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.