The environment of evil

A video shocks our conscience. A young woman stands in front of her executioners and stands tall. She knows how it will end, yet she does not plead for mercy. The executioners –people who likely knew her and her partner - kill the couple in cold blood. The evil act, captured on video, has gotten national attention. In the days to come, there will be politicians and other nationally prominent people who will condemn the barbarity. There might be some conferences, a few seminars, a discussion or two in talk shows. In the not too distant future, things will reach their prior steady state.

At some point we should ask what makes us angry, and what we accept as normal. Are we angry just because this heinous act was recorded on video? Because we can see evil in front of our own eyes? What if no video would have been made? We would dismiss this as just another statistic? Just another incident of 'tribal customs'? One more 'incident' of family dispute? Would the media even report it? Would the 'notables' of the society take notice?

Just to put things in perspective, the Pakistan human rights council said that in 2024 alone there were 405 cases of 'honour' killings. That means 405 such incidents to what this video showed. 405 executions. The reason the number is in the hundreds is not hard to figure out. How we treat women, how we treat those who defy our 'norms' and how serious we are in creating a more tolerant and just society can explain both the numbers and who becomes another statistic. And remember, that the number 405 by the human rights council is likely an underestimate and is only counting those who were killed. This number says nothing about countless cases of torture and abuse, that remains largely out of our sight. But the problem is not simply about 'them' i.e. those who believe that their honour is defiled, those who resort to barbarianism, those who are the custodians of ancient customs. The rot is a lot deeper, and the problem is with all of us.

Even among those among us who are supposedly 'open minded', issues around gender equality are a taboo subject. Serious discussion on equal rights remains a distant dream. An honest assessment of barriers to dignity for everyone is a non-starter. A march on the topic becomes a national scandal every year. Every year people talk about "proper place" for women in our society. Since the issue at the core of the video is marriage of young couple, we should ask how many people are truly comfortable with a girl marrying with her own accord. Add to this mix words like 'customs', 'honour', 'tradition', 'values', etc and you end up with situations where anyone asking probing questions is viewed as immoral, a western spy, or worse a 'liberal'.

Within the last decade several female colleagues and friends - from different parts of the country and different ideological, religious and political views - have chosen to move out of the country after having careers in Pakistan. There were many reasons for them to look for opportunities outside the country - but one issue came up in all conversations. Every single one of them I spoke to talked about lack of respect and dignity for women and about the shrinking space to exist as an individual.

Some may say that honour killings are not just a Pakistan issue. True. But why does that matter? By that logic we should not worry about terrorism, since that is not just a Pakistan issue. There are many similar excuses we come up with - some direct, some indirect. But the core issue is the same - it is the lack of courage to see ourselves in the mirror. Confronting evil requires recognition of the environment where evil thrives and what sustains that environment. If we look carefully, we will see it is our own worldview, attitudes and ideas that is fertilising that environment.