You can’t possibly be surprised by this at this point.
The “toxic masculinity” bit is clever. In trying to use a “Palestinian” Islamic honor killing to weaken further American men and make them less likely to and capable of defending their homeland — you have to give Tlaib points for imagination, as well as audacity.
“Here’s What Rashida Tlaib Blamed a Palestinian Honor Killing On,” Red State, September 2, 2019:
This past Thursday, a Palestinian woman named Israa Ghareb was murdered by her brothers in a hospital bed. This happened in public, with staff knowing exactly what was happening. No one intervened or tried to stop it. No one was arrested or punished. There are reasons for that, which will get into momentarily.
This led Rep. Rashida Tlaib, noted anti-Semite and Palestinian activist, to put out a tweet denouncing the killing. That might typically be seen as a positive if it weren’t so full of obfuscation so as to once again show her lack of ability to condemn the real causes of violence from her people. And to be clear, Tlaib pointedly claims the Palestinians as her people. That is not my assumption simply based on her familial origins.
Here’s the tweet in question.
"Isra’s death illustrates an ever-present toxic masculinity and control over women’s bodies and lives."
Help get #JusticeforIsraa by exposing the truth: https://t.co/YghpBO6l0V pic.twitter.com/QkrpBRx63h
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) September 1, 2019
Ah yes. The real problem here isn’t Palestinian culture, buttressed by centuries of Muslims committing honor killings as part of their religious beliefs. No, it’s nebulous “toxic masculinity.” That’s why Western cultures, which had plenty of “toxic masculinity” throughout history, also had epidemics of honor killings. Wait, they didn’t? Then perhaps that should point to the fact that masculinity, though it can certainly be weaponized in harmful ways toward women, is not the primary driver of honor killings.
The article she links to is exactly what you’d expect. It’s a pathetic attempt to excuse all responsibility for the killing away from Islam’s cultural rot and toward the a wider enemy which fits into the mold of social justice activism. Here’s how the piece opens.
***Disclaimer: Honor killings are not Muslim and they are not Arab. This is a universal phenomenon which takes places in nearly all corners of the globe, from the United States to Europe. The US president stands accused of rape. Honor killings were legal in Italy until the 1970s and still happen today. Do not use this narrative to reinforce dangerous stereotypes of Arab culture and Islam. Patriarchy exists every where….
This is absolute nonsense. Honor killings are not a “universal phenomenon.” They are extremely localized to Islamic societies, as well as some Hindu cultures. That’s not to say that throughout history there’s never been an honor killing elsewhere, but to pretend that there’s some kind of equivalency shows a desperate attempt to make excuses for cultures which simply do not measure up in terms of human rights. She bemoans “stereotypes” about Arab culture and Islam while at the same time admitting Palestinian law allows honor killings. Perhaps she should worry less about stereotypes and more about the realities which support them.
Oh yeah, and this is Israel’s fault of course.
Now, here’s why Isra’s murderers stand to walk away from this untouched by the law. In Palestine, our legal system is the result of a century of occupation and political turmoil. It is a combination of Ottoman, British, Egyptian (in Gaza), Jordanian (in the West bank), and even no system (Area C). Despite various and continued efforts over the last decade, there has been very little reform to this outdated and dysfunctional legal system for two reasons: Israeli military occupation and a corrupt Palestinian Authority both hinder any legal, economic, and social progress….