Russian-Backed Chechen Leader Endorses Honor Killings

Written by: Michael Kuykendall on Feb 28, 2009 5:01 PM EST

The Russian-backed Muslim leader of Chechnya publicly endorsed honor killings for women with "loose morals."

Looks like the Putin-backed mini-Stalin in Chechnya is embracing Sharia law in a big way, recently endorsing honor killings;

Rights activists fear that Kadyrov's approval of honor killings may encourage men to carry them out. Honor killings are considered part of Chechen tradition. No records are kept, but human rights activists estimate dozens of women are killed every year. "What the president says is law," said Gistam Sakaeva, a Chechen activist who works to defend women's rights. "Because the president said this, many will try to gain his favor by killing someone, even if there is no reason." Sakaeva also said she worried that Chechen authorities would now be less willing to prosecute men suspected of killing women.

It's stories like this that almost give me a glimpse at the fear underlying the conservative mindset in America. I say almost because no one with a sold grasp on morality would have allowed the torture, wiretapping, and subversion of justice perpetrated due to that exacerbated fear of rampaging Islamic hordes. While it is true that savaging women and denying rights is evil, the real question facing America is how best to lead by example and find some nonviolent way to undercut these kinds of governments. We've seen how wars lead to violent dictators, strongmen who keep war-ravaged societies knitted together with bullets and blood. It's still going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. Putin embraced the Chechen leader Kadyrov to enable his political goals, much as Bush embraced Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib tactics to enable his ideological goals. Globally, the power seems to lie in the hands of the party capable of dealing out the most bloodshed. I think intelligent, dedicated people can find a better way. The first step is direct, in-your-face diplomacy, which Hillary Clinton is busy doing as we speak. Let's hope her efforts lead to a better way of handling these brutal countries, before the Armageddon-style war that born-again Republicans have salivated for for years comes to pass after all.

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