The author relates the tragic story of her best friend, Dalia, who was murdered by her own father for falling in love with a young Catholic man, and speaks out against the ancient practice of honor killing.
Read More
Author Norma Khouri and her friend Dalia were like sisters. Since the age of three they were inseparable, sharing in all the childhood joys that a modern, middle-class life in Amman, Jordan, had to offer. By all appearances, they seemed very much alike: Like most Arab daughters they lived under the jurisdiction of their male brethren, and each was expected to enter a marriage based on family honor -- not love. But Norma's family was Christian, Dalia's was Muslim, and each of the girls was bound to age-old religious customs and traditions that would someday tear them apart. Dalia is twenty-five when she falls in love with Michael, a Catholic. Their relationship is more than just a crime in the name of Islam: It is grounds for an "honor killing," a practice that remains legal in Jordan today. Still, Dalia would have sacrificed everything -- her relations, her beliefs, even her homeland -- to be with Michael...until Dalia's family finds out about her haraam, or forbidden, love. As tragic as it is true, Honor Lost is by turns a heartwarming romance, a eulogy, and a cry for freedom for women across the globe.
Read Less