Honour killing story: Basima M. (2014)

Basima M.
born: 1977
attempted murder: 26 October 2014
Residence: Munich
Origin: Iraq
Children: 4 (7, 9, 19, 22 years)
Perpetrator: her ex-husband Ismail Ahmad Moayad (44 years)

Basima has a daughter of 22 years old at the age of 37. At the age of 15 she was probably forced to marry by her parents. How the family came to Germany is unknown.

There is at least one case of domestic violence, but probably countless. In the summer of 2013 Ismail beats up his wife and eldest daughter. They do not file a complaint, but Basima submits a divorce application.

Furthermore, Ismail was allowed to see his children at the weekend. He kidnaps the two younger brothers to Iraq. A few months later, with the help of family members, they are brought back to Munich. An arrest warrant is issued, Ismail disappears.

On the divorce date in October 2014, he will not appear before the court. He is not allowed to see the children because of the risk of abduction. Although he is wanted, he will visit his wife in October 2014. Family members are visiting. Yet he immediately attacks his wife and stabs her in front of family members and a son. Basima is operated on and survives.

The perpetrator flees with the subway, images from surveillance cameras show that he is walking on the platform. From there the trail is lost.

In the newspaper another name for Basima is used.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.