Crime of Honor, a documentary directed by Shelley Saywell, documents the tale of several honor killings that have taken place in various parts of Jordan and the West Bank. This documentary includes personal interviews with family members who have witnessed honor killings and have committed such killings themselves. To disapprove of such actions, the director includes interviews and input from a few female rights advocates who are working to keep women safe from such practices. Saywell sheds light on a dark, emotional, and uncomfortable topic by providing the audience with credible information about the current state of honor killings, the preventative measures that are in place, and what is being done to help and support victims, which are all effective ways for the director to convey her main message that honor killings are not symbolic to the Islamic faith. Although the documentary is very informative, Saywell 's main message could be strengthened by including some sort of reference from the Quran or Hadith that reflects that honor killings are not representative of Islam.
The documentary essentially follows the story of a woman named Rania Ashraf, who
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The documentary reveals that the current state of honor killings is still prevalent and is typically the result of women seeking freedom. Ashraf was essentially escaping an arranged marriage while also searching for personal freedom and liberation. In Ashraf 's community, such freedom was regarded as a deviance and the sought after solution was to kill the female who brings shame or unwanted attention to the family. Ironically, honor killing is not a feasible solution as a family from the film was still not able to restore "family honor" after an honor killing and had to move out of the area. This leaves one to ponder the question: is there really honor behind honor