Burned Alive is the
horrific true story of one woman's escape from a 'honour' killing inflicted upon
her by members of her own family.
Souad is the narrator of this
horrific tale, and commences by telling the story from when it all began, 25 years ago in her native
village in the West Bank, a region occupied by the Israelis. To even name her village now, could bring torment and suffering, as in her native village, she is officially dead, and were she to attempt to return, would be killed. Here, this is the law of the land, and the fact she is female, increases her chance of death.
The story of Souad, tells the story of thousands of women who live in similar villages, whereby as females, they are classed as worthless beings, valued lower than the family's livestock, which could bring coin. The story highlights the naivety of these women who accepted abuse and beatings on a regular occurrence, sometimes for even the smallest of mistakes, whilst their brothers or male neighbours were allowed the full realm of freedom.
Souad was only seventeen when she fell in love with Faiez, a neighbour who had once asked her parents for her hand in marriage. They refused as her elder sister was still unwed, and it was not permissible for Souad to marry first. So, Souad, desperate to be free of her menial existence, and the intense daily beatings she received from her father, allowed Faiez to meet her, in secret. Unfortunately in her village, in the West Bank, sexual relations before marriage was considered to be a grave dishonour against the family, and were considered a crime punishable by death. Souad was discovered to have committed this crime when her parents noticed her growing belly as she was with child.
Souad's brother-in-law, Hussein, was given the responsibility of ensuring Souad received her punishment. As she finished her daily tasks assigned to her, Hussein entered the field where she was working, and proceeded to approach Souad. Here, his actions were to forever torment Souad, as he proceeded to pour flammable liquid over her head, and set fire to it. Calmly he watched the flames engulf her body, as Souad ran.
In the eyes of the community Hussein was now a hero for protecting the family's honour, and Souad was outcast, and left to die. Miraculously, Souad survived, albeit with horrific burns, and left to rot in a hospital, which could not, and would not intervene with the family's wishes surrounding her care and treatment. It was only the intervention of Jacqueline, an aid worker working for the humanitarian organisation, Terre des Hommes, which enabled Souad to receive the care and help that she so desperately needed.
After Jacqueline's help in travelling to a European country, Souad finally begins to rebuild her life. Now she has decided to tell her story in the hopes that the barbarity of these horrific 'honour' killings is revealed, especially as they still continue today. Souad tells of her struggles with learning a new language, and culture and learning, or even accepting her mind and body because of the emotional and physical scars she now bears.
Burned Alive is horrific, there is no other word to describe the barbaric torture that Souad endured, for an act that is so meaningless in parts of the western world. As I read her story I was gripped and enthralled, her words tore at my heart as I grasped the unthinkable concept of the pain and suffering she had endured. Souad is exceptionally brave to have torn through her own emotional and physical distress in order to reach people with her story.
Reading through, from her life in the Village, to her escape to Europe, I was disgusted at the behaviour of the men in her life. They would continually abuse, demoralised and taunt their women, and used them merely to provide them with more sons, who would eventually grow into the same personalities and characters as their fathers before them.
I actually read Burned Alive ining, because although the early tales were so horrifying, I needed to find out what happed to Souad and how she came to allow her story to be written and publicised. The answer is there, and although this could never be a happy ever-after fairy tale this book needed to be written.
I have barely touched on the full contents of Burned Alive only given you a small insight into the remarkable women Souad is, and the reason why her book was published. The story has highlighted the brutal practices that continue in such countries; including awful statistics i.e. more than five thousand women each year are killed by 'honour' killings, and these are only those known about…imagine how many more women and children are being killed for such small things.
The last words by Souad, quoting her shock at realising she was the only burned victim to have ever survived, summed up the despair and terrifying ordeal she had to endure.
This is a story of undeniable courage, and one I urge you to read.