''Honor Diaries'' is a 2013 documentary film that explores violence against women in honor-based societies, with particular focus on

female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM) (also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision) is the cutting or removal of some or all of the vulva for non-medical reasons. Prevalence of female ge ...

(FGM),

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence (GBV) or sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), violent, violence primarily committed by Man, men or boys against woman, women or girls. Such violence is often considered hat ...

and

honor killing An honor killing (American English), ''honour killing'' (Commonwealth English), or ''shame killing'' is a type of murder in which a person, usually a woman or girl, is killed by or at the behest of male members of their family or their male ...

s and

forced marriage Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later force ...

, and lack of access to

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

. The film profiles nine women’s rights activists with origins in the Muslim (and non-Muslim) world, and follows their efforts to effect change, both within their communities and beyond. ''Honor Diaries'' premiered at the

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

in October 2013 and won the Interfaith Award for Best Documentary at the St. Louis International Film Festival in November 2013. It was featured from December 2013 through April 2014 on DirecTV’s

Audience Network Audience Network (formerly known as Freeview from 1999 until 2005, and as The 101 Network from 2005 until 2011) was an American pay television channel that was owned by AT&T. It featured a mix of original and acquired series, specials, and featur ...

as part of the Something to Talk About film series.

Content

Synopsis

''Honor Diaries'' traces the work of nine women’s rights advocates who came together to engage in a discourse about gender inequality and

honor Honour ( Commonwealth English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is a quality of a person that is of both social teaching and personal ethos, that manifests itself as a code of conduct, and has various elements such as val ...

-based violence. Combining in-depth interviews and round-table discussions with archival footage, the film examines human rights violations in honor-based societies, and the growing trend of honor crimes in Western societies.

Structure

''Honor Diaries'' is divided into five main sections. The film begins with a broad analysis of women’s rights in

Muslim-majority countries The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is p ...

, drawing attention to issues such as lack of access to education and restrictions on movement. From there, the film expands on three major crimes targeting women: forced marriage, honor killings and

(FGM). In the final chapter, the documentary explores the rising trend of honor-based violence in Western societies, and efforts to silence voices of opposition by intimidation.

Featured interviewees

The film features in-depth interviews with eleven women who represent diverse communities throughout the Muslim and non-Muslim world. The women reside in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Sudan. In the documentary, the featured women share their stories from their personal lives, professional work and their struggle to fight for broad-scale change. *

Nazanin Afshin-Jam Nazanin Afshin-Jam (, ''Nāzanin Afŝin Jam'', born April 11, 1979) is an Iranian-Canadian human rights activist, author, public speaker and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss World Canada 2003. She is also president and co-founder ...

* Nazie Eftekhari * Manda Zand Ervin * Fahima Hashim * Zainab Khan *

Raheel Raza Raheel Raza (born ) is a Pakistani-Canadian journalist, author, public speaker, media consultant, anti-racism activist, and interfaith discussion leader. She is among the most prominent Muslim supporters of Israel. She lives in Toronto, Ontario ...

Jasvinder Sanghera Dame Jasvinder Kaur Sanghera, (born Derby, England September 1965) is a British author and campaigner against forced marriages and abuse. Early life Sanghera was born into a traditional Sikh Indian family. Her sisters were all forced to mar ...

Ayaan Hirsi Ali Ayaan Hirsi Ali (; born 13 November 1969) is a Dutch and American writer, activist, conservative thinker and former politician. She is a critic of Islam and an advocate for the rights and self-determination of Muslim women, opposing forced mar ...

Qanta Ahmed Qanta A. Ahmed is a British-American physician who came to prominence as a doctor specializing in sleep disorders. She has also worked as an author, women's rights activist, journalist, and public commentator. Life and education Ahmed is the da ...

* Raquel Saraswati *

Juliana Taimoorazy Juliana Taimoorazy (; born 1973) is an Assyrian American activist from Iran. She is the founder and current president of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, a position that she's held since its inception in 2007. From 2015 to 2020, she was a se ...

Production

Film production began in April 2012, prompted by producer Paula Kweskin’s participation in the

Association for Women's Rights in Development The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID), formerly the Association for Women in Development, is an international feminist membership and movement support organization committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development ...

conference in Turkey. There, Kweskin was introduced to numerous women’s rights activists, including Fahima Hashim, Director of the Salmmah Women’s Resource Center in Sudan and one of the featured women in ''Honor Diaries''. The nine women who are profiled in the film met for the first time at a gathering in June 2012 in New York. The film’s producers based the concept of the meeting on the salons of the

French Enlightenment French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band) ...

, in which women hosted assemblies of intellectuals to discuss progressive issues of the day. Subsequently, producers filmed women separately, in their home towns. After more than a year in production, the film was completed in May 2013.

Filmmakers

* Producer and writer of ''Honor Diaries'', Paula Kweskin, is an Israeli human rights attorney specializing in humanitarian law. She received her J.D. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and is a member of the New York Bar. ''Honor Diaries'' is Kweskin’s first film. * Co-Producer Heidi Basch-Harod is the Executive Director of Women’s Voices Now. She is the author and editor of numerous print and online articles and op-eds that examine the rights of women in the Middle East and North Africa. * Executive Producer Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a two-time ''New York Times'' bestselling author for her works ''Infidel'' and ''Nomad'', and is the founder of the AHA Foundation. * Director and Editor, Micah Smith. His documentaries have screened in more than 40 film festivals worldwide. * Producer and Writer, Alex Traiman. Traiman directed '' Iranium''. * Executive Producer

Raphael Shore Raphael Shore (; born 1961) is a Canadian-Israeli film writer, producer, author and rabbi. He is the founder of OpenDor Media, a Jewish educational organization, and Clarion Project, a nonprofit organization "dedicated to educating the public ab ...

is an Israeli filmmaker who has produced other films such as '' Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West'', '' The Third Jihad: Radical Islam's Vision For America'', and ''Iranium''.

Coalition partners

The film website claims the following organizations have supported the promotion and distribution of ''Honor Diaries'': * AHA Foundation * All Afghan Women's Union
Alliance of Iranian Women
* American Islamic Forum for Democracy
Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center

A Call To Men

Breakthrough

Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan

Canadian Women's Foundation
* The Clarion Project *

Congress of Racial Equality The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States that played a pivotal role for African Americans in the civil rights movement. Founded in 1942, its stated mission is "to bring about ...

Cooperation Center for Afghanistan

Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow
*

Fistula Foundation Fistula Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization focused on treating obstetric fistula, a health condition affecting poor women in developing countries. As of 2024, the foundation reported that it supported over 100,000 surgeries over 35 c ...

FORWARD

Girls' Globe

Karma Nirvana

LIBFORALL

Men Can Stop Rape

The MILLA Project

Nika Water

SAFSS

Shuhada Organization

Tehrik-e-Niswan

Women’s Voices Now

World Pulse

Release and reception

''Honor Diaries'' premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival in October 2013. One month later, the film screened at the St. Louis International Film Festival, where it won the Interfaith Award for Best Documentary. It featured throughout December 2013 on DirecTV’s Something to Talk About film series on the Audience network (Channel 239). The international launch of ''Honor Diaries'' coincided with

International Women’s Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights, women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, r ...

on March 8, 2014.

Media reception

Awards

''Honor Diaries'' won the Interfaith Award at the St. Louis International Film Festival in 2013. The film was nominated for a 2015 Islamophobia award, with the nomination stating it "portrays Muslims societies as misogynistic, backward, and dominated by brutal practices that oppress women and stifle debate around practices".

References

External links

* *
Antagony and Ecstasy
{{Honor killing 2013 films Documentary films about violence against women American documentary films Documentary films critical of Islam Works about female genital mutilation Forced marriage Documentary films about honor killing Films about activists 2013 documentary films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language documentary films