For the betterment of society and the relief of one's mind...

For the betterment of society and the relief of one's mind, how much better to kill her while still a baby so that the honor of her fathers, brothers and ancestors, all men for that matter, is not stained. As Ferdowsi tells us in the Shah­nameh: It is better to bury women and dragons in the earth. The world will be better off if cleansed of their existence.

An Arab poet tells us, 'if a father has a daughter he wants to remain, whenever he thinks of her future, he should think about three different son-in-law’s: one, the house which will hide her; two, the husband who will keep her and three, the grave which will cover her! And the last one, the grave, is the best.' The idiom which refers to the grave as being the best son-in-law, has existed in all languages of the wealthiest and most honorable men.

All of the indigenous and honorable fathers and brothers who are bound to and place em­phasis upon their family, father and male ancestors, all of those who understand the ideals of name and honor are ready for and live in anticipation of dying so that they' can seek the hand of their sister or daughter in marriage. The bride and the frightening groom are united either by their own hands or the best possible son-in-law is chosen for the bride.

A poet reminds his daughter of the most beloved of son-in-law’s, `The most beloved son-in-law is the grave.' This is that very same poem that says women and dra­gons are both better to be covered by the earth because it is a means of exchange. `Covering the girls with earth is a way of preserving honor.' This is, why the Qur’an, in the strongest terms, warns of the dangers of this frightening 'highest honor' when it says: 'He hides himself from the people of the evil for the tidings given him.

Should he keep her with disgrace or bury her alive in the dust? Behold, evil is what they de­cide. ' (16:59) The sensitive point which a contemporary Islamic writer has found in the Qur’an is that the tragedy essential­ly has economic roots because of society's fear of poverty which was prevalent in the Arab Age of Ignorance. The principal belief, which most of the sociologists today accept and confirm, is the nobility in having a son and the disgrace and baseness in having a daughter.

This ethical and spiritually based belief, this feeling and sensi­tivity, stems from the discussion of spiritual values about honor, integrity, dignity, respect and the virtue of man and woman or soil and daughter.