A few months ago National Geographic aired a documentary about honor killings in Pakistan, called “World Diary: Honor Killings” by film maker Mick Davie. We’re all familiar with the horror stories in the newspaper, the terrible tales of misery and suffering that have been caused by this issue and are being recently brought to light because of greater exposure in the media. But instead of the usual horror-shock-travesty type shows that merely expose the problem, the recent National Geographic television show concentrated on the people in Pakistan that are fighting back against it.
      The focus of the program was Zahida Parveen, the woman whose husband threw acid on her face and left her to die. She was disfigured to the point that her entire face was ruined - you might have seen pictures of her in the media about a year ago. She had no eyes, no nose, nothing. Pakistani Americans and people in Pakistan horrified by her plight raised enough money to bring her to the United States for reconstructive surgery and four months later she returned to be a shining example to the women all around about what is possible if you never give up even when confronting torture and violence of the worst kind.
      The show also highlighted the work of Shehnaz Bukhari, an activist who heads the Progressive Women's Association and runs a shelter for women in her own home. The religious extremists threaten her work and tell her they will kidnap her children if she doesn't stop what she's doing, but that makes them even more determined to help the poor women of Pakistan. And it doesn’t frighten her children either: her son Next>