Cultures Clash in Immigrant’s Slaying

Re “Price of Freedom, in Blood,” March 7:

The finger of blame for Fadime Sahindal’s murder shouldn’t be pointed at Sweden’s liberal way of life, which supposedly enabled the act, but at the Kurds for creating this archaic and ignorant tradition of “honor killing.” None of this would have occurred had the backward society these people emigrated from not still been mired in old world superstition. According to the article, the Swedish government has bent over backward to allow these immigrants the freedom to prosper in both their own transplanted culture and the mainstream Swedish society. If it’s such a crime for the Kurds to embrace Swedish culture, then they should simply go back home.

Dan Marfisi

Los Angeles

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While there is plenty of truth in your stereotypical portrait of Scandinavian liberalism, allow me to suggest another angle on why integration of immigrants in Sweden remains so elusive. There has been no immigration to make up for labor shortages during the last decade. Almost all net migration has been the result of family reunification and asylum. Indeed, this is one of the key deficiencies in the integration dynamic and one of the reasons that Swedes not only look away during cultural clashes but at most other times as well. The so-called tolerance has in reality not entailed anything remotely resembling acceptance.

There has been precious little contact between communities segregated not just by choice but by government housing programs. Thus there are immigrants with citizenship (relatively easy to obtain) but without work living alongside asylum-seekers without a work permit.

Immigrants are part of American folklore, while in Scandinavia they are viewed at best as a necessary burden. Only a change in the mind-set of Swedes and others, aided by more liberal immigration laws, can pave the way for the kind of integration that might save the Fadimes of the future.

Carl Bergquist

North Vancouver, Canada

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I read, with absolute horror, the Column One article about the murder of a young Kurdish woman in Sweden by her father--a supposed “honor killing.” Further reading of the newspaper gave me the usual roll call of death, deceit and destruction throughout the world. Then, with a shudder, I realized something. When I read about a Kurd killing his daughter, a crooked president in Zimbabwe or some executive stealing millions in the U.S., I see one common denominator. They are all men.

Is there no way we can let women run this troubled world of ours? Men certainly have done a miserable job. Half of the population of this country is female, so why isn’t that reflected in our government? Just when are we going to understand that we men, with our fragile egos, seem to delight in destruction? I am saddened to think that, in the 21st century, women, who are our mothers, wives and friends, can be treated so badly.

David Lewis

Studio City