Brûlée vive (Souad)

　　I read an unbelievably shocking story in the book of the title, which was originally written in French and translated into Japanese in 2004. It appeared to be translated into several languages and I'd like you, my subscribers, to read it. The name of the author was Souad, a very simple name. It's written under an assumed name, because she could be killed by her relatives if they knew her address and present name.
　　I'm going to write about the content from now. The content was so cruel that I almost closed the book before reading it through. The saving grace was that the story ended happily at the end.
　　Souad was born about 40 years ago in the West Bank of the River Jordan. In Islamic countries, women are cruelly ill-treated. This book is an accusation of the abuse of women in her original country. Have you ever heard of the murder called "honorable murder", which means illegal executions conducted by victim's relatives like her father or brothers. Souad got pregnant unwillingly before marriage, and it was a big shame for her family. That was why they decided to kill Souad and her brother-in-law actually set fire to her hair with some oil. She was critically injured and had been on the brink of death for a few weeks, but a French woman, who was a staff member of an NPO, found her and managed to take Souad out of Jordan to Switzerland to undergo suitable medical treatment. She had already turned 17 at that time, but wasn't given any education. She had to undergo more than 20 operations of skin transplants in the strange country. She appeared to have so much hardship to accustom herself to the ordinary European life style. After more than 20 years of hardships, she was asked to write her biography for women still living under cruel conditions in Islamic countries. The person who asked her to tell the whole world of the abuse of women in Islamic countries was the woman who had actually rescued her from the foul hospital, where Souad was being accommodated. It's an honorable task to reach out selflessly at a time of another's greatest need under the threat of being targetted by her relatives, who have been wanting honor that would be given after her successful murder.
　　I admire her courage from the bottom of my heart, and will talk about this fact everywhere in Japan. I'd be happy if my action is helpful for her and her supporting NPO even if only slightly.

(Vocabulary)
assumed name  偽名
the West Bank of the River Jordan ヨルダン川西岸地区（シスヨルダン）
set fire to 火を付ける
accustom yourself to (doing) sth  ＜…＞（すること）に適応する
treatment [U]
conditions 《複数扱い》 (暮らし・仕事などの) 環境
Conditions in the prison were appalling. 刑務所内の環境はおぞましかった．
tell sb of sth  (フォーマル/文) ＜人＞に＜…＞について話す［言う］
foul　汚く、悪臭のある、不衛生な、、、（といったイメージ)
reach out to sb  ＜人＞と心を通わせる, に援助の手を差し伸べる; ＜人＞に助けを求める
selfless 無私［無欲］の, 私心のない
sb's murder (the murder of sb とも)  ＜人＞が殺害されること; '＜人＞が'殺すことではない
selfless devotion to others 私心のない献身
even if only slightly / if only a little  少しでも

Comments

[Peter]

BRULEE means burnt in English.