Honour killings. Why do they do it?

[cressida]

Yes we have enough misguided judges of our own, without family heads setting themselves up as rulers (or tyrants) in their own little worlds

[banesmabes]

There can be no doubt that all three of the world's main religions have an in-built hatred of women. Thankfully most people have moved on from the literal instructions on how women should be treated (e.g. the Bible says that if a woman is not a virgin upon marriage and her husband is unhappy about this, then he is within his rights to have her stoned to death), however, the residue of these misogynistic attitudes is still found in almost every walk of like - be it the more serious like honour killings, or more day to day inequalities like unequal pay.

 

Many people who are strictly religious, be that Christian, Muslim or Jew, do not tolerate their children marrying 'out', so to speak. Usually it results in the child being disowned. But, with the force of these people's religious convictions, and the horrendous treatment of women that is advocated in whatever holy book they follow, it is inevitable that a minority will choose not to disown, but to kill.

 

I will never understand how anyone can put religion before anything else - even their own children. It is religion that is to blame here. Thankfully this country is becoming more and more secular, which is why the Christian churches have had to temper their views over time and why laws have changed as a result. Unfortunately many Muslims living in this country have come from, or are the children of people who have come from countries that are still ruled very much along the lines of religion, and so we see the rigidity in thinking that would also have been commonplace among Christians in this country in the past.

 

Anyone who says that Islam is different from other religions in the treatment of women should perhaps go and read the Bible - which advocates not dissimilar treatment. Christianity has moved on (for the most part), what were once Christian societies have moved on, despite having been as devoted to religion as many Muslim communities are today. I see no reason why Islam can't head the same way. I hope for the day when religion plays no part in anyone's lives.

[CockneyMafia]

lets be honest. some Muslims are extreme racists, like sections of other communities. Would a Muslim family allow their daughter to marry a white christian from Englang. Does anyone have an example of this happening?

 

Yes and no.

 

To me, there are two types of Muslim in this country. The enlighted, (partially) westernised one, and the fundamental dark ages one.

 

In the later case, I think it is highly improbable they would marry outside of their faith. Although, it is only one example, a I used to work with a girl who said her brothers would 'kill' anyone she became involved with who wasn't a Muslim, as it simply wasn't deemed acceptable.

[CockneyMafia]

When parents say it brings 'shame' on their name and their family, what exactly to they mean? Is this actual shame or perceived shame?

 

Cultural values are a strange thing. 50 years ago people were cast out as pariahs for having children out of wedlock.

 

Thank God for enlightened times, something large swathes of central Asian relgions haven't seemingly stumbled across yet.

[LordChaverly]

Yes and no.

 

To me, there are two types of Muslim in this country. The enlighted, (partially) westernised one, and the fundamental dark ages one.

 

In the later case, I think it is highly improbable they would marry outside of their faith. Although, it is only one example, a I used to work with a girl who said her brothers would 'kill' anyone she became involved with who wasn't a Muslim, as it simply wasn't deemed acceptable.

 

Actually mike, the latest 'honour killing' trial (reported in today's news) relates to a Sikh, not a muslim, family. It seems to be largely derived from South Asian culture and therefore is not confined to muslims, although most of the perpetrators in the UK appear to be of this faith.

[Plain Talker]

this from wiki:-

 

Honor killing is forbidden in Islam.[13] There is no specific mention of the practice in the Qur'an or Hadiths except in so far as the custom of killing baby girls to protect the family honor, which is specifically condemned in the Qur'an, was a form of honor killing. An honor killing refers specifically to extra-legal punishment by the family against the woman, and it is often argued that this is technically forbidden by the Sharia (Islamic law). Some modern Islamic religious authorities and Muslims disagree with extra-legal punishments such as honor killing and prohibit it, since they consider the practice to be a cultural issue.[14] They believe that since certain pre-Islamic cultures have influence over a number of Muslims, murderers of females use Islam to justify honor killing, even though there is no support for the act in the religion itself.

 

edit to add this linky to an article in the Times Of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/TODAYS_EDITORIAL_Barbarian_Face/articleshow/2171195.cms

[Jonny5]

There are a lot of things that are forbidden in Islam that its followers still do. Then again all religions seem open to interpretation. Probably because its pretty difficult to form a hard and fast set of rules when the basis of any religious belief is an all powerful imaginary man who lives in the sky.

[CockneyMafia]

Actually mike, the latest 'honour killing' trial (reported in today's news) relates to a Sikh, not a muslim, family. It seems to be largely derived from South Asian culture and therefore is not confined to muslims, although most of the perpetrators in the UK appear to be of this faith.

 

You are quite correct - although the context of my post was in response to another who commented on the probability of cross cultural marriage between muslim and non muslim protagonists.

[cressida]

I wonder when they are languishing in prison if they consider it was worth it, they should be in there for life, having wiped someone off the face of the earth - and for pride which is no virtue

[Mathom]

I hope one day the media will stop dignifying these freaks with the term 'honour' killings - they're not honourable by any stretch of the imagination. These people are out and out murderers. I don't care if they're doing it in the name of religion and I don't care if it's 'cultural' - it's just wrong. I get sick and fed up with bigotry and cruelty being made excuses for with the line "Oh it's his/her faith". Some say that I just don't understand 'faith' and how it defines a person's life - but it seems this just neatly sews up the excuses for them with a cast iron defence.

 

What interests me is how women, who are the victims of this crime are also perpetrators. It seems some women do not want the status quo to be upset - you get the same thing with female circumcision (which is again a vile euphemism for mutilation) as it's the mothers and aunts who take the girls to have this done, not the fathers. Do we get the same thing, albeit in a much milder form in our own society with mums taking tiny daughters to have their ears pierced and dressing them in horrible slutty clothes? It's all about 'fitting in' for some odd reason.