Are Honor Killings a product of Islam?

We just had another Muslim behead his wife over here in the States, and I know England has seen a remarkable rise in honor killings of late. Are these a cultural abomination, a religious tradition, or a bit of both?

 

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???she had a protection order against him and was divorcing him. There are many men who kill their ex wives. Kinda like "if I can't have you, no one can". I don't think it has ever been race or religion specific.
And then of course there is Henry VIII

 

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But, do they kill their wives and then stroll into the police station, like their action was the most normal thing possible? It seems like I just read something about England having a rise in honor killings lately.

And what is the deal with needing 4 witnesses to murder a woman, and these 4 witnesses can be the SAME DUDE?

 

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Firstly, this man was a psycho.

Most people (regardless of faith) could never do something so heinous EVEN IF their religious book said it was OK.

That said, because it's pretty easy to use the Qur'an to justify murdering people that may have helped ease whatever was left of this man's conscious. Also, word has it Mohammad murdered people, even highfiveing a man who brought him back the chopped off head of a singing girl who'd once slighted him. I suppose divorce is worse than singing songs huh?

I often wonder if the Qur'an said: NEVER MURDER ANOTHER HUMAN ... if people like this man MIGHT, possibly, restrain themselves? Maybe? Maybe not.

 

I once said a way to determine if honor killings are a product of Islam would be to measure the number of honor killings in say Jordan and compare Muslims with Xians and with Jews and see if there's a statistical difference (assuming they are all Arab culturally).

 

I do not worship at the altar of the mighty Wiki, but the entry for honor killings presents this as a major problem. That the vast majority of murders in Palestine, the Gaza strip, and other parts of the ME are honor killings.

Is this Islam or Arab? What needs to be done to stop the culture of shame and paranoia that leads to this? There are women being raped by their own brothers, and then told that THEY are at fault, and crowds literally stone them to death while onlookers record the event on their cell-phones.

Are we refraining from being outraged in order to promote "diversity"?

 

Killings do occur in all societies. Beheadings, much less so. I believe that spousal abuse is much more rife in islamic countries.

 

I agree that men kill their wives in a jealous rage all over the world. But not as a cultural institution. And boys do not murder their sisters for losing their virginity in any of the societies that I have lived in. They are usually too busy out taking some other dude's sister's virginity.

The entire culture seems awfully high-strung over sex. I'm just trying to figure out if it is an Arab thing or an Islamic thing. Chances are, this was a facet of their culture before Islam was created, and was carried into the religion. But is Islam now keeping it alive in the face of improving worldwide ethics? Is it acting as a rationalization technique, much as the Old Testament was used in the Southern United States to promote slavery?

 

Possibly so. A lot of the reports, even in the article, involve muslims, though it could as well be anything. Still, there's Q 4:34. I'd like to see the religious background of those involved, I suppose, to settle the issue.

 

I suppose I should also mention the touchy issue of the legality of abuse. There was a case not too long ago of a woman who was killed by her Afghan family, where the defendant screamed at the judge that if the case were back in Afghanistan, he'd already be free.

 

I'd like to see the report on spousal and family murders by religion.

 

Have you seen honour killings, within any other religion.

Sadly they are a bit of both, an abomination to the victim for I am one. I've not seen my mother and sisters for fifteen years, I don't know even if they are still alive, all due to my refusal to follow my fathers wishes, because I fell in love with what he would call an infidel.
I overheard my father and brother discussing my demise all those years ago. So I moved away, and married the man I loved, I've had no contact since.
I have two beautiful children, fortunately they are unaware of my past, but it saddens me that my mother will never know her grandchildren. All because my father and brother's irrational beliefs.

 

My goodness! Thank you for sharing this, and I'm glad you got out of there and went someplace safe to be with the person you love. I'm also sad for you that you can not have a normal, healthy relationship with your entire family. Unbelievable story.

Do you think they would have taken this view if they were agnostic or atheistic, but lived within the same culture? I guess that is what my question boils down to.

 

Isn't an occasional beheading, or the stoning to death of an adultress, a small price to pay in support for the institution of family life?
Isn't the decay of the family, as per the US and UK, the greater evil?

 

greater evil than chopping someones head off?

even if you take exclude cutting off heads there is no proof that 'decay of the family' is necessarily evil and what decay of the family are you referring to?

 

Well, John99, I believe in Evolution, and in particular in the Survival of the Fittest.
I believe that the Suvival of the Fittest applies to social organisms (institutions, conventions, practices, etc) as well as to individuals.
So when I come upon a society that approves of honour killings, and understand that they are part of a continuing tradition of practice, I reckon that they serve some socially useful purpose.
Is that not a reasonable deduction?

Equally, the "permissive society" seems to be one that is headed for ruin. Were not the Prophets of Old held in regard because they fought against moral decay? Did they not warn the Children of Israel that by disregard of the Law they were on the road to self-destruction? Are their words not remembered and honoured because they restored to the Path of Righteousness the generations of those that returned to the Law.

 

I'm an atheist, and of that culture, I would never take that view.
Ask any atheist. Killing is never the best course of action, but to the religious, killing the unbelievers, (and this does also mean people of other religions) is ingrained in to them they are all pro god (fantasy) but anti human. (reality)

Incidentally Islam is the culture, there is no separation.
Hence why I said what other religion do you find honour killings within. You don't!

 

Thank you for answering my question. I am leaning towards your side at the moment.

 

I am not talking about permissiveness. If things dont work out you move one.