Honor killings are murders committed by families on family members, especially females, who believe to have brought shame to the family. According to the United Nations Population Fund in 2000, it was estimated that about 5,000 honor killings are committed each year.
Honor killings are commonly practiced in Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and Palestine.
Reasons for honor killings include pre-martial sex, choosing of an unwelcoming relationship, adultery, incest, divorcing, rape and the simple allegation of a female possibly shaming the family’s honor is enough to justify an honor killing. Other warrants to honor killings are flimsy i.e. a man simply dreamed his wife was committing adultery, and in Turkey young women have been murdered on the grounds of going window shopping. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2872/is_1_26/ai_62795177
Punishments for honor killings are light and often go unreported. Most honor killings are committed by brothers or male cousins under the age of 18; thus they only spend a small amount of time in jail and are released after their 18 birthday.
Honor killings are common in the Middle Eastern culture because of their view towards females. Many Middle Easterners consider females as property and “are considered the repositories of family honor. “ This combined with importance of male status creates a hostile environment for females.
One analogy which was given by a man who murdered his sister to justify an honor killing described a female as a plate, and once “broken” you no longer have use for the plate.
A reason why a law that justified honor killings, in Pakistan would not be amended is stated below.
“Women adulterers cause a great threat to our society because they are the main reason that such acts take place," said Mohammed Kharabsheh, a Jordanian parliamentarian said. "If men do not find women with whom to commit adultery, then they will become good on their own."
These ‘honor killings” are a result of a culture that blatantly disregards females as belongings and are power hungry and controlling. The statement above clearly explains the major problems in Middle Eastern countries. The men have all gone on a power trip and have apparently erased all guilt and responsibility of adultery. It does not surprise me why so many acts of sexual violations have been committed in these countries. It is because they would and do get away with it unpunished. Not until equality is established will rape, pre-martial sex, and adultery will stop in these nations. Responsibility for actions must be given to the male also.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/6f6d5166f24330a0e8edcb7979...
http://www.amnestyusa.org/violence-against-women/stop-violence-against-w...
Women get the blame for Original Sin: Eve tempted Adam to bite the apple. He is still not at fault for taking a bite. It's Old Testament. I don't see it changing.
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
There is nothing in the Koran that indicates that honor killings are okay. It is the culture, not the religion
I meant to refer to this:
Many Middle Easterners consider females as property and “are considered the repositories of family honor. “ This combined with importance of male status creates a hostile environment for females.
The men are not at fault for adultery or rape because a woman was there. It just seems based on the Original Sin philosophy.
-Sonja :)
"I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" ~ Peter Finch as Howard Beale, 1976, "Network"
Yes, the ideology does seem to based on the Original Sin philiosophy, but these MEN wrote the Original Sin philosophy,
Exactly my point. The Old Testament is very patriarchal, and from the parts I've actually read, so are the New Testament, the Torah, and the Koran.
-Sonja :)
"I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" ~ Peter Finch as Howard Beale, 1976, "Network"
but I'd like to add it was one the first to give women the right to own property and to divorce and also the respect given to a woman in Islam is probably unmatched
going back to Keanan's point, It is so the CULTURE
I come from there, I have seen it and lived it and maybe you know it too
"I'm more like a fool for soul and passion....
I watch crash, and realize that we all survivors
no religion or race, whatever describe us." -Forever Begins, Common
http://www.progressiveu.org/012450-old-and-gold-times-change-my-immigran...
I have heard about that. I know that the Koran even forbids marriages without the bride's conscent. but it continues to happen without her permission.
i would love to hear about you observations and experiences !!!
in my family, the girl is asked before marriage for her consent
"I'm more like a fool for soul and passion....
I watch crash, and realize that we all survivors
no religion or race, whatever describe us." -Forever Begins, Common
http://www.progressiveu.org/012450-old-and-gold-times-change-my-immigran...
In another thread just yesterday you were arguing that cultural diversity was a great thing. The moral equivalence of various cultures is almost a bedrock belief of multiculturalism. Diversity is strength and respect for diverse cultures is what allows us to get along in this world. Globalism is real and can't be stopped and allowing a rich mosaic of cultures to thrive in our country allows us to prosper in the global environment because of the increased understanding.. Just like it is Ok for people from Latin countries to harass women because it is their culture to do so it should be Ok to kill women who dishonor their families. It's all OK because it is their culture and their culture is every bit as morally valid as ours. I think that is more or less what you explained to me. This is just an example of a different culture and I can't understand why you would not be logically consistent and embrace it.
I of course am a highly intolerant type and am extremely suspicious of the dubious benefits of diversity and I have no problem being logically consistent and condemning both this behavior and the disgusting culture that spawned it. I feel the same way about scumbags who would insult and degrade a woman and think it is OK because she does not understand the language. The only difference is one of degrees of severity. The former deserves an execution and the latter perhaps a flogging.
This blog has nothing to do with cultural diversity. You are taking ideas out of context and being outrageous about it.
They do not harass people in latin america. You equated this "harassment" as rape and mutilated gentiles. you have no evidence or statistics of rape in these countries and i am guessing you have never lived in a latin american country to understand, and i am saying this because you are quickly losing credibility when you make jerk like comments like the one above.
second culture diversity helps understand why certain people do some of these unjustices. i am not saying it is right or wrong, but in the end it helps us understand things more clearly. I never said that these actions( honor killings) should continue.
and again this blog is not about cultural diversity. it is about injustices committed within a particular culture, but that does not mean everything that culture encompasses is horrible. The same goes with the AMerican culture, not everything about the american culture is perfect, and and you should know that.
One analogy which was given by a man who murdered his sister to justify an honor killing described a female as a plate, and once “broken” you no longer have use for the plate.
That was just chilling for me to read, that there are people who still think that way about women. I guess if they were brought up believing that, it would be hard to break the habit, but to think of women as property, and once broken they can't be fixed, is disturbing.