Honor Killings or Shame Killings in Asia - 0 views
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In many of the countries of South Asia and the Middle East, women can be targeted by their own families for death in what is known as “honor killings.” Often the victim has acted in a way that seems unremarkable to observers from other cultures; she has sought a divorce, refused to go through with an arranged marriage, or had an affair. In the most horrifying cases, a woman who suffers a rape then gets murdered by her own relatives.
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In fact, women have been killed when their families knew they were completely innocent; just the fact that rumors had started going around was enough to dishonor the family, so the accused woman had to be killed.
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In some cases, however, men may also be victims of honor killing, particularly if they are suspected of being homosexual, or if they refuse to marry the bride selected for them by their family.
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honor killing in Arab cultures is not solely or even primarily about controlling a woman’s sexuality, per se.
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Rather, Dr. Kanaana states, “What the men of the family, clan, or tribe seek control of in a patrilineal society is reproductive power. Women for the tribe were considered a factory for making men. The honor killing is not a means to control sexual power or behavior. What’s behind it is the issue of fertility, or reproductive power.”
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Interestingly, honor murders are usually carried out by the fathers, brothers, or uncles of the victims – not by husbands.
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any alleged misbehavior reflects dishonor on their birth families rather than their husbands’ families.
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A woman’s reproductive potential belonged to her birth family, and could be “spent” any way they chose – preferably through a marriage that would strengthen the family or clan financially or militarily.
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When Islam developed and spread throughout this region, it actually brought a different perspective on this question. Neither the Koran itself nor the hadiths make any mention of honor killing, good or bad. Extra-judicial killings, in general, are forbidden by sharia law; this includes honor killings because they are carried out by the victim’s family, rather than by a court of law.
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Nonetheless, today many men in Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Jordan, as well as in Pashtun areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, adhere to the tradition of honor killing rather than taking the accused persons to court.
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It is notable that in other predominantly Islamic nations, such as Indonesia, Senegal, Bangladesh, Niger, and Mali, honor killing is a practically unknown phenomenon. This strongly supports the idea that honor killing is a cultural tradition, rather than a religious one.