‘Honour killings’: A Muslim problem?

There are numerous reports about ‘honour killings’ happening in Muslim communities. An organisation which targets this is the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO), which seemingly has a noble aim. Their seemingly noble façade is destroyed by this page, which makes a not-so-disguised claim that Islam is the root problem of these killings.

Furthermore, these organisations that blame Islam as the root cause of the problem fuel Islamophobic propaganda, where sick human beings such as Pamela Geller exploit the death of a Muslim girl who was murdered by her father, to put forth their own agendas. One has to understand that those that hate Islam and Muslims are prepared to lie against Muslims to increase their popularity.

First and foremost, Islam has never agreed to these “honour killings” and there is no proof in the Quran or the Prophetic narrations that allude to such behaviour. Secondly, we have to acknowledge that these crimes do in fact exist in our communities and to deny them would be preposterous.

However, to say that they are exclusively a Muslim problem or an Islamic one is a statement I have to disagree with. There are many “honour killings” that happen globally, yet they do not get the same publicity or even the same label as when it involves Muslims. There are honour killings that happen in India with Hindu and Sikh families involved too. When a non Muslim who is not considered an ethnic minority murders his daughter or sister, there is no mention of religion or race or the fact that it is for so called honour whatsoever. What about the father who murdered his daughter’s boyfriend because he felt that her boyfriend wasn’t good enough and hence, wanted to retain honour? What was their religion or ethnic background? Remind me what religion the father of this family was who murdered his daughter’s girlfriend and her mother due to his daughter being a lesbian? Surely, he murdered in order to preserve what in his view is honour.

In conclusion, “honour killings” are present in our society and their existence is sad. However, these crimes are not solely limited to the Muslim community or any other ethnic and religious minorities. It is despicable that the word honour is attached to these crimes when a Muslim is the criminal and yet the religion and ethnicity of the non-Muslim ethnic minorities is scarcely mentioned. As Muslims, it is our duty to speak out against injustices as Allah says in the Quraan 16:90-

“Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.”