This story from the Christian Science Monitor hastens to assure us that honor killings have nothing to do with Islam. And it's a good thing, too: otherwise support for such murders would be even higher among the "secular" Turks. A Let-Them-Into-the-EU update: "Turkish backing for honour crimes," from the BBC, with thanks to Susan:
A survey by a university in Turkey has shown almost 40% support for the practice of "honour killing".The results come days after a court in Istanbul gave a life sentence for the murder of a girl by her brothers for giving birth to a child out of wedlock.
Turkish law, which used to be lenient on "honour crimes", was heavily revised as part of the country's preparation for EU accession proceedings.
Turkey has started talks with the EU but is not expected to join for years.
The survey was conducted in the conservative south-eastern city of Diyarbakir.
Disfigured
It questioned 430 people, most of them men. When asked the appropriate punishment for a woman who has committed adultery, 37% replied she should be killed.
Twenty-five percent said that she deserved divorce, and 21% that her nose or ears should be cut off.
The survey group was small but the results are a reminder that "honour killing" - a practice where women are murdered for allegedly bringing shame on their family - still has significant support in parts of Turkey.
This is an additional reason for why Turkey should not become an E.U. member. Sooner or later this deletorious practice would be forced on the rest European women regardless of their culture, religion, or they fact that Muslims continue to be in the minority, proved by the lessons of history.
epg:
On a more positive note, the article mentioned an optional punishment where:
"21% that her nose or ears should be cut off."
I suppose in Mohammed land that's progress of sorts. Awfully hard on the jewellery business of course.
And what would the results be among Muslims in Netherlands or England. This would be a fine question the results would clearly show that Van Gogh was correct in filming the Submission. He was a marytr for women's rights. ON nov 2 I will honor his memory. I would hope that womens groups everywhere honor this man who did so much to free women.
Anyone know what the figures are for Pakistan for example?
Interesting to deduce that the vaunted Turkish liberalism is perhaps a myth propagated by pro Islamic lobbies.
The survey was incomplete.
The first question should have been: "What should be the appropriate punishment for a man who has committed adultery?".
The second question should have been: "What should be the appropriate punishment for a woman who has committed adultery?".
And the third question should have been: "Why the difference?".
jay
I wonder if the punishment for the adulterous man was to have an important part of his anatomy cut off, if they would be so keen on these practices?
37% -- what they say is true -- It's a tiny minority of Muslims who are extreme...