This article, like most about honor killings, never once mentions Islam. This steadfast and universal refusal to identify the root cause of honor murders only ensures that there will be more of them.
Muslims commit 91 percent of honor killings worldwide. A manual of Islamic law certified as a reliable guide to Sunni orthodoxy by Al-Azhar University, the most respected authority in Sunni Islam, says that “retaliation is obligatory against anyone who kills a human being purely intentionally and without right.” However, “not subject to retaliation” is “a father or mother (or their fathers or mothers) for killing their offspring, or offspring’s offspring.” (‘Umdat al-Salik o1.1-2). In other words, someone who kills his child incurs no legal penalty under Islamic law.
The Palestinian Authority gives pardons or suspended sentences for honor murders. Iraqi women have asked for tougher sentences for Islamic honor murderers, who get off lightly now. Syria in 2009 scrapped a law limiting the length of sentences for honor killings, but “the new law says a man can still benefit from extenuating circumstances in crimes of passion or honour ‘provided he serves a prison term of no less than two years in the case of killing.’” And in 2003 the Jordanian Parliament voted down on Islamic grounds a provision designed to stiffen penalties for honor killings. Al-Jazeera reported that “Islamists and conservatives said the laws violated religious traditions and would destroy families and values.”
“Crimes against women: ‘There are more honour killings than we know,’” from the Express Tribune, February 15:
LAHORE: “As many as 500 women and girls are killed for ‘honour’ in Pakistan each year, making Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries for women,” said Dr Muazzam Nasrullah, a public health specialist teaching at Emory and West Virginia University, USA, on Friday.
He was delivering a lecture on Honour Killings: A Public Health Perspective at the University of Health Sciences, organised by the UHS Department of Family Medicine.
Dr Nasrullah stressed the need to provide a platform to oppressed women. “This will help create an informed and supportive environment for advocacy for policies to eliminate violence against women,” he said.
He said, ‘honour’ killings most often involved women being murdered by their family members to avenge the ‘shame’ brought on through infidelity or culturally unacceptable behaviour. “This is a unique form of violence,” said Dr Nasrullah.
“Domestic violence is usually carried out by husbands or romantic partners…in this case the perpetrators are usually brothers or fathers.”
Dr Nasrullah said his study had tried to quantify the problem since data on the matter was hard to come by. He said he had used newspaper reports compiled by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan for his study. He said 1,957 incidents of honour killings had been recorded over the past four years.
Most of them had occurred in response to alleged extramarital relations.
Dr Nasrullah said he was sure that the number of incidents reported was lower than the actual number of incidents, as not every incident makes it to the media. “The problem is much worse than what this study makes it out to be,” he said.
The average rate of honour killings in women between 15-64 years was found to be 15 per million women per year.
He said murders for ‘honour’ occurred all over the country under various names kala-kali (Punjab), karo-kari (Sindh), tor-tora (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Siyakari (Balochistan).
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Director IA Rehman said although honour killings were illegal, there were loopholes in the law that often prevented full punishment for the crime.
He said it was very important to have reliable data about honour killings.

Steven Buckley says
“He said, ‘honour’ killings most often involved women being murdered by their family members to avenge the ‘shame’ brought on through infidelity or culturally unacceptable behaviour.”
Note the phrase “culturally unacceptable behaviour”. Remember, this is a muslim saying this. Isn’t “culturally unacceptable” simply a euphemism for “unislamic”, or “breaking Sharia Law”?
The vast majority of honour killings are committed by male family members, usually the father, on female members, most often the daughter. And, the most common reason is that the girl/woman had become “westernized”. In other words “unislamic”. In other words, the girl/woman has “left Islam”. And we all know the punishment for that……………………………………
Proteios1 says
Maybe the UN could write them a letter.
Jay Boo says
How sad that the followers of the despicable false prophet who had absolutely no honor still try to hide Muhammad’s unrelenting shame with human sacrifices as if it could somehow deflect the unmitigated disgrace of their pathetic satanic verse speaking clown AKA the Serpent of Satan … Muhammad.
Oops!
I almost forgot to add the ‘mandatory’ PBUH.
ploome says
birth control sharia style
mortimer says
Why are feminists too lazy to learn Sharia law when it CONCERNS THEM?
mortimer says
Pakistan’s women are mostly hypnotized with Islamic Stockholm Syndrome and they will help their oppressors and fight the sisters who are trying to protect and liberate them.
WAKE UP, PAK-GIRLS! Your honor killing could be the next one! Wake up before it’s your turn!
fair_dinkum says
1400 years. haven’t you all had enough? the status of women in islam is such that many if not most are terrorised daily in the home.
and in islam its the same model from running a household to running a country.
same abuse. same reactions. its the only model they have.
pakistan is full of weak, inbred cowards.
islam is full of weak, inbred cowards.
duh_swami says
Sharia is the enabler. Apostasy and honor killing are first cousins. The Woman/girl is an apostate for rejecting the laws of Allah, even after several warnings. Conform or else is the name of that game. The shame comes in because it is the males responsibility to enforce Allah’s laws in the family, If he can’t or won’t do that, the Bro’s down at the mosque will look down their noses at him bringing shame. Shame is such a bad thing, only death of the shame bringer will make it right.
David says
GOD is not interested in the death of a sinner but that they should change from their evil ways. Honor killing is Old testament religion. ISLAM practices old testament judaic laws. But Jesus said to the aldultrous woman at point of Honor killing GO and sin no more. ISLAM needs to revaluated. Finally what happens to the male involved in the evil? No honor killing?
gravenimage says
Pakistan: 500 women and girls murdered in Islamic honor killings each year, many more go unreported
This article, like most about honor killings, never once mentions Islam.
…………………………….
No—and yet, there is nothing more Islamic than “Honor Killing”—it is the predictable endpiece of the control of women through FGM, forced marriage (often forced child marriage), and wife beating. The “logical” next step is murdering girls and women whom pious Muslims even fear to be disobedient.
And of course the horrific statistics bear this out.