In the Qur’an, a mysterious figure, known as Khidr in Islamic tradition, kills a boy in an apparently random and gratuitous attack. He then explains: “And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should substitute for them one better than him in purity and nearer to mercy.” (18:80-81)
And according to Islamic law, “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.” (Reliance of the Traveller o1.1-2).
Muslims commit 91 percent of honor killings worldwide. 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.”
“He suffocated his sister four days after the wedding,” translated from “Er erstickte seine Schwester vier Tage nach der Hochzeit,” by Bernhard Schilz, Bild, November 29, 2022 (thanks to Medforth):
Dresden – The district court sentenced the Iraqi Kurd Zairk A. (39) to life imprisonment. Together with his brother Sharhat (31), he smothered his own sister Sozan A. (22) with a blanket while she was sleeping in October 2017, faking her suicide.
Sozan A. had separated from her husband and married someone else. Judge Herbert Pröls (60): “In the eyes of the family, this was a shame. The brothers were supposed to restore the so-called family honor with the murder.”
Together with his brother, Zairk A. (38) is said to have committed a so-called “honor killing”.
The new husband had turned himself in to the police after losing personal contact with his wife and being stalled by the brothers. Officials eventually opened the apartment and found the 22-year-old’s body. The young woman was murdered just four days after her second marriage.
The judge in the verdict: “The accused denied her the right to live according to her own ideas”. The accused did not testify in court. But witness statements, driving profiles, mobile phone data and DNA traces weighed heavily on Zairk.
The two brothers were only caught in 2021, the verdict against the younger brother is still pending, he has just been sentenced in Italy to 7 years in prison for drug trafficking.
Alkflaeda says
Whether they die in honour killings or as jihadi “martyrs”, the basic message of Islam is that human beings are expendable. It is claimed that Allah is merciful and compassionate – but most of his mercy and compassion seems to be reserved for elderly sex-obsessed males wanting to acquire a harem and/or an under-age spouse, and happy to collude with slaughter and mutilation, even if they are no longer fit enough to administer it themselves.
tim gallagher says
That’s a good summary of islam, Alkflaeda. Definitely an evil, primitive religion devised to suit a bunch of degenerate knuckle draggers. That is all it seems to be. Imagine people actually thinking that people as primitive and evil as the barbarians in this report belong in any civilised, non-Muslim country. Their sister shamed the family of knuckle draggers. As if anyone could shame such disgusting creatures as these scum of the earth. Nothing could give any honour to these low life vermin. Now the taxpayer has to pay for them for ages while they are in jail.
DHZ says
Honor killing predates Islam and, like many other elements of the religion, was imported from preexisting tribal customs. There is evidence of it’s practice throughout many cultures and regions of the World. So why is it now that Muslims commit 90% of such murders? There is no clear source from the Quran or Hadith that explicitly supports or explicitly rejects the practice. From what I could scrounge up about the topic doing internet sleuthing there is no clear explanation other than it being a very powerful tradition that refuses to die. It’s connection to Islam may be in some part due to Islam’s patriarchal inclination, but men are often killed under the same pretext of maintaining family honor. Otherwise it seems to be something unofficially adopted by Muslims with the link to Islam providing the context for it’s continuing practice. In a perverse way it might be seen as some kind of “cultural appropriation” on the same level as the tradition of polygamy. Apparently the natural human bonds among family members are weak or absent in many Muslim families which is a rather bleak and sad situation.
mick says
A bigger story in Germany, the ‘far right coup plot’.. A re-run of the Cato Street Conspiracy, of 1820 where the UK establishment allowed / helped an anti’regime group to develop, before crushing it and hanging 5 of the 27 conspirators very publicly. Result civil unrest quelled.
Alkflaeda says
And on conspiracies – 16th century Spain was noted for its diplomatic subtlety, so, even allowing for Walsingham’s spy network, it seems suspicious that the plots involving Mary Queen of Scots were always discovered. As far as I can see, the fact of the matter was that putting Mary on the English throne was actually the last thing that Philip of Spain would have wanted – still young enough to be fertile, and in love with his perennial enemy France, which would have sent suitors as soon as her fortunes improved and the Pope released her from her marriage to Bothwell. I think that Philip stitched her up – that he wanted Mary out of the way, and wanted it to be Elizabeth who did the dirty deed, so that, when he finally invaded England (which he attempted, interestingly, a year after Mary’s execution), the Pope would agree that it was legitimate for him to displace both Elizabeth and Mary’s son, who was being raised as a Protestant. Not a history lesson – just that your post about fake conspiracies reminded me.
Scotsman48 says
Mary was placed on the British Throne and NOT the English Throne.
She was known as Mary Queen of SCOTS….
No English in there mate…
Get yer facts straight.
Alkflaeda says
I was referring to her captivity in England – by which time her throne in Edinburgh had been usurped by her half-brother the Earl of Moray, acting as regent for her son James. She was executed because she participated in Sir Anthony Babington’s plot, which was sponsored by King Philip II of Spain, to kill Elizabeth I of England. Mary was Elizabeth’s nearest relative, and her son James VI of Scotland also became James I of England in 1603, acceding to Elizabeth’s English throne in Westminster Abbey.