Is the honor killing of young women and men a "cultural tradition" that we should respect?

Question

Two young people fall in love against the wishes of their family. The girl's brothers and uncles cover them both with gasoline and light them on fire in order to "save the family honor."

Is this "another land's culture" and should we mind our own business?

Answer 1

Mmm.. Romeo & Juliet gone horribly wrong.

It is the product of old culture against modern concepts of law. Unfortunately, it's hard to ascertain whether law is borne of culture, or whether law actually stands independently of culture. For example, a law against polygamy is more cultural than one based upon reason.

However, this is murder, whichever way you look at it.

Answer 2

Just because there is an imaginary line drawn on maps doesn't mean humans who live on one side or the other of imaginary lines have more or less unalienable rights.  To ignore or "respect" local customs and beliefs in matters of human rights violations is just as moronic as saying whatever a man wants to do to his wife or children within the "domain" of his home is his own business.  Gosh, that sounds familiar. I remember cops saying that a lot when they walked away from domestic violence calls.

Answer 3

Family honor is a matter of pride, laws shouldn't be made to protect ones pride, wheres the logic in that?

It's barbaric.

Misanthrope right.

Killing should never be considered culture.

Johno: This isn't "Star Trek", these people are part of this world, they have to learn NOW that it's not acceptable, I don't care who they are.

Answer 4

Normally I'm all for allowing people to follow their own cultures but not in this case.  It's murder plain and simple, and it shouldn't be condoned under any circumstances.

I don't think sending troops to places where this is common and stopping it is the answer at all though.  That would probably make things worse.

Answer 5

As far as I'm concerned, the general policy for anyone is, as long as they're only hurting themselves, you mind your own business. When it starts hurting _other_people, it's time to step in. Educate where you can, and where you can't, you bust some heads.

Answer 6

That's HIS family honor.

It could be respected if his honor did not include killing/harming(in anyway) other people to be protected, but that's a barbaric act.

Unfortunately, from here we can't do anything.

Answer 7

No we should not ignore such a horrible stupid cultural nightmare. This amounts to familial terrorism. And should not be allowed to happen.

Answer 8

That's absolutely horrifying and completely unnecessary. I will never understand why people do such horrible things.

I mean, what kind of honor is it to have to set your loved ones on fire because you don't agree with them?

Did they die? That is just unfathomable. It's heartbreaking to even read this...

Family honor means killing one's own?

I will NEVER respect things like that. Violence never justifies making a point - it only creates more pain.

Answer 9

Honor killings in non-Muslim countries are the purview of law enforcement, not feminism.  I do believe when these individuals leave their countries and move to civilized places like the US, Canada and Britain, they should be advised by the authorities that these customs will not be tolerated.

As offensive as honor killings are, I don't believe feminists should be travelling to these countries to stop the practice, but we should be supporting organizations that are, such as Amnesty International.

Answer 10

If a woman in Afghanistan wants to wear a burka, she can; I would not object to that.

If that same woman wants to wear something more revealing than a burka without getting arrested or killed for it, I wouldn't object to that, either.

The people in the country in question should be the first to stand up for their rights, but that doesn't mean those of us elsewhere should be completely silent.

In response to Jo, yes, we do have a Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but how many people pay attention to it these days?

Answer 11

Of course not, but I think many people feel we are unable to take care of business of our own, and as a result should not be caring for others.  The legality should be carried out by the country's officials.  If they do not handle it properly it should then be turned over to the U.N.

Answer 12

That goes beyond "cultural tradition" as it is murder.

Quite frankly, that is disgusting. If you don't like your daughter's choice in men you do what Al Bundy did and introduce their head to the railing on the staircase and the wall.

How anyone can do this though is beyond understanding.

Answer 13

No, we should not.

I noted that Norma Khouri who wrote a novel about such killing was ridiculed for supposedly lying.

Answer 14

Killing should never be considered culture.

Answer 15

They need to change their traditions,if they have the guts.The victims have no voice so it's up to us to raise ours.A murderer is a murderer no matter what culture it is.Their own governments should outlaw this outrageous practice.The perpetrators should get the death penalty. Since most of the killings seem to evolve around the gain of the family involved as in arranged marriages that benefit the males in status or money.Just the same as if a culture allowed human sacrifice,genocide or mass murders.This is a hate crime and worse yet their own blood.Another reason I'm thankful to be an American.

Answer 16

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/...

(--"In countries where Islam is practiced, they're called honour killings, but dowry deaths and so-called crimes of passion have a similar dynamic in that the women are killed by male family members and the crimes are perceived as excusable or understandable," said Widney Brown, advocacy director for Human Rights Watch.

The practice, she said, "goes across cultures and across religions."

Complicity by other women in the family and the community strengthens the concept of women as property and the perception that violence against family members is a family and not a judicial issue.

"Females in the family—mothers, mothers-in-law, sisters, and cousins—frequently support the attacks. It's a community mentality," said Zaynab Nawaz, a program assistant for women's human rights at Amnesty International.--)

Tracey what is sad about this, is the fact that you want to use it to score little points against men. RIGHT?

What are your views, why don’t you give them? who are you?

Answer 17

You shouldn't interfere with other cultures because they have to learn themselves, but to do something like that to your blood is beyond comprehension.

*Why the thumbs down? if you interfere it just causes more hate, look at what is happening now! these are old cultures.

**you people are a bunch of hypocrites! another lands culture is important when there is money there!

Answer 18

There's too much c**p going on in the U.S for us to save another country.

I know that sounds selfish and we should be "working to make the world a better place" but honestly.  Also, a different country's culture does need to be respected. Aren't we also horrified that some amphibians eat their young? Are we killing all of them?  I realize that's not culture and is just instict, but in a way-isn't your culture also your instinct?

  If they start fighting, yeah we can help, but if something like this happens once a decade, let it be.

Answer 19

Over many years I have come to a personal conclusion, and I can't speak for everyone here or anyone but me, but I draw the line at respecting people's culture when it harms them.

That's not to say I want to go in guns blazing and mow 'em all down, but as soon as I hear people use the "it is my culture' story about murder, rape, child abuse, whatever ... sorry, it does not fly with me.

Part of the reason is that I have heard so often and from so many men and women that they wish their culture would change to stop these things, but because of the way the culture functions, achieving change from the perspective of one without power is very difficult to achieve.

So, observe as a cultural fact, sure. Respect, no.

Cheers :-)

Answer 20

there is a universal declaration of human rights, thanks to eleanor roosevelt. we cannot make excuses such as 'it's their culture.' honor killing is murder, it's a violation of human rights.

i went on a human rights delegation last year. people need international awareness...and pressure...to help them when their own government turns a blind eye, or worse.  many of them, in fact, are begging for it. we are deceiving ourselves if we think we should mind our own business. should we have done that with the holocaust?

we just need to keep in mind that we do not have to *impose* our morality on people...we need to coordinate efforts & do it in culturally appropriate ways.

Answer 21

honor killing is nothing but pure murder--i hope their religion makes them pay for it--how can their church allow them to remain--i'll say NO  and wish i could say more

Answer 22

Johno makes a valid point.  

I do not think the "it's our culture" argument should have any real power in the case of such atrocities, BUT IT DOES.  Even in the west, courts will often make exceptions for crimes committed through cultural mis-understanding, and this is wrong.  Whether it be driving without a motor licence or an honour killing, the laws of a nation must not be bent to allow those migrants who do not wish to learn our cultures and laws to get away with crimes.  This is not a racist statement because I believe that eual application of laws is more important that licentious cultural diversity where anything goes, and the laws of the land apply differently, one person from another..

The US is all too quick to interfere in the cultures of other countries and yet hold itself up to be a paragon of virtue.  Other cultures do need to learn from thier own mistales: if you go blundering in and stopping what they see as valid cultural practice, you get resentment.

I, in no way condone honour killings, I think it is a disgusting and pointless practice.  I can also see the difficulties in trying to stop them.  Even laws against them don't work because they happen in the west too in migrant cultures in the US and UK and France especially.  But just stomping in to change another people's culture will make the US look like monsters, and will not acheive the goal of stopping such killings.

Answer 23

plain and simple, if the lovebirds are that stupid i say have at it, it should be their right to do so

why must we save the whales, save the antelope, save the people in a car (seatbelt laws)

im sick of being "saved" myself via $100 tickets

if i wanna smoke let me, if i want build a big pole barn, its my yard that i paid for, let me

im not saying i could be lawless but as long as it dont hurt anyone else, if i want to shoot myself, as long as i buy the gun and bullits legaly  and dont run onto a schoolyard to do it, LET ME

pretty soon well get a ticket for not wearing safety glasses in our own garage