Honor Killings are about Gender

Submitted by Dawnbreaker (United States), Jan 4, 2006 at 18:06

My understanding is that violence against women and children is endemic in virtually every society on earth whether the men practice Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or are atheists. While interpretation of religious texts might be a person's justification, the issue is the belief that men are superior to women and have the right to control women through violence if necessary.

Many practices common in Muslim countries are really reflections of ancestral tribal value systems and customs, just like they are among Christians in both the East and West. My point is not to make excuses for Islam as it is currently practiced, but to point out that honor killings, like bride burnings and female genital mutilation are about gender inequality, whatever the religion of the perpetrator.

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