There is No Honour in “Honour Killings”

So-called “honour killings” may sound like something out of biblical times but are becoming more common in Canada. The horrific practice of murdering someone and saying it was done to preserve a family’s honour is not only unbelievable but it is also happening more than people think.

The name alone – “honour killings” is a sick misnomer, a slick spin on an evil crime. To take someone’s life and call it an honourable thing, a thing done to save a family’s honour, is wrong. To pretend first-degree or second-degree murder is anything less than a horrific crime is an attempt to dodge responsibility for a crime committed willingly.

Contrary to popular belief, “honour killings” have nothing to do with religion. Nowhere in the Qur'an, Islam’s Holy Book, does it approve of or accept so-called honour killings. While “honour killings” are often linked to religion, they cannot be linked to just one religion, suggesting that the practice is more of a personal choice or a pathetic defence for murder rather than something that any religion encourages. Many people link Muslims to “honour killings” because of the recent cases of honour killings in Canada involving Muslims. However, people have also committed “honour killings” in the name of Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity, according to Muhammad.

Nor do honour killings have anything to do with tradition. Decorating a Christmas tree every year in December is a tradition; taking a person’s life is not. Honour killings are only traditional in the sense that it has become a tradition for people to use “honour” as an excuse to kill a family member when they do something that is not in keeping with their family’s beliefs. Tradition is a word often misused by people to justify doing terrible things. Why, it’s okay if we light this young bride on fire and pretend it was a stove explosion just because she may have betrayed her husband - it’s tradition! It’s okay if we kill our daughter because she wore western clothing. She’s not following our traditions! No, tradition has as little to do with ‘honour killings” as honour does.

Canadians may think that “honour killings” do not happen here. We have all seen far too much evidence to the contrary recently. 16-year-old Aqsa Parvez's murder at the hands of her father and youngest brother is only one of several recent so-called honour killings in Canada. Parvez, a resident of Mississauga, Ontario, was strangled to death in December 2007 because she wouldn’t adhere to her family’s strict rules or cultural traditions. After killing his daughter, Muhammad told his wife, “My community will say you have not been able to control your daughter. This is my insult. She is making me naked.” Muhammad then called 911 to tell the operators that he had “killed his daughter.” Muhammad and Waqas Parvez both pled guilty to second-degree murder.

While some people who commit “honour killings” readily admit to their crimes, there are those who attempt to make an “honour killing” look like an accident. Perhaps sometimes investigators never realize that what looks like a homicide is actually an “honour killing.” Why is it important to distinguish between a homicide and an “honour killing” if they are both murder? While a murder by any name is still a murder, it is important to distinguish between homicide and “honour killings” if only to realize just how big the problem is in Canada and throughout the world.
“Honour killings” are on the rise in Canada, according to Dr. Amin Muhammad, a psychiatrist at Memorial University in St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador. Muhammad is writing a report about “honour killings” in Canada for the federal government. 13 cases of “honour killings” have taken place in Canada since 2002, said Muhammad.

“Honour killings” are also not confined to one country. However, not every country deals with “honour killings” in the same way. While no country technically supports “honour killings,” several countries do allow it to be used as a partial or full defence against criminal charges, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Ecuador, Guatemala, Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Venezuela, Peru and Egypt. In some countries, “honour killings” are viewed as socially acceptable in instances of rape or adultery and often go unprosecuted. In Canada, more and more cases of “honour killings” are going to court and being recognized for what they are – murder. While a “guilty” verdict and a life sentence cannot bring back a life that has been taken it does send a message that such crimes will not be tolerated here.