Muslim leaders have given a flat contradiction to the stereotype that Islam as a religion is a source of honour crimes.
“There is absolutely nothing in any Islamic text that would justify practices such as honour killing!” editor Fareena Alam of the Muslim magazine Q-News said.
Cultural practice taken as religion
Dr. Reefat Drabu, chairperson of the social and family affairs committee of the Muslim Council of Britain, said one had to distinguish between Islam as a faith and cultural practices exercised by groups.
She emphasized that honour crimes were not a Muslim phenomenon, but also committed by many other cultures such as Hindus or Sikhs.
Cultural practices had developed through ignorance and the usual man’s will to dominate women, Dr. Drabu added.
Listen to her statement on Islam and women’s rights (0'30 min).
Wrong interpretation of Koran
“Many people interpret the Koran incorrectly by taking things out of context,” Dr. Drabu claimed.
“Young Muslims have difficulties to see what the true Islam is all about, because some older generations might call religion what in fact is just cultural practice and not based on the Islamic text,” she explained.
There would always be misconceptions
about Islam, “and to a certain extent we Muslims don’t help because we don’t understand our faith well enough,” Dr. Drabu said.
So what are the core messages of Islam, according to Dr. Drabu (0'13 min)?
Professor Haleh Afshar, teaching politics at the University of York, opposed the habit of media and many people of treating Muslims as a homogenous group.
“This is as incorrect as saying that all Christians were sharing the same culture.
"In relation to cultural practices such as honour killing or forced marriage it really matters where families come from and what cultural and educational background they have.”
The idea of a family honour that had to be protected was a mere cultural thing and not justified by any religion, Professor Afshar said.
Awareness to fight cruel traditions
Fareena Alam, editor of the Muslim magazine Q-News, said her publication had reported on honour crimes various times to raise awareness.
She believed that awareness was the key to prevention (0'18 min).