Muqadas screamed in horror as her stepfather, Nazir Ahmed, put his hand to her mouth and cut her throat with a machete. Her screams awakened her mother, and from the corner of the room, Mrs. Bibi looked on helplessly as her husband mercilessly slaughtered her other three daughters: Bano, 8, Sumaira, 7, and Humaira, 4. He only paused to brandish the knife at this horrified wife, warning her not to intervene or raise alarm.

"I was shivering with fear. I did not know how to save my daughters," Bibi, sobbing, later said. "I begged my husband to spare my daughters, but he said, 'If you make a noise, I will kill you.' The whole night the bodies of my daughters lay in front of me." Ahmed, who was arrested the next morning, was totally unrepentant: "I told the police that I am an honorable father, and I slaughtered my dishonored daughter and the three other girls." When asked why he killed the three young girls, he replied: "I thought the younger girls would do what their eldest sister had done, so they should be eliminated."

What did their eldest sister do that she be slaughtered like an animal? She was accused of adultery by her husband, from whom she fled because he had allegedly abused her and forced her to work in a brick-making factory. Mr. Ahmed did have one regret: "I wish that I get a chance to eliminate the boy she ran away with and set his home on fire." Police have said they do not know the identity or whereabouts of Muqadas' alleged lover.

I wish I could say that the above story came from a Hollywood film. Sadly, however, the above story is the true account of a so-called "honor killing" in Gago Mandi, a village in eastern Punjab province in Pakistan, as reported by the Associated Press on December 29, 2005. The Chicago Tribune reported a similar account of an honor killing in London: Heshu Yones, a 16-year old West London girl, had her throat slit by her father because she "had sullied the family name...by dating without his permission."

The story is always the same: a woman is accused of fornication or adultery and then mercilessly slaughtered by a male member of the family in order to defend the "family's honor." From where did this come? Where in the Qur'an does it sanction the murder of a woman on the mere accusation of adultery? What sort of barbarity is this?

Yes, the Qur'an does prohibit fornication and adultery: "And do not commit adultery, for behold, it is an abomination and an evil way" (17:32). But the prohibition is general, for both male and female. Moreover, the act is equally abominable when a man commits it as when a woman does. How could it be that, today, the "family honor is stained" if a woman allegedly commits adultery, but there is no worry about the family's honor when its male members "sow their wild oats"?

How could someone like Nazir Ahmed be unrepentant about killing his own flesh and blood when the very next verse in chapter 17 says: "And do not take any human being's life - [the life] which God has willed to be sacred - otherwise than in [the pursuit] of justice..." (17:33). By no stretch of the imagination could one call "defending the family's honor" an act of "justice."

It is estimated that 5,000 women worldwide are massacred every year to "defend the family honor." What is happening here? How could this occur in the 21st Century? What's next? Burying infant girls alive? Is the Muslim world going to return to this: "for, whenever any of them is given the glad tiding of [the birth of] a girl, his face darkens, and he is filled with suppressed anger, avoiding all people because of the [alleged] evil of the glad tiding which he has received, [and debating within himself]: Shall he keep this [child] despite the contempt [which he feels for it] - or shall he bury it in the dust? Oh, evil indeed is whatever they decide!" (16:58-59)? I mean with women being killed for honor, all that is left is to start worshipping statues of wood and stone once again!

It is the return of the Jahiliyyah, or pre-Islamic ignorance, into the fabric of Muslim societies. I have heard people try to explain it away by saying, "This is their culture." This makes my blood boil in anger. The Qur'an had answered this justification centuries ago: "But when they are told, 'Follow what God has bestowed from on high,' some answer, 'Nay, we shall follow [only] that which we found our forefathers believing in and doing.' Why, even if their forefathers did not use their reason at all, and were devoid of all guidance?" (2:170)

It is a repugnant stain that has absolutely no justification in Islam whatsoever. It is a cancer that must be torn away from the body of the Muslim world, and it can only be done from within the Muslim world itself. There has to be a major process of re-education, to teach these people how Islam condemned such practices over 14 centuries ago. With such clear verses in the Qur'an such as 16:58-59, one would think such a process would be easy. Unfortunately, however, old habits die hard. But this is one habit that has to die again - and this time for good.

acts of lunacy like this should be clarified and elaborated on so that they are not mistaken for "islamic rituals" when people read about this stuff in the news or see it on the tube they all think that it is part of the "militant, barabaric religion of iZlam"
if a woman or a man commits adultery there is a price to be paid but there are rules for that , someone who goes and slaughters his whole family in the name of honor is a lunatic who needs to be slaughtered,, just trying to make it clear here that these killings have nothing to do with islam , the killings, the ways women are tortured by their husbands in some of these countries and so on all that has nothing to do with islam as the media usually makes it seem...

I agree the media does not do the Islamic community any favors. The only women you see in the media are women wearing a Burqa or the Hijab. Something else not "prescribed" in the Qu'ran. But don't fool yourself. Islam has lots of copability in the issue of "Honor" killings.

To clairify, Islam itself is not the problem. It is the predominate versions of Islam that are the problem. Versions that make women second class citizens. Even one of my local mosques disguises their subjegation of women with versus from the Qu'ran. There is only one true way to solve the problems of "Tradition" and "Culture". That is true LEGAL equality. If contemporary Islam will not grant it, then secular law should.

Further, education and a re-culturalization of the greater Islamic community is needed. Education for boys and girls. Embracing modernity. Hoping to get back to the "Golden Age" is foolish. Abu Bakr said it best. "If you worship Muhammad he is dead. If you worship Allah he lives..."

well said, Ben.

I am much more concerned with the safety of my sisters than I am of the image of our religion. I suppose some of us have different priorities...

We cannot control what people say in the media, nor should we try to do so in a democratic society. What we can do is have our institutions take up this cause publicly and do more than issue toothless press releases. Negative perceptions of Islam will only be remedied with action, not by wishing people didn't connect this to Islam.

ben dont quote abu bakr may Allah be pleased with him ,, you totally misinterpreted that hadeeth... so youre saying forget about the prophet alaihi asalaam all together then?? I think thats proggy talk

Hey, Ridhwaan. Don't stray from the subject matter. I've noticed that whenever this subject, or for that matter, any other subject related to women comes up on any Islamic forum, someone has to divert the thread to something completely different! STOP!!!
Or maybe it's just that you don't consider women a subject worthy of discussing?!?!?!
Distasteful how expendable women's lives are in many 'Islamic' countries. Look at the girl in Iran who was sentenced to death for accidentially killing whilst defending herself from being raped! SHe would have been killed for the 'honour crime' of adultry anyway!
Of course, if it had been a woman she killed, she would have got away scott-free.

Sad...truly sad.

This kind of horrible subjugation of women goes on because conservatism of thought and habit is deemed our religion and Allah's will. This is not Islamic as much as it is condoned in the approach of Fiqh & parts of Shariah. I blame the defenders of the scholars who so blindly plotted the course of an Ummah with no understanding of their impact because these defenders hold themselves accountable to old books (lovingly called kitaabs) and not the society they're affecting.

I constantly hear arguments about the divorce rate, homosexualtity, subjective treatement of the "fairer" sex, and the decay of the family unit. "Kafirs talk about rights but not responsibilites" and other circular arguments. But when muslim society suffers from its own narrow minded and non-liberal approach to people - its someone elses fault - something else.

Firstly - Bens statement is not a hadeeth - but Ulema love using it as one. Secondly - I can't think of anything more generic and truly Islamic - overriding every dogmatic and unjust Fiqh rule than that quote of Abu Bakr (RA).

Nour78 - this is their process - they will distract you from the truth of an issue and find ways of easing their ego's with labels and unproductive anti-west rhetoric till there is no pain but theirs. To carry on - we must ignore the progressive labels, the hurtful comments, the weak thought process, the ambiguous rulings - reclaim our faith so that we can account to Allah(SWT) for who we are.

Ridhwaan going proggy crazy again. Why speak english if you're only adept at using it to belittle others? Some of us who use it as a first langauage are trying to forge an unambiguous Islamic identity and would prefer if your insults were as closed as your mind - proggy is an insult and your post shouldn't appear.

Sorry ridhwaan,

But I will be quoting Abu Bakr.

"...so you're saying forget about the prophet..." I would no more ask a Muslim to forget about Muhammad than I would ask a Christian to forget about Jesus.

What I am asking is for Muslims to look to the future.

I am also saying that there is only one God, Allah. It saddens me to see people worship a point in time (the Golden Age) or a man (Muhammad) or a book (the Qu'ran). Allah is quite clear that he is the only one to be worshiped.

I humbly suggest that you and all worshipers of God put more time into your personal relationship with Allah and put less into mine and everyone elses. You worry about what the hadeeth means to you. I will worry about what it means to me.

PS. "proggy talk"? Guess who was progressive in the 7th Century?

Ben:

"To clairify, Islam itself is not the problem. It is the predominate versions of Islam that are the problem. Versions that make women second class citizens. Even one of my local mosques disguises their subjegation of women with versus from the Qu'ran. There is only one true way to solve the problems of "Tradition" and "Culture". That is true LEGAL equality. If contemporary Islam will not grant it, then secular law should."

Niether Islam nor the predominate versions of Islam are the problem. The problem is their culture which predates Islam. People in those tribal regions have been likely doing those same acts before Islam arrived and after Islam arrived. Just as in some parts of East Africa, Muslim and Chrisitian, they have been practising female genital mutilation though it has little to do with Islam or Christianity.

" I am also saying that there is only one God, Allah. It saddens me to see people worship a point in time (the Golden Age) or a man (Muhammad) or a book (the Qu'ran). Allah is quite clear that he is the only one to be worshiped."

People don't worship the Golden Age - they yearn for it - a time when justice, equality, brotherhood, etc were at their very best. To yearn for that is to recognize those individuals who were the best practitioners of Islam and seek to emulate them. This is part of the religion. No one worships Muhammed - again, people seek to emulate him and to follow his Sunna. Again - a part of the religion. As to the Quran - it is the word of God - as such it is to be adhered as closely as possible - this is a part of the religion. I don't call any of these worshipping - they are simply very important aspects of the religion.

golden age ,, whats with this islam is not dc comics,, the hadeeth isnt what it means to you and me it is what the prophet alaihi asalaam explained it to be and what the companions interpreted it to be ,, and who was progressive in the 7th century ,,?? who worships muhammad alaihi asalaam anyways?? Allah says in the (say if you love Allah then follow me (the prophet muhammad alaihi asalaam) and Allah will love you and forgive your sins...) im not putting my time into your relationship with Allah as you say i am just making clear to the rest of the people out there not be deviated as you have been

"Niether Islam nor the predominate versions of Islam are the problem."

Until you can look critically at Islam and its interpretations we are at an impass.

CONTEMPORARY Islam is the problem. If that makes you uncomfortable, I am sorry. But the truth is often a bitter pill.

ridhwaan, "im not putting my time into your relationship with Allah as you say i am just making clear to the rest of the people out there not be deviated as you have been " You just said you were not, then you said you were. ???????

GM,

When you assign authority over Allah to the Qu'ran, hadeeth, Muhammad (hadeeth) you place these things before God. I used the term "worship" loosely.
When you put the inspired word of foullable men before Allah you error. When you deny the usefullness of reason (God's Greatest Gift to Man), you error. A dogmatic approach to any scripture is in error. The Qu'ran is God's word. But I am more interested in Allah's meaning than in Allah's pen strokes. Don't let the "words" get in the way of the "meaning".

You nor I nor any man can interpret Allah's true will. In Allah's wisdom he made the Qu'ran open to reason, not bidah, but reason.

Back to the main topic:

GM,

Culture and Tradition certainly take the brunt of the responsibility in Honor Killings. No one disputes that. But current interpretations of Islam also bare a burden. You can not deny that Islam is partially responsible for the mistreatment and subjagation of women all over the world. It's root is in culture and tradition, but its contemporary application is in Islam.

Following the Prophet (saw) does not mean that you need to eat with your hands, or ride a camel to work....it means that you should emulate his character, to be truthful, trustworthy, kind, honest, compassionate and ethical. Many tend to focus on the rituals and forgot that these were the characteristics that the Prophet (saw) was known for. All of these are part and parcel of equity and justice for all humanity, including women, irregardless of what Sheikh Bin Baz or anyone else tries to miscontrue to allow for the oppression and mistreatment and control of women.
The double standards of the inequity in the treatment of men and women run rampant in Muslim communities. People "look the other way" while boys and men participate in unIsamic behavior, while women are labeled and libeled over the smallest infractions of (interpetations of) fiqh.
Don't get me started on ethics, because I have personally witnessed the supposed most "religious" of people thinking it was O.K. to cheat on your taxes, or hook yourself up to "free" cable, among other things. Our Islamic school offered to give people a receipt for a tax deduction when people paid their tuition upfront for the year, they did this by making the tuition look like a donation to the mosque instead of a payment to the school.

I disagree GM - If you admit that muslim thought (fiqh and shariah) has resulted in empire then it must take ownership of its influence. An accurate sociological analysis of Islamic history would probably determine that these practices are indeed the result of Islamic "Empire".

When people legislate, Ulema or otherwise, there is a social impact of that legislation, direct and indirect that results. People talk about the niqaab but its never considered an outside persian influence on Islam - in fact its become the norm and not the exception. Is there abuse of the system - yes - because the sytem is abusable. It has not refined itself, remained true to its intent or taken ownership of its flaws.

Muslim women have been highlighted over and over again as victims of this legislation, but the followers of tradition won't allow the voices of victims to speak.

The same traditionalists who'd leave understanding to the 10th century propogaters of that legislation and don't even see that they follow more a process of understanding than the source of it i.e. true Islam.

And our sisters suffer pushed out by the louder arrogant male voices of a patriarchal system gone bad. This article should be cleared of all its posts (mine included) and only responses by women should be allowed so that people like Ridhwaan and GM can see who actually has comic book ideas about their Deen

(incidentally - Golden age is a bit dramatic - I'd say better times)

Ben:

"Until you can look critically at Islam and its interpretations we are at an impass.

CONTEMPORARY Islam is the problem. If that makes you uncomfortable, I am sorry. But the truth is often a bitter pill."

This flies in the face of facts. Honour killings are a cultural practise - apart from the Middle East and Pakistan/Afghanistan - it is not found elsewhere. If this was part of Islam - it would be widespread. Thus on this issue, my original comment stands - the practise of Islam or predominate versions of Islam are not to blame.

If you want to talk about broader women's issues, there is no doubt that some interpreatations and individuals are denying women their rights - but again this likely springs from culture than actual religion. It's amazing the degree to which culture hijacks and predominates over religion.

"When you assign authority over Allah to the Qu'ran, hadeeth, Muhammad (hadeeth) you place these things before God. I used the term "worship" loosely."

The Quran is God's words - so I'm not sure how you can assign the Quran 'authority over Allah'. God's authority is vested in his words - the Quran. The Hadeeth are the Sunna - they serve to explain and clarify the correct path. Muhammed (PBUH) was the embodiment of all that is perfect. All of this serve to complement and clarify the religion of Islam. And they are part and parcel of the religion. One can't be a Muslim without recognizing their authority on the life of a Muslim.

"You nor I nor any man can interpret Allah's true will. In Allah's wisdom he made the Qu'ran open to reason, not bidah, but reason."

This is just bull - Allah's will is explemfied by the Quran and other things. Scholars and jurists and others with sufficient knowledge can, have and will intrepret. Just as in the Prophet's days - the Prophet himslef and his companions were interpreting Allah's will. Your statement says that one shouldn't trust or rely on the Prophet's intrepretation of Allah's will as dictated in the Quran! Surely you mean something else?

"You can not deny that Islam is partially responsible for the mistreatment and subjagation of women all over the world"

I can! Because it is not Islam - it's Muslims who are responsible. No doubt about this. We can discuss that at length. But this topic - Honour killings(or butchery) is solely cultural.

Peace4all:

The rituals and character complement one another and go hand in hand. Obviously the character is the more important.

As to general women's issues, there is no doubt there are huge problems in the Muslim world.

But I will not let anyone claim that honour killings are part of Islam. Or that Islam is to blame for them. They are a cultural practice. Any who approve it or justify it are unIslamic - and they are putting culture ahead of religion.

GM - assuming facts while observation proves otherwise

Ghulam:

"An accurate sociological analysis of Islamic history would probably determine that these practices are indeed the result of Islamic "Empire"."

So you are saying that before Islam - the tribal areas of Pakistan did not commit honour killings and that the Islamic 'empire' introduced it to these areas. This is just retarded. The logic is simply beyond further commentary.

The issue here is honour killings not the general condition of women. There is no debate that the condition of women in the Muslim world is bad. But the practise of honour killings has nothing to do with Islam - the only point where they intersect is when 'Islamic' judges etc don't do anything about it.

"This article should be cleared of all its posts (mine included) and only responses by women should be allowed so that people like Ridhwaan and GM can see who actually has comic book ideas about their Deen."

Funny enough - I thought some of the comments in your post worthy of a comic book.

GM "apart from the Middle East and Pakistan/Afghanistan - it is not found elsewhere. If this was part of Islam - it would be widespread."

Then why is Honor Killing on the RISE in Germany? The UK? The link is Islam. You can not in one breath say that Islam incompases every aspect of life and in the next say Islam is with out Blame. I DO NOT argue that pure Islam allows or condones Honor Killings. I say contemparary Islam is to blame.

"Scholars and jurists and others with sufficient knowledge can, have and will intrepret." And who are these interpretors? MEN. Just like you and me. Prone to the same failings. The same temptations. Put your faith in the whole of Islam. Not in the Jurists or the Scholars. They have their place. But they have been wrong as much as they have been right. Just like any man.

" One can't be a Muslim without recognizing their authority on the life of a Muslim."
I am sorry, but I though that submition to Allah was the ONLY prerequisit to being a Muslim. I missed the part in the Five Pillars that support your statement.

I don't doubt the correctness or authenticity of the Qu'ran. I doubt peoples interpretation of it. I don't doubt the importance or the perfection that Muhammad embodied. I doubt the peoples recollection of it.

"This is just bull - Allah's will is explemfied by the Quran and other things. Scholars and jurists and others with sufficient knowledge can, have and will intrepret. "

And they will on occasion be in error. They have been before. They are now. And they will again in the future. THAT IS MY POINT.

Ghulam - state the facts as you see fit and then we'll debate them but pithy comments are unintellectual.

GM- you suffer from a conservatism of reason, perspective and perception - if your intent was to improve the situation of muslim female children - you wouldn't find it so easy to avoid the topic

Read before you post - mine and Bens criticism of blind following of Fiqh and Shariah are what you actually have a problem with

This is easy - Muslim women have it bad but honour killings have nothing to do with them being muslim or their situation being bad and the presence of Islam happens to be largely surpassed in this particular situation by culture - and the judges are cultural muslims while Ben and I contemporary muslims - but you know that the right way is the way its always been done - so why question dominant theology when we should question an undercurrent