There is no "honour" in murdering your daughter

News coverage of the tragic story of Tulay Goren, whose father has just been convicted of murdering her, suggests that so-called "Honour Killings" are claiming a victim every month.

It is offensive to call these murders 'honour killings', because there is nothing honourable about them. To kill your daughter or sister can never redeem your family's honour, it destroys it by proving you to be a particlarly depraved criminal.

What is even more extraordinary is that these murders are being linked to the rise in certain forms of fundamentalist religion.

There is no valid religious justification for murder, and the perpetrators of such crimes should not be allowed to hide behind any faith.

It would not justify these crimes if the perpetrators could point to a passage in the Koran or any other holy book as the inspiration for their actions, but in fact it is my understanding that no major faith or sacred text calls on the adherents of that religion to enforce it's precepts by killing members of their own family.

The authorities must work with responsible community leaders - plenty of members of the ethnic minority communities in Britain are as horrified by crimes such as the murder of Tulay Goren as the rest of us - to stamp out this abomination.

Comments

Jane said…
Murder, is murder, is murder and it is against the law of the land to intentionally take life, without lawful sanction. Human life is sacrosanct and no one has the right to take it. I do not want this to be misconstrued by the extreme right as being anti-Islamic. I respect Islam and realise that the majority of Britain’s Moslem citizens are law abiding and peace loving.

Respect for human rights allows anyone to express religious and cultural identity in so far as it does not interfere with the rights of others to their individual rights i.e. the right to life. These so called honour killings have to be looked at proportionally. It cannot be acceptable for an individual or a section within the community to express themselves, in a manner that denies an individual the right to life. This is good reason for the state to intervene in order to preserve the greater good of society.

The murder of Tulay Goren is utterly unacceptable in a civilised society. What is wrong is wrong irrespective of race, religion and culture. I do not consider myself politically incorrect for saying so.
1:12 am
Jane said…
We have to talk about this as a society, openly honestly and respectfully without fear of the PC thought police.
1:16 am
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