Honour Killing – The Most Deplorable Abuse of Human Rights Is Also Against the Ethics of All Religions
By
Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
9 July 2021
‘Honour
Killing’ Is a Brutal Murder of Innocent Lives, Denying Their Universally
Accepted Basic Human Rights In The Name Of Religious Culture and Norms That No
Religion Advocates
Main
Points:
1. Human beings
are obeying their handlers, spiritual or social, with a sense of blankness that
is guiding them to Honour Killing.
2. Various
immoral social reasons are playing their part in deviating a person from his
spiritual path of respecting human lives.
3. Defeating
the inner devil (Shaitan) is the victory of spiritualism and humility over the
evil mindset.
4. Society must
be taught not to take the illiterate pseudo-religious leaders preaching on their
face value.
-----
Image Source - https://rb.gy/jfg94a
-----
Ills like
illiteracy and poverty have driven human sense of moral thinking on the path of
immoral activities. Religious and social leaders use us for their greed of name
and fame. Much waited 21st century has driven wisdom oriented human mind to an
age of Jahiliya (illiteracy) where there is an unbridged gulf of differences
between the lower and upper classes. This divide is apparent between the
religious heads and their followers. Illiteracy and poverty is the root of all
the evils prevalent in society including the ‘honour killing’
These are
gloomy days for the world where human beings are living like zombies. They look
like human beings but in all probability, they have lost their purpose in life.
As zombies go around their work mechanically, human beings also are obeying
their handlers both spiritual and social, with a sense of blankness that is
guiding them to prevalent evil like ‘honour killing’ among others. They seem to
have lost their holistically ingrained power of wisdom, intellect and logic.
The
Present Age of Jahiliya
Almost
every day one confronts incidents around the world, through newspapers and
social media platforms that are devoid of any logic, whatsoever. Such people
are nothing but lost living beings in the vast gathering of the human race.
Their mindless behaviour and their cruel inhuman acts have left nothing to
distinguish between a human being and a beast. Calling their actions beastly
will perhaps be being unjust with the beasts as beasts kill beasts for the food
that is inherent in them. But they never kill one from among their species.
But, what about the human being, what is inspiring them to kill their blood
relatives in the name of honour. Matter of investigation should be, as to who
taught them that killing, for any reason whatsoever, is a matter of honour.
Jahiliya like situation has taken society back to the age of Jahiliya. During
that age, like the present one, various immoral social reasons were playing
their part in deviating people from their spiritual path. Illiteracy and
poverty are the food the ingrained devil in our personality sustains on.
According
to Safiyyah bint Huyayy (RA)’s narration, ‘Prophet (SAW) said: “The Shaitan
flows through a man like blood.” (Al-Bukhari, 3281; and Muslim, 2175)
Defeating
the inner devil (Shaitan) is the victory of spiritualism and humility over the
evil mindset. Human beings are sent on this earth, divided into nations and
communities, to test their faith in their Creator and to win over the wrong
deeds.
Kill the
Shaitan within Not the People among You
Had we not forgotten the teachings of our respective religions we would not have fallen prey to the social ills like illiteracy and subsequently poverty. Defeating the devils within us will defeat the evils of society. We have to be taught to lead a sacred life, guided by our religions. Only then society will understand that in no way can killing be an honour. The ‘Honour Killing' should be called ‘Societal Killing’ and the killer should be declared dangerous for the society with immediate legal pronouncements.
A human
being is a social animal hence every action of his, good or bad, should be the
responsibility of society also. Society remembers its heroes with pride and
takes accolades of their success as its own. Well, that is not inappropriate,
society plays a social and inspirational role in everything that a person
achieves. Therefore, as in an act of suicide, people around the victim are
investigated, people around the perpetrator of honour killing should also be
investigated as to what made him or them take such an extreme step.
In most
cases around the world, the reason behind an act of honour killing is supposed
to be a girl’s immodest act, an act that goes against the prescribed social
norms. Such social norms are formulated by organisations like ‘Khap Panchayats’
and ‘Jirgas’ the religious bigots, who do not understand the A B C of the religion
they take shelter into and pronounce judgments against the adherence of human
rights.
Our society
needs to fight the social deprivations arising due to various social, cultural
and economic reasons that rule over our good senses and force us to immoral
acts. Consider the following:
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you. - James 4:7
It is
difficult to get the actual number of "honour killings", as they are
often disguised as accidents or suicides [EPA]
----
Role of the Social Organisations
The number
of people with humane ethos in the world is much more than that of the people
of immoral conscience. The world has various social and political organisations
working for the betterment of the people around subcontinents, fighting the
prevalent social ills. But, we have not reached a state of a uniform moral
education system that may enhance spiritual understanding. The glitches that
come in the way of universal moral teaching should be identified and taken care
of. Among all the social evils most heinous is ‘honour killing’ so it is time
to take concrete steps to safeguard the vulnerable children being killed in the
name of honour.
Religious
Discourses on Honour Killing
Making one religion or community a scapegoat for the heinous hour killing is neither a solution nor appropriate a way to fight the menace. The incidents of Honour Killing are widely spread in the society inhabited by almost all the religious and religious faiths followers. Such acts of scapegoating and blaming work-life fanning a flame and it makes others behave like an ostrich, pretending not to see the crime being committed in their societies.
As far as
the religious moral and humanitarian lessons and teachings with commands to
follow are concerned there are numerous Ayat, Prophetic Traditions, Shlokas and
sayings that condemn such barbaric acts. Religions and religious teachings
advocate being morale as the uppermost characteristic of human life. Consider
the following religious teachings of peace and tranquillity among all the
creations of the Almighty God:
Quranic
Ayaat Protecting the Human Life
Because of that, We decreed upon the Children
of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or corruption [done] in
the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one –
it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. (Surah Al-Ma'idah: 32)- Sahih International
The [unmarried] woman or [unmarried] man found
guilty of sexual intercourse - lash each one of them with a hundred lashes, and
do not be taken by pity for them in the religion of Allah, if you should
believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a group of believers witness their
punishment. (Ayah
an-Nur: 2) - Sahih International
“And their Lord has accepted of them and
answered them, “Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, whether
male or female, you are members, one of another…” (Al-'Imran: 195)
“Whoever chooses to follow the right path
follows it but for his good; and whoever goes astray, goes but astray to his
hurt; and no bearer of burdens shall be made to bear another’s burden.” (17:15)
“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for
justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or
your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: For God can best protect
both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts…..” (Qur’an 4:135)
And those who accuse their wives ˹of adultery˺ but have no witnesses except
themselves, the accuser must testify,1 swearing four times by Allah that he is
telling the truth, and a fifth oath that Allah may condemn him if he is lying. (Surah An-Nur: 6-7) — Dr Mustafa Khattab
Prophetic
Tradition and Scholars Opinion on the Illicit Relationship
Abu Huraira
(RA) reported that Sa'd b. Ubada (RA) said: Messenger of Allah if I were to
find with my wife a man, should I wait until I bring four witnesses? He said:
Yes. Bukhari: Volume 7, Book 63, Number 185
“There is
no doubt that laxity on this matter is one of the greatest means leading to
women lives being destroyed, especially in the Bedouin regions, which are
characterized by harsh-heartedness and a strong sense of honour and shame
stemming from Pre-Islamic times.” Yemeni scholar al-Shawkani (d. 1834 CE)
In the
modern period, many of the most prominent Muslim scholars from all sects and
backgrounds, such as the Sunnis Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Abdallah al-Ghumari (d.
1993)7 and the late Shiite scholar Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah (d. 2010), have
declared honour killing totally impermissible in Islam, as have a group of
Canadian imams, the Muslim Council of Britain and the prominent American imam,
Zaid Shakir
Hinduism
on the Sanctity of a Woman and Her Relationship
Arjuna
said: - “With the preponderance of vice, O Krishna, the women of the family
become immoral; and from the immorality of women, O descendent of Vrishni,
unwanted progeny are born.” - Chapter 1, Verse 41 and 40;
Krishna
said: - “O Parth, it does not befit you to yield to this unmanliness. Give up
such petty weakness of heart and arise, O vanquisher of enemies.” - Gita Chapter 2, Verse 3
Both the
one who thinks This is the slayer, as well as the one who thinks This is slain,
are ignorant. This does not slay nor is it slain. - Bhagavad Gita Chapter II –
Verse 19
This is
neither born nor does it die. Existing now, it will never cease to exist. This
is unborn, eternal, immutable and permanent. It is not slain when the body is
slain. Bhagavad Gita Chapter II – Verse
20
Christianity
and the Vice of Killing
Whoever be
without sin among you, let him throw the first stone… (Jesus’ in John 8:7)
Let love be
genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. - Romans 12:9
Honour
Killing is a Breach of Trust
The
practice of ‘honour killing’ is one of the most heinous acts as it is a breach
of trust that the victim has with the accused. ‘Honour killing’ is a proven
breach of trust in both legal and religious parlance. For which Allah, the Most
Gracious says in the Holy Quran:
“…
Surely Allah does not love the treacherous.” (Surah al-Anfal: 58)
Honour
Killing is a brutal murder of innocent lives, denying their universally
accepted basic human rights in the name of religious culture and norms that no
religion advocates. Murder in the name of religion is a blot on the religion
concerned. Society must be taught not to take the illiterate pseudo-religious
leaders preaching on their face value.
Murder
under the guise of ‘honour killing’ will not go without trial at the Day of
Judgement and should not go without a trial in society, either. Let society
stand with the innocent boys and girls and swear to safeguard their right to
life.
And
Allah Knows the Best.
------
Arman
Neyazi is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/honour-killing-human-rights-ethics/d/125069
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic
Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism