Over the years, Cases of honor killing and violence have been reported more often. Honor killing is a situation whereby a person is killed through social victimization in society. Honor killing is thus described as the tactic that violates women and their daughter’s rights to life. Many people keep the incidences of Honor killing unreported because of the shame that it brings forth to the victim and the victim’s family. Many of the victims are often young women who fear that reporting such crime to authorities could draw too much attention to their family for committing such inhuman crimes (Lerner, 2006).

            Honor killing is among the Hidden nondescript murders that can be classified as a domestic violence.  Most of the violence scenarios can be attributed to domestic violence of radicalization and dark interpretation of Islam (Burn, 2005).  It involves the killing of particular individuals within their society as a punishment for causing shame or disrespect to the family or the entire community. Among the Islam Honor killing has been authorized to be subjected to members that insult their faith by doing secretive crimes. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there are four types of honor violence such as arranged marriage, honor killing and the unaccepted forms of female genital mutilation. People in the North America have been killed through Honor violence for being termed to be too westernized. In many incidents the father and their sons have been linked to these incidences of honor killing that has left physical and emotional abuse. Amongst the Muslim community, the violence has been set out as a motivation to the faithful to keep their faith while addressing the problems of the growing cultural diversity (Tripp, Ferree & Ewig, 2008).

            Honor violence is a biased gender form of violence that has been the often-overlooked method of abuse that humiliates and kills thousands of women and young girls in the US. According to (Tripp, Ferree & Ewig, 2008), it has posed the lives of millions at risk. Honor violence has been regarded as a form of physical and emotional abuse violence that often lead to murder. Unlike other forms of domestic violence, honor killings are initiated by family members and are condoned by families and communities hence, it has been quite difficult to identify the key participants and stop it before deaths are caused. This form of domestic violence has been carried out extensively because it involves several perpetrators within the culprit’s community (Miller & Vandome, 2010).

            Honor Killings is a culture among the Islamic communities. When compared to Christians Islamic families uphold the Honor killing culture that has been strongly opposed by their Christian counterparts. Amongst the Islamic communities the honor killing domestic violence came into existence as a way of punishing the religious violators especially those that mixed and got married to non-Muslims. It was initially approved as a way of disciplining disobedient females by their Muslim guardians including father mother and elder siblings. It grew to be a culture that illustrated Islamic superiority that restricted Muslim blood to mix with non-Muslim kuffar’s (Miller & Vandome, 2010).

            The Muslim community feels that it is their responsibility to keep their female members off the from non-Muslim men’s eyes and desires. This explains the origin of the honor killing among the Islamic communities. On the other side, Christian have come out to condemn the honor violence because it does not show respect for mankind. Christians believe that if anyone is going astray, he/she must be guided well by their parents or church leaders (Lerner, 2006).

            According to the Islamic culture, the females are not treated equally as males in the society.  The women in the Islamic culture are therefore crucified by their religion because they must die in enormous pain and suffering as a result of their disobedience to the Islamic practices. Some activists have strongly rejected the honor killing practice because no one is allowed to take away of another person’s life under the whatsoever situation. (Lerner, 2006) In sharp contrasts, Muslims believes that Allah dislikes disobedient especially females. The Islam culture presents that all women must be submissive to their husbands as well as show respect for their Allah through Allah’s messenger. The Islam tradition requests all the women to follow the instruction given by her husband. Good Muslim women know how important it is to promote and preserve Islamic culture all time (Miller & Vandome, 2010).

            However, non-Muslims have extended their sympathy towards the female Muslim, who have been punished through domestic violence. For example, the Christians have not been able to punish their wives by killing them even if their misconduct is gross (Grossman, 2009).  

            The domestic violence that requires women to be killed in the way of punishment has been discouraged by many activists and other religious bodies from all over the world. Some movements have hence been established to fight for the rights of these helpless women who suffer pain, shame, anger and death. Moreover, Complicity from other women within the women’s family and the community strengthens the fact that women have been taken as property and the perception that domestic violence against family members is social issue rather than a constitutional issue (Grossman, 2009).  

            Few groups have rose up to fight the honor killing because it is believed that it does not conform to the human rights. These movements have been motivated by the creeping modernity and the secular condemnation by activists. People that prioritizes modernity over Islamic fundamentalism have also been able to fight the practices of domestic violence such as honor killing and female genital mutilation (Tripp, Ferree & Ewig, 2008).

            AHA Foundation is the non-profit organization founded by women’s rights activists led by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. It is the leading foundation that is working to end honor violence that has been responsible for causing many women shames, hurts and thousands death amongst many women and girls in the US each year hence violating their rights as human beings. The organization has also been working to elevate the plight of women and girls globally especially in Islamic communities where such practices are common in an attempt to restore peace and prosperity to the women and the affected girls as well their communities and the world.

            The role of these organizations such as the AHA Foundation is more relevant and critical because they go beyond the cultural ties that humiliate women in their society. Some of these organizations train women how to fight cultural abuse that includes the murder of both women and girls from different continents in the name of punishment according to their religion. In the US, the AHA Foundation has been able to save the number of women and girls suffering from honor killing and other forms of coercion and oppression (Tripp, Ferree & Ewig, 2008).

            Other Western donors have come up with shelters and other accommodation facilities funded by Western donors entirely. These facilities have been successful in demonstrating that all women need protection from their abusive families’ practices. While in this shelters women who have been rescued are trained on how to can make their choices. Such shelters have been successful in Afghanistan whereby rescued women are allowed to decide for themselves as well as raise outstanding prospect that men should not humiliate them and mistreat them. Consequently, women have been able to control the order of things and eradicate some of the traditions and cultures that do not favor their personal development and their right to life that has existed for centuries. Creation of shelters was a revolutionary idea that was established in Afghanistan through Western democracy and has proved to be more transgressive.

            Despite the fact that shelters population have grown high, there have been some challenges due to the opposition from the powerful conservative men from the Islamic cultures that fight Western assaults against the Afghan culture. (Tripp, Ferree & Ewig, 2008)Women who leave their family to seek shelter in the rescue facilities cannot go back to their homes because they will be killed or face rejection from their society because they are regarded as the disgrace to their society (Thomas, Shapard & Merrill, 2008).

            Lessons from history have been discussed so as to help in reshaping honor to enable women to move successfully forward and fight for their freedoms, life despite the ongoing battle against honor killings. As a result, the movements that are willing to eradicate honor killings have persuaded a strategy of collective shaming with the main motive to offer alternative solutions to bad publicity for a community. Governments have also been held responsible for allowing such practices to be conducted (Tripp, Ferree & Ewig, 2008).

            Religion leaders have also been questioned because they are key factors mitigating in campaigning against honor killings. For example, Islam plays a great role in managing the problem of honor killing. People are encouraged to shift their perspectives on punishment and find better remedies rather than those that humiliates people of their rights to live. The United Nations had proclaimed that the act of killing daughters because of their choices on who to marry or associate with is a great ignorance of their parents and relatives. Pakistan governments have vowed to seek the communities that still practice honor killing and help them in disregarding such inhumane cultures (Burn, 2005).  

            Women and young girls have been living miserable lives in areas where honor killing is still being practiced. For example, in Pakistan young women are not allowed to associate with their male friends without seeking permission and authority from their relatives. Many young girls have been killed for choosing who to marry and to ignore their marriage arrangements offered by their family. This act shows that women in this communities are not free to choose what to do with their life especially choosing whom to settle down with when they grow old.

            In a similar manner, women are restricted to the types of jobs that they should take because not all jobs are meant to be for women. As a result, women are left with fewer options for jobs and careers. This has made women personal development to be slow and dictated because men fear that when women are more sophisticated and exposed they may turn against them and be submissive. Women are also restricted in taking up roles in making decisions that affect a community such as voting during general and annual elections. This factor has weakened the voice of female activists that fight on major issues affecting the society such as female genital mutilation, marriage and divorce and other domestic violence forms. When women are given leadership roles and the equal powers to vote, activists could find it easy to mobilize and motivate women on how to enjoy their privileges in a convenient way (Burn, 2005).  

            In Islamic communities where the Honor killing practice is more evident, women and young girls are not given equal opportunities regarding education and the right to own properties. For example, in Pakistan women are stoned to death when they are found to be owning more property compared to those of their husbands and brothers. (Burn, 2005) Similarly, young girls are sent away or exposed to Female Genital Mutilation when they expose their willingness to pursue higher education. Others had been sentenced to death for sneaking to attend classes when their parents had warned them to stop their education system (Grossman, 2009).  

            Honor killing has greatly affected the economic status of women in the society where it is practiced widely. Women economic degradation can be attributed to the fact that women cannot vote in general elections and are not allowed to develop themselves beyond certain points that the men dictate. Such communities should be awakened with a theory that a developed community is measured by accessing the degree to which women are educated because educating a woman is an equivalent of eradicating ignorance from an entire community. The United Nations has put up programs that are initiated to offer equal opportunities for all people despite their age, race or religion. If such suggestions are recommended that it will be possible to do away with the innocent act of honor killing that has been limiting women to self-development in fear of rejection and fear of being brutally killed by their kinsmen (Grossman, 2009).  

            In conclusion, honor killing is a practice that should be disbanded because it limits growth and development of women in society. It is also an act that violates the provision of the human rights, as well as the religious, believes by many Christians. Muslim leaders and family that still uphold honor killing as a way of disciplining women and young girls should also be educated to stop being ignorant. Education should also be made universal to ensure that both parents and children find appropriate methods of solving conflicts that may arise within their homesteads because honor killing id no longer an option in the twenty-first century where people are aware of their rights and privileges.

References

Burn, S. M. (2005). Women across cultures: A global perspective. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Grossman, D. (2009). On killing: The psychological cost of learning to kill in war and society. New York: Little, Brown and.

Lerner, K. L., & Lerner, A. W. (2006). Human and civil rights: Essential primary sources. Detroit: Thomson Gale.

Miller, F. P., McBrewster, J., & Vandome, A. F. (2010). Honor killing: Honour, arranged marriage, sexual assault, domestic violence, adultery, Karo-kari, Sindh, honor suicide, Samira Jassim, Hatun Suruch, Crown Prosecution Service. Mauritius: Alphascript Publishing.

Thomas, J., Shapard, R., & Merrill, C. (2010.). Flash fiction international: Very short stories from around the world.

Tripp, A. M., Ferree, M. M., & Ewig, C. (2008.). Gender, violence, and human security: Critical feminist perspectives.