Honor Killing

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Allah says in Quran, "Whosoever kills an innocent human being, it shall be as if he has killed all mankind, and whosoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind." (Qur'an 5:32) When we talk about "Honor Killing" , the general notion that comes to all of us is the homicide of a member of a family by other members, due to perpetrators' belief that the victim has brought shame or dishonor upon the family. But it is actually a death that is awarded to a person of a family for certain reasons which brings dishonor to its family. How can we determine the real meaning of 'dishonor' ? They say here, " If you violate the principles of a community or religion, usually for reasons such as refusing for an arranged marriage or being in a relationship that is an abashment to their family or having sex outside marriage, also dressing in a way that is conjectured unsuitable in the society and much more. Why does "Honor Killing" happen? The doctrine of honor killing states that, this type of act is primarily done to control the women's behavior, in particular regard to sexuality/male interaction/marriage. Another key aspect which is contemplated in the society is the concern of the reputation of the family in the community, and the besmirchment associated with losing social status in the society. The main victim of the honor killing is seen to be the woman of a family. In India, the main reason which evolves the to urge of practicing honor killing is the continuation of caste system. The caste system continues to be at its rigid best and also that rural areas refuse to change their perseverance towards the obsolete marriage practices. Hence they become coward in the fear of losing their caste status in the society through which they may avail perks leading them to commit this heinous crime. Another reason is the mentality of the people has not changed. The root of the cause for the increase in the number of honor killing is the lack of availability of wisdom and awareness in the rural areas and a result this crime is day by day increasing. What can we do to prevent such a thing from happening? Firstly the mentality of the people has to change. This change of mentality doesn't mean we become very lenient and casual in our lives and let things happen the way it is happening rather we must become wise and foresee the consequences of our daily acts we commit. Parents must understand their children and let them lead a life with their life partners and if they are discontented with their life partner they must think of something which would not bring harm or disgrace to selves and their partners and also family. If they intend to do something pernicious then they will lead a horrible married life which might even end in suicide. Secondly, we need to have stringent laws to tackle these kind of killings as this is a crime which can not be pardoned by anyone under any circumstance. Humans do not have the right to write down death sentences of innocent fellow humans.