Originally posted by Athena
How exciting to begin this subject with differences in honor killing. When you say in the Christian west it would be the male killed, are you saying something like "shot gun marriages"? |
Yes. I think the American south routinely gave the last minute marriage option before the male risked being killed for dishonoring the girl's family (She was an "honorable girl" from a good family and knew that pre martital sex was wrong. So, of course she was raped...right?)
Originally posted by Athena
Might we say honor societies reinforce family order and family order reinforces all other morals?
|
I agree competely. Honor societies, whether Christian or Muslim effectively criminalize immoral behavior (with an extremely high penalty). Families have a huge pressure to demand moral behavior from their members to avoid becoming entangled in a series of honor killings or a feud.
Thus parents were more likely to pass moral behavior (at least the honor society's definition of it to their children). Also, honor societies are polite societies. European travellers to the American south noted both that southerners were extremely polite and that duels over insults were common.
Originally posted by Athena
"Before the time of Mohammed the Arabs had no central government. They were separated into tribes, each independent of the others. In the tribe there was a kind of patriarchal government, but no recognized officials entrusted with the enforcement of the laws and the execution of justice. Even in the towns there was no real government; Everyone claimed the right of private vengeance. Each family defended itself and its interests, and was bound to avenge any injury done to its members; consequently there were constant feuds among them. Until united by Mohammed, the Arabs can hardly be said to have had a political existance.' |
|
I think that this is a very good point ands a very good quote. Honor societies can be extremely orderly in regards to personal behavior, yet extremely chaotic in most other aspects. As the quote implies, there is no government, but rather a coalition of autonomous clans each with their own potentially violent "foreign" policies, treaties, and obligations.
Remote parts of Albania resemble the Arabs before Mohammad. As a side note, most of the Albanians in remote northeren areas (areas where there is the most honor killings are Christians).
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3216606.ece - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3216606.ece
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4273020.stm - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4273020.stm
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,564670,00.html - http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,564670,00.html
|