A couple weeks ago, yoodot.com reported the murders of Nidhi Barak and Dharmender Barak, an Indian couple who were planning to marry against their village’s wishes. The young woman’s family prompted their return to the village by assuring the couple that they would not be harmed, but upon their return, her family killed them in horrifically brutal ways. According to yoodot’s reports, the woman’s family admitted that the two were killed because their actions had dishonored the village. Killings such as these are known as honor killings.

Honor killings are murders committed for or justified by an action that was taken by the victim that “dishonored” (by diverse definitions) the murderers. The practice has a wide and various history; that is to say, over time and across cultures, many actions have been considered dishonorable and viewed as punishable by death or bodily injury. However, the practice does have ties to religion and traditional gender roles.

Dr. William Keagle, a history professor at Millikin who also has two degrees in religion, acknowledges that the tie of honor killings (and other acts of honor violence) is stronger to the Islamic culture than it is to other cultures. The use of the term “culture” as opposed to “religion” is very important in this instance.

Keagle emphasizes the distinction between Islamic religion and Islamic culture and said, “Honor killings are not part of the religious teachings of the Qu’Ran at all; they are cultural.” It is important to understand this in order to avoid faulty assumptions and misunderstandings of the Islamic faith. Historically, honor killings and honor violence arise from tribal communities in which one’s main loyalty is to the tribe. Mohammed, in fact, became known as a peacekeeper by his efforts to, “. . . put an end to all the tribal warfare and constantly escalating revenge killings that were taking place,” Keagle said.

In the case of Nidhi and Dharmender, to dishonor one’s family was to marry within the community, a village rule which seems (based on the evidence in yoodot.com’s article) to have no tie to any religion at all. This rule, Keagle said, may also be a product of old tribal tradition. Tribes would arrange to marry between tribes rather than within themselves because, while in the past tribes did not understand the science behind issues with interbreeding and intermarrying, they did understand that it was healthier to marry outside of the tribe.

Honor killings and violence are also often informed by strict adherence to traditional gender roles and the belief in women as property of their families. Such was the cause of the murder of Noor Almaleki, which took place in the U.S. four years ago. Almaleki was killed by her father when he ran her over with his vehicle, an action he claimed he took because she had become too Westernized and refused an arranged marriage, cbsnews.com reported in 2012.

While the father was later convicted and sentenced, his case—among others, including those of girls trying to escape their families by going to shelters—showed a lack in our ability to deal with crimes and potential crimes committed in accordance with other cultures existing here. Our fear of being perceived as disrespectful or otherwise negative towards other cultures and religious beliefs has hindered us from preventing acts of violence against innocents. While I can appreciate the political delicacies of dealing with situations with potential ties to culture and religion, and I can certainly appreciate the desire not to unduly demonize any culture or religion (as we should in all instances be very careful not to do), we must still strive to acknowledge and take action against these crimes, here and elsewhere.