Tesseracts wrote:I just meant I don't think it's correct to frame this as a negative stereotype about Islam. I also believe that trying to absolve Islam of responsibility isn't the most helpful thing for the victims.
Tesseracts, my concern which I voiced here and voiced at Cracked, is that however factual the article may be, it is not representative of practitioners of Islam. To draw the same hoary parallel, I refuse to apologize on behalf of my faith because of the Westboro Baptist Church. Asking all Muslims to apologize for the actions of a few is just not on.
Honour killings in Canada are not a Muslim only phenomena. The CBC article cited on the Wikipedia page included high profile non-Muslim killings as well. I note it extends the definition of honour killings to crimes of passion in South America.
CMSellers, it's not a matter of ignoring something based on, as Terry Pratchett would say, "quaint ethnic folkways". Of course this is an issue that cannot be ignored. I don't think domestic violence should ever be ignored, but I also think it cuts across religious lines.
My concern is that it is important to address these issues, and it is important to address these issues in a mature manner. We just went through an election where fear-mongering was common, to the point where the party formerly in power promised to enact a hotline for "barbaric cultural practices". I worry that we will become a meaner society based upon a reaction against the actions of a very small minority. I can also imagine articles like this can be picked up by people who then scream "See!! We have to keep them out!!" I've seen backlashes of this sort first hand--although in a small scale.
The Cracked article was scary as hell. The ending, in particular, was terrifying. It humanized something that I've mostly only seen from a distance.