AFP: Honor killings have nothing to do with Islam

An Agence France Press article on Swedish news web site The Local has news about the Swedish government's efforts to combat honor crimes in Sweden. Of course, the article is swift to point out that Islam doesn't condone the practice.

Sweden said on Thursday it had set aside 32 million kronor ($4.9 million) to fund local efforts to combat so-called honour crimes.

[ ... ]

Honour-related violence, including killings, are sometimes seen by male relatives as a way to avenge their honour if a woman is suspected of being unchaste and of having brought shame on her family.

While such crimes are most common in some Muslim parts of the Middle East and Asia [and Africa, and Europe, and... Ed.], and are increasingly being seen in certain immigrant communities in Western countries, experts say Islam in no way condones the practice.

To be fair, I've long theorized that such practices were Arab cultural traditions that predate Islam, and that Islam was simply a means to codify and propagate the practices. Islam is the common thread that links such disparate cultures as Arab, Persian and others.

But, no...Islam has nothing to do with it.