Note: I do not know the specific facts of the Fatima Abdallah case. Instead I will comment on honor killings in general within Muslim communities, in western countries violating western law.
In Muslim communities all over the world, honor killings are part of Islamic and Sharia law, part of cultural traditions that go back thousands of years, and a father's religious and family responsibility to protect the honor of his family. There is no reason to believe that these honor killings do not occur in America's or Europe's Muslim communities.
In Muslim communities all over the world, honor killings are part of Islamic and Sharia law, part of cultural traditions that go back thousands of years, and a father's religious and family responsibility to protect the honor of his family. There is no reason to believe that these honor killings do not occur in America's or Europe's Muslim communities.
Although tough to prove, if you don't have a body or the body appears to be a suicide, it's the sudden death and the motive for that death that usually identifies if it is an honor killing. It's not an honor killing just because no one reports the victim missing. One day she's here, next day she's gone with little or no explanation. To prove it's an honor killing is virtually impossible unless you have some specific information from family members that are willing to talk. Islamic traditions mean rarely will you get family members to talk. There must be extreme anger in the family against the father.
The Islamic cultural society has many traditions and behaviors that are in direct conflict with American law. In America an honor killing is first degree murder. Plan and execute a member of the family and then get rid of the body or stage the body so there is no evidence of murder. If the family agrees with the father's honor killing then it is virtually impossible to convict anybody of anything. When a family member supports an honor killing by keeping quiet they are permitting this horrific tradition to continue for at least another generation.
In western law no body or staged body, no weapon, no eyewitness testimony, and no obvious motive, then the killer walks free. By definition an honor killing is no body or staged body, no weapon, no eyewitness testimony, and no obvious motive. The woman has disappeared. In western law an adult woman disappearing is not a crime. An adult woman has the liberty and freedom to go where she wants when she wants without informing anyone of anything.
I believe that there are honor killings currently happening within America's Muslim communities. To prove it? Well that's another thing entirely.
source: http://bigpeace.com/lrlee/2011/06/04/was-the-death-of-fatima-abdallah-an-honor-killing/
