Cultural Oppression Disguised as Religious Obligation: A Fatal Misrepresentation to the Advancement of Muslim Women’s Rights in the Context of the So-Called Honour Killings

The advancement of women’s rights among Muslim populations is hindered by the presupposition that Islam limits women’s rights. Historically, however, Islam has furthered women’s rights. The culprit lies in the interplay of culture with religion.

It is culture and not religion that results in the hinderance of women’s rights in Muslim-majority countries and Muslim populations. The dangers of perceiving cultural norms as religious ones is apparent. First and foremost, it is more difficult to advance Muslim women’s rights if the hinderance is perceived as resulting from religion, from a divine power. Thus, dangerous complexities arise when purely cultural practices are mixed with religion. One area in which religious and cultural practices co-exist to the detriment of women’s rights is in the practice of honour killings, inaccurately perceived as an Islamically-authorised practice.

In looking at honour killings as one example, my paper aims to correct the discourse that religion hinders women’s rights. Instead, the paper focuses on culture as the real culprit, concluding with suggestions with how best to counter purely cultural practices that hinder the advancement of women’s rights.