I'm in shock...
Okay, so this was extremely weird to me. In my Women's Studies class, I had to write a current issues paper. I chose to research and do the paper on a fairly unknown (to many people) practice called 'honor killing' where women in certain countries and cultures are killed when it is percieved that they have in some way brought dishonor to the family. Tonight on ER, the main case the episode centered around tonight was a young woman who's throat had been cut. Her mother had immigrated with her and her younger brother when she was a kid, after her father was killed. She ended up dying and the mother told one of the doctors to have the police search her house, to look in the brother's room because he had thought the girl was dishonoring the family by dating a young man that wasn't the same culture or religion. He'd killed her for 'dishonoring' their family.
The fact that 'honor killing' would be an issue brought up in a television show I watch not even a full day after I had to turn in this paper in one of my classes on an issue that I hadn't even been aware of until the professor suggested it as a topic someone could research just boggles my mind. It's a freaky coincidence. I'm glad though, because I've become very, very interested in making people aware that this practice still happens--even in the U.S.
Anyway, I just had to post about it because I found it so strange...
And just to be absolutely clear, in all of my research I never found any evidence or statements that honor killing was an acceptable or condoned practice preached by any religion. It is a *cultural* practice, not a religious one and not even everyone in the given culture practices it, so please don't send me hate mail telling me I'm racist or anything. I'm not. I'm just pointing out that it is a current issue dealing with certain cultures that involves women. An issue many are not aware exists or is still practiced.
The fact that 'honor killing' would be an issue brought up in a television show I watch not even a full day after I had to turn in this paper in one of my classes on an issue that I hadn't even been aware of until the professor suggested it as a topic someone could research just boggles my mind. It's a freaky coincidence. I'm glad though, because I've become very, very interested in making people aware that this practice still happens--even in the U.S.
Anyway, I just had to post about it because I found it so strange...
And just to be absolutely clear, in all of my research I never found any evidence or statements that honor killing was an acceptable or condoned practice preached by any religion. It is a *cultural* practice, not a religious one and not even everyone in the given culture practices it, so please don't send me hate mail telling me I'm racist or anything. I'm not. I'm just pointing out that it is a current issue dealing with certain cultures that involves women. An issue many are not aware exists or is still practiced.