Introduction
Honour killings are defined as extreme acts of gender-based violence committed against women (United Nations, 2010). They are a form of violence that leads to the killing of a woman by her family, with the aim of restoring ‘honour’ within the community (Meetoo and Mirza, 2010). While the meaning of honour killing differs across cultures, they are fundamentally regarded as symbols of family pride and reputation. In many cultures, the female members of the family carry the burden of upholding the ‘honour’. Therefore, in the events where women do not conform to cultural or religious practices, they are seen as bringing shame upon the family. In such instances, men use violent means to restore honour (Gill, 2014). Although men also become victims of such practices, women are the predominant victims of honour killings.
Honour killings are particularly prevalent in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries, but migration has brought these issues into public discourse in Europe (Sadowa, 2015). The issue is primarily found within immigrant communities in Western society (Grzyb, 2016). Honour-based violence typically occurs in contexts where gender roles are being renegotiated, commonly in non-Western societies where the pressure to preserve traditional norms still remains. As a result, challenging masculine domination can come to be seen as an attack on cultural and religious identities and practices (Grzyb, 2016).
Western society often misunderstands or remains in denial about the nature of honour killings, which leads to underreporting and misclassification of these crimes (Chesler 2010). In some cases, meaningful responses to honour killings are obstructed because the law enforcement agencies are reluctant to label these killings as honour killings (Chesler 2010).
Such crimes are often framed as cultural issues due to migration and multiculturalism in society, a perspective that obscures the patriarchal norms of the violent acts. The prioritisation of race or ethnicity over gender, leads to the double victimisation of ethnic women – firstly by their own community and then by the State (Metoo and Mirza, 2010). European societies have a responsibility to protect all women, especially those from marginalised cultural and religious backgrounds. Referring to these acts as ‘traditional or cultural practices’ effectively frames them as a family matter, where the State is not expected to intervene, therefore, to combat the issue, it must be treated as human rights violation (Keyhani, 2013).
Responses to the crime need to centre the agency of affected women, and the complicity of the State in upholding patriarchal standards, rather than focusing on cultural essentialism or reductive beliefs about religion and culture. This article challenges racialised and cultural stereotypes around honour killings by analysing the historical background, legal interpretation and socio-political contexts in which honour killings take place. It argues that European societies need to view it as a patriarchal, gender-based issue, and combat the issue through feminist and decolonial lenses.
Historical Context
One of the key characteristics of honour killing is the control exerted over female family members to preserve ‘honour’, and is a by-product of deeply patriarchal traditions, where women are regarded as the property of men (EBSCO, n.d.). Although claimed to be a non-Western concept, honour-based crimes have been a part of many cultures around the world. Killings in the name of honour date back to Roman times, where fathers were permitted to kill their daughters for crimes such as adultery (Muhammad, 2010). The authority over women was transferred from her father to her husband, which meant transferring control over her as well (McCarthy, 2021).
Frevert (2014) also criticises the double standards in Western society where honour killings were once a common practice within European cultural and legal traditions. It was only after the 1970s as feminists criticised the gendered understandings of honour and emotions, that these practices started to disappear from European legal thought (Frevert, 2014). Today, these crimes still occur in relation to women’s sexual behaviour, refusal to enter arranged marriages or to choose one’s own lifestyle or relationships (EBSCO, n.d.). Although vastly occurring over other parts of the world, the issue is prevalent in European immigrant communities.
Due to their cruel nature, honour killings are deemed as a global human rights concern, and international law has committed to addressing honour-based violence against women (Chesler, 2010). Luopajärvi (2004) claims that States have a positive obligation under international human rights law to prevent honour killings, as States are supposed to uphold the right to life and from discrimination. While human rights law alone cannot combat honour killings, they play a crucial role in raising awareness and strengthening legitimacy within the affected communities (Luopajärvi, 2004).
In the early 2000s, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed several resolutions recognising honour crimes as a global concern, rather than mere cultural practices. Resolution A/RES/55/66, passed in 2001, specifically identified crimes against women in the name of honour, within the international community. It mainly focused on spreading awareness and reporting of honour-based crimes. In 2003, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution A/RES/57/179, affirmed that crimes committed against women in the name of honour are human rights issues, and emphasised the importance of investigation, legal prosecution and accountability. Resolution A/RES/57/179 in 2005 reinforced previous efforts and consolidated States’ obligations. These instruments aim to promote awareness and prevention of honour crimes.
Femicide and Other Crimes
Whilst international resolutions have linked honour-based violence to human rights frameworks, it is also crucial to view such crimes through the lens of gender-based violence. Femicide is a broader term used to reflect violence against women, which includes crimes like honour killings. It is a global issue that is defined as the intentional killing of women due to gender-related factors. It can occur in the home, workplace, school, or public spaces (UN Women, 2024).
In Europe, 64 percent of reported femicide cases involve women killed by intimate partners. However, in contrast, in Africa and Asia, femicide often involves killings by their own family members (United Nations, 2024). This shows that violence against women is not just a cultural issue, but rather manifests across various cultures differently. Whereas, in Europe, whilst violence against women might be perpetrated by a partner, it still exists. As discussed in earlier sections, the motivations of honour killings vary from the crimes committed against women in the West, but all these crimes can be broadly categorised into cases of femicide. All forms of violence against women are a form of control by men over women; honour killings might be culturally framed, but they are not much different from femicides which also show patriarchal control (Faqir, 2001).
Some feminists are therefore uncomfortable labelling honour killings solely as cultural or immigration-related issues, since violent crimes against Western women also occur in Western countries (Abu-Lughod, 2011). Chesler (2010) argues that honour killings are barbaric in nature, as they are usually premeditated and brutal, just like serial killings. While the comparison illustrates the severity of honour crimes, it risks reinforcing Orientalist stereotypes and stigmatising non-Western communities. Lastly, whether labelled femicides, killings, or other forms of crimes against women, they are all rooted in the assertion of patriarchal control and male dominance, and denying women their liberty and autonomy. So, just as cases of domestic violence in European societies are not a reflection of cultural practices, honour killings should also be seen as a mere form of patriarchal violence, and continuum of gender-based violence.
Xenophobia and Islamophobia as a By-Product of Orientalist Understanding
Some scholars argue that it is arduous to address honour killings without labelling immigrant communities as ‘backward’ (Ercan, 2014). The dominant public discourse on honour killings in the West is mainly associated either with Middle Eastern cultures or Islam (Ercan, 2014). Soon after the 9/11 attacks, when the Global War on Terror was launched, Orientalist beliefs became a norm in the West (Gill, 2014).
European discourse on issues affecting women of colour became a reason to attribute heinous crimes to religious beliefs, and served as a justification for the Global War on Terror (Prevert, 2014). In Europe, honour crimes are predominantly racialised and politicised to reinforce Western superiority, which further stigmatises Muslim communities by viewing their cultural practices as anti-woman (Abu-Lughod, 2011). It reinforces the idea of the West as ‘civilised’ and the East as ‘barbaric’ and ‘backward’. Violence committed against women is differentiated as ‘crimes of passion’ in the West and ‘crimes of honour’ in the East. Such views imply that the ‘East’ has an oppressive culture, where heinous crimes are justified through traditional and cultural justifications (Xhaho, 2014). As explained earlier, the issue is not addressing honour killings or implying that it is a brutal crime, but rather creating an ‘us’ and ‘them’ distinction (Prevert, 2014). Such distinctions not only reinforce racial stereotypes, but also hinder the integration process for immigrants. Also, anti-immigrant voices in the West claim that immigrants are not willing to integrate in the society.
Sadowa (2015) frames honour killings as follows: “the issue became characteristic not only for Middle East and Asian countries but also for Europe”. Such perspectives ignore the presence of gender inequality and structural patriarchy, and shift the focus to labelling immigrants as ‘others’ who bring societal issues to the West. This perspective is problematic as it disregards already existing gender-based violent crimes like femicide, which are important issues in European society. Sadowa (2015) focuses on imperialist ideas and in the process silences the voices of affected women. An intersectional lens would centre agency, while also being critical of the Western superiority complex.
Voices Silenced in the Name of Honour
One of the most devastating cases of honour killings in Europe is that of Hatun Sürücü, whose killing exposed the deep-rooted patriarchal control in Germany’s immigrant community. Hailing from a Turkish-Kurdish immigrant family living in Berlin, Germany, in 2005, she was shot by her own brother because she had apparently violated the ‘family’s honour’ (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 2024). Her case exposed how the honour of the family is placed on women’s behaviour and her decision to choose freedom over control. At the age of 16 she was forced to marry her cousin in Turkey, reflecting not only how families control women, but also how gendered violence is masked as tradition.
She later returned to Berlin with her son after leaving her abusive husband, moved out of her parent’s house, no longer wore her hijab, and pursued a career as an electrician (Nurtsch, 2019). Her pursuit for independence directly challenged the patriarchal norms that her family upheld. Therefore, she was murdered by her brother, shot three times in the head, in an act of patriarchal punishment (Nurtsch, 2019).
This case sparked much-needed debate around forced marriage and honour killings in Germany and beyond (Nurtsch, 2019). More recently, in 2024, Berlin’s mayor commemorated her death and addressed the broader struggles faced by women from conservative households (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 2024). However, instead of focusing on the issue of patriarchal control, the debate shifted to painting immigrant communities as backward, which reinstated already existing Islamophobic and racial stereotypes (Rostock & Berghahn, 2008). Many conservative German politicians have focused on stereotyping immigrants and Muslim communities as accepting of honour killings as a whole, which fuels the narrative of a cultural clash between German and immigrant values. This has been criticised by left-wing parties like Die Linke, who believe that such narratives hinder the integration and multiculturality of German society (Ercan, 2014).
Around the time of Hatun’s death, Bruna Morito, an Italian Christian woman was shot by her brother six times, due to her premarital pregnancy. Although the acceptance of honour killings were abolished in Italy in 1981, this incident and others continue to take place across the country (Taş 2011). Hatun and Bruna’s killing demonstrate honour-based violence transcends religion and borders. Although there might be an understanding among European society that in Islam honour killings are acceptable, this cultural essentialist view ignores the root cause of gender-based violence and patriarchal control. To address the root causes of gender-based violence, structural patriarchy – not culture alone – must be examined.
Solutions to Honour Killings
Racial stereotypes and gender bias inevitably affect judicial powers and public institutions, shaping how honour killings are understood, reported and prosecuted (Grzyb, 2016). Framing these crimes solely as ‘immigrant crimes’ in Europe, distorts public discourse and obscures the responsibility of lawmakers to address the root causes of the crime. The ‘othering’ narrative culturally blames the community, rather than finding solutions to structural, patriarchal violence. Although honour killings fall under gender-based violence, they differ from other crimes like domestic violence, homicide, and serial killings, particularly in their motivation, which often stems from perceived disobedience of religious or cultural codes that women are supposed to abide by (Chesler, 2010).
To combat this form of violence effectively, immigration and law enforcement and religious communities must collaborate. They must ensure that steps are taken towards spreading knowledge on the matter, implementing preventive measures, and prosecuting perpetrators of such crimes (Chesler, 2010). Moreover, understanding the issue is essential for improving shelter services for honour-based violence. This includes ensuring that the staff is proficient in languages spoken by victims, and are trained to deal with sensitive facts of honour killings. A nuanced understanding of the issue is much-needed to comprehend the sensitivity and urgency needed to combat this within European society.
Conclusion
There is no disputing that the issue of honour killings is deeply horrendous, but associating them solely with Islam or certain cultures fosters xenophobia and Islamophobia in Europe. While honour killings might be more common in Muslim or culturally conservative communities, they are fundamentally a form of global patriarchal violence, where men want to control women’s bodies and choices.
All in all, the State plays a huge role in the way it combats these issues and should focus on addressing the root causes. Therefore, a decolonial and feminist perspective is necessary to rethink the issue, Europe should move away from cultural moral panic and focus on creating structural accountability. By centering women and amplifying their voices, the State will move beyond just viewing them as passive victims of cultural practices. This is urgent because this issue is most acutely faced by minority women, and it would help lawmakers adopt a decolonial and feminist perspective in dealing with such cases.
Europe is a diverse continent with many multicultural societies and by reinforcing the ‘us’ and ‘them’ narrative, Europe risks hindering community engagement and participation. The demonisation of racialised communities should be tackled by the State and its institutions, and should focus on developing policies that implement legal reforms and reflect structural support. Even international legal instruments have emphasised honour killings as a global issue. While they may be more common in some cultures, they are manifested across societies in various forms of gender-based violence. Decolonising and deconstructing the Orientalist mindset is utterly important to tackle gender based violence against ethnic women.
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