Last week’s discussion about Iranian women scheduled for execution brought on a flurry of responses from those who continue to assert that “honor killings” are entirely attributable to Islamic extremists.

Interestingly, the BBC’s Asian network recently conducted a study on attitudes toward honor killings and found:

One in 10 young British Asians believes so-called honour killings can be justified, according to a poll for the BBC’s Asian Network.

Of 500 Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Muslims questioned, a 10th said they would condone the murder of someone who disrespected their family’s honour.

Figures show 13 people die every year in honour killings, but police and support groups believe it is many more.

As many commenters here noted, Islam is not exclusive in calling for the death of women due to “misconduct.” This very point is explored by Smita Poudel in an article for a South Korean online news magazine:

Honor killings come about because the women live in cultures where they and their sexuality are treated as family property. In many past and present cultures in the Islamic and non-Islamic world enormous value has been placed on female virginity and chastity. The cultural concept is still so strong in many places that one can say that the situation is almost hopeless.

Matthew Goldstein records that the Codes of Hammurabi and Assura, written in 1780 BC and 1075 BC respectively, are some of the earliest set of laws prescribing that a woman’s virginity belongs to the family.

Further on in his report, Goldstein notes the worldwide prevalance of honor-killings:

Honor killings are surprisingly widespread. Reports submitted to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights document continuing occurrence in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, Great Britain, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Pakistan, Morocco, Sweden, Turkey, and Uganda.

As to news of the seven Iranian women scheduled to death by stoning, Shamameh Malak Ghorbany’s lawyers were notified by Branch 27 of the Iranian Supreme Court that it had reached a ruling. At this time, however, they have still not been notified what the ruling is. Kobra Rahmanpour, who had been granted a one month stay of execution, is still trying to obtain an agreement from the deceased’s family to waive their right to demand payment in kind through Kobra’s death. Parisa Akbari and Iran Eskandari remain detained in prison. The court is currently reviewing the sentences of Fatemah and Soghra Mola’i. Permission has been sought to carry out the sentence against Khayrieh Valania.

Meanwhile, Delara Darabi remains under sentence of execution for a crime she allegedly committed when she was 17, even though Iran has agreed under international treaties not to execute people for offenses committed while under the age of 18.

So, too, continue the worldwide efforts to demand a change to laws such as those that condemned these women to death while allowing men, charged with similar crimes, to escape punishment altogether or face far lighter sentences. Join in and become part of “One Million Signatures Demanding Changes to Discriminatory Laws.”

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