Why characterise 'honor killings' as 'religious practice'? If anything in Muslim societies could be characterised as clear 'cultural' as distinct from 'religious', this would have to be it. So call it an Arab practice, except, in this instance, it's Kurdish and Turk. While it would be foolish to claim it never happens, it'd be true to say that it's hardly a practice in Indonesia -- usually obligatorily glossed as the largest Muslim country in the world -- and Malaysia. kj <div>On 12/5/05, Yoshie Furuhashi <<a href="mailto:furuhashi.1@osu.edu">furuhashi.1@osu.edu</a>> wrote:<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"> > [lbo-talk] Disgusting aspects of religious practice....Mike Ballard > swillsqueal at <a href="http://yahoo.com.au">yahoo.com.au</a>  Sat Dec 3 03:27:53 PST 2005 <snip> > In Germany, Muslims grow apart > By Peter Schneider The New York Times > FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2005 <snip> > Before the murder of [Hatun] Surucu, there were enough warnings to > engage the Germans in a debate about the parallel society growing > in their midst. There have been 49 known "honor crimes," most > involving female victims, during the past nine years, including 16 > in Berlin alone. "49 known 'honor crimes," most involving female victims, during the past nine years."  How does this statistic compare with the incidence of domestic violence that results in murders committed by non-Muslim German men? </blockquote></div>