Persecution of sisters from Dagestan by their relatives comes into conflict with norms of Islam

When commenting on the persecution of four sisters from Dagestan by their relatives, Caucasian experts have noted that “honour killing” as a punishment for refusing to marry is not provided for in Islam, the Sharia, or Muslim customs. According to the experts, in Dagestan, men often resort to “honour killings” because of their ignorance in attempts to justify domestic violence.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on October 29, in North Ossetia, border guards refused to let four young women from Dagestan into Georgia and kept them until their relatives arrived. The young women said that they were subjected to beatings at home and their relatives forbidden them from receiving education and tried to force them to marry, including to a relative. On October 30, the young women were allowed into Georgia, and they are now in a safer place, human rights defenders report.

A refusal to marry a man who is imposed by relatives cannot be a reason for “honour killing,” points out Akhmet Yarlykapov, an expert for the Caucasus.

“The fact is that ‘honour killing’ is illegal. According to the Sharia, a woman’s guilt must be proven. For example, if a woman is accused of unfaithfulness, then four witnesses must confirm that fact. Only in that case, the killing of the woman can become possible, but only under a decision of the Sharia court,” Akhmet Yarlykapov explained.

The expert emphasized that the concept of “honour killing” is not applicable to the situation of the young women, described above.

According to the expert, in many cases, people refer to the Sharia concepts without knowing that the Sharia law prohibits domestic violence.

A refusal to marry a man cannot be a reason for “honour killing,” emphasizes ethnologist Sergey Arutyunov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).

There is not even approximate data concerning the number of “honour killings,” says Saida Sirazhudinova, the president of the Centre for the Studies of Global Issues of Modernity and Regional Problems “Caucasus. World. Development”. According to Saida Sirazhudinova, women are killed for “tarnishing the honour of the family” and often “just because of gossips.”