Young women are dying because the authorities fear being labelled as racist, says angus stickler |
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There is evidence from the Crown Prosecution Service that honour killings among Muslims in Britain are being fuelled by Islamic extremists with links to terrorist groups.
A recent BBC investigation into honour killings exposed how Muslim girls and women who are thought to have dishonoured their families or Islam are hunted down and murdered by contract killers. In the words of police officers, "it is organised crime".
Twelve women are murdered in the UK every year as a result of honour killing. There are fears that the authorities - including the education service and the police - are failing to tackle the problem.
The most common reasons for an honour killing are when a daughter refuses to enter into an arranged marriage or chooses a boyfriend or spouse outside the family's religious community.
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| If a white girl were removed from school her parents would be before the courts |
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Other motives include a female family member being the victim of a sexual assault, seeking a divorce (even from an abusive husband) or allegations of adultery. Human Rights Watch makes the point that "the mere perception that a woman has behaved in a way that 'dishonours' her family is sufficient to trigger an attack on her life."
As well as the known murders, there is now concern for the welfare of hundreds of Asian girls who disappear from British schools every year. In Bradford alone 250 did not return to school after the summer break in 2005 - a situation mirrored in other UK cities. Privately, police fear that some of these children have been taken abroad, been forced to marry or have become the victims of honour violence.
Anne Cryer, MP for Keighley, believes education officials are reluctant to intervene for fear of upsetting community relations.
"I think they're scared stiff of being called racist or Islamophobic. If a white girl were removed from school her parents would be before the courts for aiding and abetting her truancy. I think we should be taking the same line with Asian parents. We shouldn't be  |
