While one can argue over whether honor killings are truly "Islamic", a large subculture within the Islamic world considers them legitimate. The theory is that women who "dishonor" a family should die. In a recent high profile case in Pakistan, a man killed his three daughters and a stepdaughter by slitting their throats as his wife looked on.
While I am an atheist, and recognize that morality and ethics are created by human communities rather than being handed down by God, I also don't have any qualms about saying that in this case, the entire Islamic subculture that has created the honor killing phenomena is grossly screwed up, and have no problem with using government force to destroy that aspect of the subculture. We are all individuals before we are members of a cultural community, and the girls and women who perish in these communities don't deserve the abuse that they are scapegoated to receive. Progress is possible in this world and I do not align myself with those forces who insist on resisting moral responsibility by embracing "traditional values", not in the United States and not half way around the world either.
I am not atheist, but I do believe in God. I agree with you the we are individuals first and not a group, and I realize there are some traditions that must be undone, such as the honor killings. This type of tradition, religious belief, whatever people want to call it, this type of behavior must be dealt with and destroyed for the better of mankind. If not, there will be not women to help populate the world. Humans kind will died out because of its own stupidity.
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