Domestic violence mostly among Hindu population

Submitted by Maxie (United States), Feb 28, 2012 at 21:47

I am from what was formerly British Guiana. Just over half of the population of that country is Indian-descended. Among this population, the highest rates of suicide, domestic violence and alcoholism are found. These phenomena are almost exclusively confined to the Hindu demographic, with almost the opposite being true for the Muslim and Christian components of the Indian population. I find it interesting that anyone would argue that "honor killings" originated in Islam and would be interested to see the Quranic verse that prescribes it.

I am Muslim (from Hindu foreparents) and my family, like the rest of the the Muslim community in Guyana, practice Islam. We don't know what honor killing is. In fact, ask any Guyanese what honor killing is and they would tell you that it is a Hindu phenomenon and that it originated with the Hindu immigrants and its history is confirmed in the Indian films. If "Honor Killings" are rooted in Islam (as against a particular geo-cultural entity), how does one explain that there are honor killings among Hindus but not among Muslim and Christian Indians in my country? I was trained as a domestic violence educator; sadly, some domestic violence ends in loss of life by some of the most brutal means. For anyone to suggest that domestic violence is a problem of Islam would raise the question of ignorance or the presence of some sinister agenda. The same for "honor killings."

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