Research Proposal

Is the homicide of a family member committed by another member of that family justified if the victim has dishonored their family? Honor killings are a social phenomenon, which has caused much controversy in Islamic communities. Generally women are the victims of honor killings, in which the perpetrator is a male member of her family, perhaps the father, an older brother, or an uncle. However, is this inhumane practice a cultural or religious dispute?

In order to research this topic one must first comprehend and evaluate the written text of the holy book, The Quran. The Quran presents value statements and justifications in regards to this issue. Secondly one must examine the cultural values and practices of the communities, which take part in honor killings. While doing so cultural relativism is a must, one should examine the given society from a neutral perspective. Although most of the data that will be gathered throughout this research will be value statements, factual data such as the demographics of the community plays a significant role. The gender, age, and ethnic background of the victim and the perpetrator of the honor killing are very important. Conversely, value statements such as The Quran and the opinions of the participants are important to observe the relationship amongst members of the society. Who has the power and who is the decision maker?

Spoken text is crucial during the study of the given cultural or society. For instance, conversations with members of the victim’s family are essential data to the research process. During the conversation or interview, I must closely examine facial expressions, tone, and manner in which the spokesperson presents their self in, because their behavior unveils their true feelings and provides responsive feedback. For example, the mother of the victim may state that the homicide of her daughter was the right choice made to preserve the family’s honor, whereas while she states this she is sobbing and is barely able to continue her sentence. This indicates that she is obligated to iterate this statement to please her surroundings, but in fact the mother is devastated. In addition, visual data, such as photos of the victim have great resonance for the family members, society, and definitely my research.

Primary and secondary data both play a vital role in this research process. Primary data will be collected to analytically examine the nature of honor killings; is it a cultural or religious practice. Secondary research may result in feedback from the members of that given society. Do they think the murder of any individual for the sake of ‘honor’ is justified?

The epistemological approach which is most effective to peruse this research topic is the interpretivist approach. I will gather my data and interpret the nature, meanings, and my understandings of honor killings.The data collection process, including texts; such as, The Quran, existing honor killing cases, and the examination of the culture, all contain meanings and understandings of honor killings, which must be interpreted. A progressive way to structure and gather data is to create anonymous questionnaires, which provide textual feedback that perhaps one is forbidden to verbally state.

Individual and group data play a fundamental role in the research process. Data produced by a group, include the members’ of the community contributions to my research. Their intake and understanding of this topic is crucial to examine whether or not honor killings are a cultural or religious practice. I personally think honor killings are a cultural practice, rather than a religious practice. However, my input on this given topic (reflexive data) may influence, but definitely not confine my research. When stating my beliefs on this topic I must keep a personal journal or diary to take notes in while collecting the data and examining the case.