ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the topics of tradition, culture, and religion, and addresses ways in which these connect to honor. Participants struggled immensely in attempting to differentiate how the concepts of culture, religion, and tradition influenced their perspectives of honor killings. The conceptualization of honor, much like any cultural practice or tradition, is not stagnant, but ever changing through agency and choice. The culture is crippled with social pressure to commit repeated murders in order to defend the family's concept of honor. The discussion of the degrees to which culture and religion influence one's views of honor goes beyond Muslim-American participants. Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs alike view honor and morality from a collectivist perspective, that is, as a family matter. The culture that evolved in these regions considers rights to be collective, not individual. Media reports can often label crimes as honor killings based on the region and religion of the parties involved.
