More Evidence that Islam is not a Religion of Peace

Why pigeon hole Islam?
The only difference between Islam, Judaism and Christianity in terms of socioeconomic foreplay is that Islam never went through a religious reconciliation.

They are all religions of conquering ideas. Of hatred and ignorance.

Come to think of it, you could even depict Buddhism as violent and barbaric if you look upon its history.

Though, as far as the appropriateness of beliefs go, I'm of the opinion that Buddhism has it in the bag now.

The only reason I pigeon holed islam is because it was a headline on thestar.com. It could have just as easily been christianity or another religion. Also, I'd like to note that I specifically did not capitalize 'islam' or 'quran' because I do not think these things deserve such respect.

Caps don't always denote respect....hell, they never do.
DO THEY?

Normally they reflect a person, place or thing. Not respect.

Child and spousal abuse and murder are not unique to Islam. It exists everywhere. So I think trying to draw some "evidence" against any claim that Islam is a religion of peace based on this story is questionable at best.
Apparently "honor killings" are not condoned by Islamic teachings as you will read here:
Honor Killing is not in ISLAM

However, it is interesting to note that the Islamic courts are permitted to sentence adulterous Muslims or anyone who abandons the Islamic religion and forsakes the community to execution. This is as repugnant as any "honor killing".

Of course they are not unique to islam, however, when child and spousal abuse runs rampant in islamic countries compared to western countries, that begs the question, what is the cause? Could it be their religious teachings? I'd say so, and there are plenty of quotes that condone honour killings in the quran as well as sahih hadiths. When children are raised to believe that women are inferiour and honor killings are legitimate, there's no reason not to believe that you're going to see higher incidences of spousal and child abuse.

Originally Posted by Chris

Of course they are not unique to islam, however, when child and spousal abuse runs rampant in islamic countries compared to western countries,

I'd like to see the comparative studies that show domestic abuse is more prevalent in Islamic countries compared to western countries. Considering the differences in legal systems it may prove difficult to get truly good comparative stats on rates of domestic violence in Islamic countries.

In my gut I may agree with you that abuse of women and children is more common in Islamic societies, but I don't have any stats to back it up so feel very uncomfortable making blanket statements to that effect.

It's interesting that in America where laws do protect women and children from violence that abuses still take place at an alarming rate. From a survey done in the USA: "Overall, African Americans were victimized by intimate partners a significantly higher rates than persons of any other race between 1993 and 1998. Black females experienced intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races." That last number of 22 times the rate of other races is staggering and would include Arab races (predominantly Islamic). Here's the survey: Survey of Recent Statistics

Since we are outside the Muslim religion, it is very questionable whether our reading of religious texts is likely to give us the true meaning of those teachings. Can we really base our opinions of what is happening in Muslim homes on those texts that seem to condone abuse? There is plenty in the Bible that looks remarkably similar to the Koran as far as the treatment of women and children is concerned. Yet you seem to think western countries, largely of Christian persuasion, have lower rates of domestic violence.

Finding any religion that can truly describe itself as a "religion of peace" is extremely difficult. Even in the religious communities most noted for their pacifism (i.e. Mennonites or Amish) there are instances of domestic violence. I personally know of such cases. It hardly qualifies as evidence that the whole religion is not a religion of peace.

I found some statistics on one of YorkU's scholarly databases.

A United Nations study6 found that 50% of married women in Pakistan are physically battered and 90% are emotionally and verbally abused by their husbands. A study by the Pakistan National Women’s Division on ‘Battered Housewives in Pakistan’7 confirmed these results, estimating that domestic violence takes place in 80% of households. Domestic violence is not only prevalent in rural areas of Pakistan but also in developed cities like Karachi. A study in Karachi showed that 34% of the interviewed women when asked about domestic violence reported physical abuse.8 Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) estimated the prevalence of domestic physical violence in Pakistan as 65% (physical violence), and almost one-third (30.4%) of those reported sexual violence; both forms of violence lead to serious injuries requiring emergency medical attention.

You can read the full article here: Attachment 316

From another study of women in Bangladesh, non-Muslim religious homes showed lower risk of violence compared to Muslim households:

We explore the determinants of domestic violence in two rural areas of Bangladesh. We found increased education, higher socioeconomic status, non-Muslim religion, and extended family residence to be associated with lower risks of violence. [...] Religion also emerges as a significant predictor of domestic violence, with Muslim households characterized by significantly higher risks of violence relative to other (predominantly Hindu) households.

Second article source here: Attachment 317

In all of these studies that I've read, education is always the delimiter on household abuse. As women are educated, domestic violence decreases. We need to empower women with easier access to education around the world.