ETHICS 1 - Ethics and Moral Reasoning in Everyday observance of group practices emerge habits.

This
Life becomes the culture of a particular group or society.
Module 1
ETHICS, MORES, AND VALUES Mores become the compelling reason to do what ought
to be done, because it is the right thing to do to
1.0 The Realm of Morality: Ethics and Mores preserve and protect society. Mores exert social
pressure on the individual to conform to society’s
Ethics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the expectations in terms of character and behavior — that
systematic questioning and critical examination of the is, to come as close as possible to the ideal man or
underlying principles of morality. woman.

Ethics came from the root word ‘ethos’ which refers to Even as society defends and preserves its mores, these
the character of a culture. Ethos includes the attitude of same mores may change to adapt to new conditions.
approval or disapproval in a particular culture at a given The changes in the mores of a particular society do not
time and place. The subject matter being studied in happen in an instant, but they happen unconsciously
ethics is morality. over time.
Morality came from the root word ‘mores’, which refers For example, during the Spanish period women wore
to the customs, including the customary behavior, of a dresses that covered them from head to toe, and it was
particular group of people. This constitutes the core of thought that seeing a woman’s ankles was tantamount
the attitudes and beliefs of a particular group of people. to seeing her naked. But women’s fashion has changed
so much through the years that our Spanish ancestors
Therefore, mores (in Latin) and ethos (in Greek), both might well be rolling in their graves at the way women
refer to customary behavior. are dressed today.
1.1 The Role of Society and the Individual in the According to Sumner, this point can be summarized
Emergence of Mores thus: “The ‘morals’ of an age are never anything but
the consonance between what is done and what the
William Graham Sumner, a well known sociologist and mores of the age requires.”
anthropologist, claims that our notion of what is ‘right’
stems from our basic instinct to survive. That is, human Consequently, with regard to morality one always has to
beings formed groups in order to meet the task of consider two points of view —
survival, and from living in groups they observed best 1. Society, together with its customs, social rules, and
practices and developed the most practical way of doing social sanctions,
things. From these practices emerged traditions and 2. Individual or the free moral agent who develops
notions of the right thing to do. habits in the course of following the social norms
established by society.
For example, for each group of people there is a right
way of catching game, a right way of treating guests, and Ultimately, it is still the individual, in his/her capacity as
a right way of dressing up. Sumner refers to these a rational and free moral agent, who will decide whether
notions of ‘right’ and ‘true’ as ‘folkways’. to follow these norms.
Sumner states further that mores come from folkways, On the other hand, society is not homogenous, because
with the added element of societal welfare embodied in there is an interplay of varying views and groups where
them. In order to preserve society and its accepted the individual belongs. The factors that may affect the
norms and practices, the individual, consciously or individual’s choices are varied and even contradictory at
unconsciously, defends and upholds society’s notions of times. The individual may belong simultaneously to
what is right. different groups, and these groups could exert varying
and sometimes contrasting degrees of influence on
At the same time, the group as a whole develops social him/her. For example, individuals can be influenced by
rules and sanctions, which may be implicit or explicit, their family, peer groups, church, school, the mass
in order to preserve the group practices and to control media, and social media.
the behavior of the individual for the purpose of
maintaining order in society. Thus, customs emerge Ultimately, however, it is still the individual who would
out of repeated practices, while from the individual make his/her own moral decisions. As mentioned, the
notion of morality develops with the interplay between
society and the individual. Here, society would be Sumner states that common laws or customary laws are
composed of different groups that directly or indirectly part of the customs of our society, and they emerge
shape the values of the individual. These values serve unconsciously as part of the mores of our culture,
as the individual’s guide in his/her pursuit of what whereas positive laws are formulated and are products
he/she believes to be the moral or the ‘good’ life. of rational reflection, discussion, and verification.

Note that the individual is assumed to be a free moral For example, our constitution and penal code are part
agent who can make choices and deliberate or reflect of the positive laws of the Philippines while certain
before acting or making a decision. Moreover, as practices in our culture like ‘sabong’ or cockfighting
society grows and becomes more complex, the different with its own rules of the game, or the informal practice
groups that comprise it could put forward competing of transacting personal loans without collateral (also
values, including different notions of ‘what is good’. In known as “5-6”) from enterprising people, and even
this case, it is the rational individual who can decide for keeping common law wives on the part of philandering
him/ herself which moral principles to uphold, based on husbands have long been part of our culture and are
his/her upbringing and the influence of various groups in examples of our customary or common law.
his/her society (family, church, school, peer groups,
social media, mass media, etc.). They may not be legal but these practices are part of
the Filipino culture and are accepted or tolerated by
Therefore, the individual plays a pivotal role as a many. Institutions, on the other hand, can be
free moral agent in analyzing, choosing, and valuing considered crescive or enacted.
what he/she considers as most important when
he/she makes his/her choices. Crescive institutions, according to Sumner, are
products of our mores like our very rich religious
Society, as a whole, functions as a way of controlling practices which mirror the religiosity of Filipinos.
the behaviour of an individual. It becomes necessary to
impose social controls and sanctions so that the In contrast, enacted institutions are products of
individual would be guided accordingly. To a certain rational reflection and are purposely established to
extent, society coerces its members to follow its rules to cater to the needs of the members of society, in the
maintain order. process establishing order and protecting society.
Examples of enacted institutions are our banking
For example, even if we are irritated by people who system and land titling system.
disobey traffic rules, we are not free to do what we
would like to do, like kill them, because we are bound by Unfortunately, not everything that has been passed into
the mores of our society. These mores become the a positive law can be considered moral or in
basis of the morals of that society when expressed or accordance with the mores originally intended to serve
laid out as ethical principles that its members are bound societal welfare and protect society. In this regard, an
to respect and follow. important question to consider is: Is what is legal
moral?
This is the force or power of mores. The individual
can feel this power whenever he/she does something
against the rules of society and he/she is bothered by
his/her ‘conscience’ as if he/she is hearing the voices
of elders telling him/her what he/she should do.

According to Sumner, as society grows, it becomes

more difficult to control the behavior of its members, and
there is a need to formalize and codify some of the rules
that we are bound to follow. Thus, from mores as the
embodiment of societal welfare, laws and institutions
emerge in order to protect society and to set some
system of societal control over the behavior of individual
members. These laws could be positive laws and
customary or common laws, while institutions could be
crescive or enacted.
1.2 Freedom and Morality 1.3 Necessary Conditions for Morality: Freedom and
Obligation
The concept of freedom, as well as the application of freedom
to individual rights, has been widely used in different levels of According to John Mothershead, there are two necessary
analysis in Philippine society as a whole. Freedom as a conditions for morality to occur: freedom and obligation.
concept that pertains to the moral realm is examined in this
section. An important question that must be brought to light is: As explained above, freedom is assumed when one is
What is freedom and how is it exercised in the realm of making choices and is the agent taking full responsibility for
morals? planning his/her life, and in the process, planning and
budgeting his/her actions for some future goal. This is in
John Paul Sartre, an existentialist philosopher, assumes the
idea of radical freedom by claiming that “man is condemned
accordance with the individual’s moral and rational capacity
to be free”. Sartre conceives of “man” as an unconstrained to know and discern what is right and wrong. This condition
free moral agent in the sense that he always has a choice in of freedom can be seen as limiting or constraining the realm
every aspect of his life. of morals for human beings.

Even if somebody points a gun at his head, he still has a Animals do not have the capacity to look forward and
choice whether to follow the wishes of his captors. Sartre consciously plan for the future. Even when ants hoard their
claims that “Man is nothing else but that which he makes food for the rainy days, this action is based on instinct. Only
of himself.” human beings are capable of planning for their future,
planning their life, and setting their goals as a result of
“Man” is never compelled or determined; he is totally free and these plans.
therefore, totally responsible for all the things that he does.
When you exercise freedom in making your choices, you are The assumption of freedom entails another assumption,
taking control and assuming full responsibility for those which is obligation. In its moral sense, obligation is
choices. construed as a one’s duty to him/herself to exercise
freedom as a rational moral being. In other words, it is seen
However, there is one important caveat: you are free but as his/her duty to him/herself to do this budgeting and
this freedom is not absolute. You cannot do anything that planning for the future because the future is yet to be and
you please without taking into consideration the norms of your
the only way to make it better is by being obliged to do so.
society. Mores are there to serve as a form of social control to
In other words, you are not free to be unfree.
limit, govern, or regulate your behavior in order to maintain
order in your society.
In making moral decisions and choices, it is within the
For example, you cannot just go about killing people you capacity of the human person as an active and free moral
consider as obnoxious. You are perhaps familiar with the agent to exercise his/ her freedom of choice as his/her
saying ‘your freedom ends where my freedom begins’. Within obligation to him/herself.
the given parameters of our environment, including the
economic, political and social environment, we assume Our discussion of freedom entails this basic presupposition:
freedom. That the human person is free in the exercise of making
choices in the realm of morality—that is, in making
Our discussion will come to nothing if we assume otherwise choices with regard to determining what is the right thing to
— i.e. that human beings are not free and their choices are do in situations and circumstances in his/her own life.
always determined by factors or forces in their environment.
This deterministic view is tantamount to saying that human This can be summarized in our Filipino saying, “Buntot mo,
beings are like robots or machines whose actions and hila mo!” It is taking full responsibility for your actions and
functions can be predicted like cause and effect given the being obliged to do so. When was the last time you blamed
parameters of the variables in his/her environment. Nor can other people for a mistake that you made? There is a
we embrace fully the extreme view of radical freedom without tendency for people to blame others for their choice of a
taking into consideration the norms of our society.
course of action.
Freedom of the human person in the moral sense of the word
assumes that one is a free moral agent. Moral, in this sense, For example, a couple who freely choose to marry each
refers to the freedom to make one's choice in accordance other out of love could, when the marriage sours, blame
with one’s own moral discernment of what is good and bad, each other for their predicament and end up saying he/she
and one is taking full responsibility for one’s own actions and was forced or coerced by the other into the marriage.
is using his/her rational and empathetic capacity as a moral However, it is one’s obligation to oneself to exercise one’s
being. Aside from our reason and critical thinking, we also capacity for deliberation and reflection by thinking about the
have the ability to empathize or to feel what other beings feel consequences before making a decision. In other words,
and to situate ourselves in their shoes. this is an exercise of one’s rationality to the fullest without
forgetting one’s humanity and his/her capacity for empathy.
2.0 Values and Choices Some philosophers have debated whether some
This section explains: animals have the capacity to be moral because of
stories where pet animals like dogs have been
-The reason behind the claim that only human recognized as heroes for saving lives. In the
beings are moral. Philippines, we have our version of a hero dog
-The nature of our value experiences, including the named ‘Kabang’ whose upper snout was badly
difference between a value and a moral value damaged when she went between her master’s
-The distinction between moral decisions and moral daughter and a tricycle to protect her from being run
judgments and between intellectual and practical over. Do you think that what Kabang did is a moral
choices. act? Did it entail deliberation or was it based purely
on instinct and conditioning?
2.1 Only humans are moral
As a compromise to these two opposing views,
According to Mothershead, conduct refers to some philosophers have agreed to call this pre-
deliberate human action. It is a result of the process reflective morality in animals because animals are
of reflection based on the idea that the human not capable of the wide range of deliberation,
person is endowed with the capacity to think and reflection, concept construction, and rational and
plan his/her own life using his/her rationality and to critical thinking that humans are able to do.
weigh the consequences of his/her actions.
In other words, this is morality that occurs prior to
In general, we do not ascribe morality to animals or deliberation and reflection. According to
to natural calamities like typhoons, earthquakes or Mothershead, only humans are moral in so far as
tsunamis, for example. Even if typhoon Yolanda they are capable of deliberate human action.
claimed around 8,000 lives, it would be nonsensical
to declare that typhoon Yolanda was immoral.
Animals are not capable of the act of deliberation or
reflection. If your cat or your dog eats your fried
chicken, this is not an action based on reflection and
deliberation but on instinct — for example, the cat or
dog does not think about whether it would be
depriving its master of food for dinner.

Animal behavior is instinctive whereas human

behavior is a matter of conduct. While some animals
have been recognized to have the ability to solve
simple problems and the ability to connect events
like cause and effect, they develop these through
the process of conditioning, where positive and
negative reinforcement are use for the animal to
learn the behavior.

An example is Skinner’s pigeon which was

conditioned or trained to peck five times for food to
be given. Another example is a chimpanzee, shown
to have the capacity to solve simple problems by
using simple instruments or devices in order to
reach his food, like using a stick to get the food
placed in an area not near enough for his bare
hands or to use a stool to reach and pull the string
to turn on the light.
2.2 Value Experience: Values and Moral Values The value of looking at a beautiful face is often
appreciated by many. When a beautiful person
passes by, everybody would look at that person and
The range of choices is so wide and varied. It ranges perhaps appreciate beauty when they see it. But that
from the most trivial to the most difficult choices and is all there is to it. This is because beauty is just a
decisions that we have to make in our life. value.
When we are in the process of choosing among the Can beauty become a moral value? Can money
alternatives in a given situation, even in the most become a moral value? Can chastity and purity
trivial things like choosing our outfit for the day, or become a moral value?
what to eat, or what hairstyle to adopt, the process of
value experience comes into play. Mothershead argues that a value can become a
moral value if it becomes an unlimited priority in its
Mothershead adds that this is the side-taking part of scope of relevance in our life. This is to say that one
our experience. This valuation process happens is willing to give up other values in order to promote
when we make choices and indicate our preferences, what s/he considers as a moral value. Thus, a moral
for example, when we like or dislike, approve or value takes precedence and priority over other
disapprove, favor or disfavor. Values are the result of values.
this process of value experience where you set which
priorities to pursue. They may also be considered as In other words, you are willing to give up other
imperatives that you have set your mind to do. values just to promote this moral value. Moreover,
the priority claimed by this moral value is unlimited
According to Mothershead, “All values are priorities because it could influence your decisions in other
with respect to some aspect of human experience. aspects of your life and you are willing to set other
This is usually expressed by saying that values are values aside for it.
imperatives; they make a claim upon us, whether we
admit the claim or not.” For example, those who value chastity and purity are
willing to forego love in order to remain chaste and
We do this valuation process when we set priorities pure. Money could also become a moral value for
among the choices or alternatives available to us. For some people who set aside other values, like family
example, choosing to buy smartphones over ties or friendship, for the sake of money. This could
something else reflects the value placed on being be the reason why we sometimes hear negative
socially connected. Now when does a value become labels like ‘Mukhang pera yan’, ‘Walang kai-kaibigan
a moral value? o kamag-anak, lahat pera pera lang ang katapat’,
‘Diyos niya ang pera!’ Still others may consider
The priorities that we attach to values are limited in beauty as a moral value when they are willing to take
its scope of importance or significance in our life. For risks to their health, like having surgical
example, money is a value and as a student you enhancements in order to achieve beauty.
might save money in order to buy something that you
value more, like a new mobile phone. Once you have Values and moral value may change over time. As
that new mobile phone, you will be fulfilled until the one matures and grows older, there are values and
next object of value that you would consider worth moral value that one outgrows and a new set takes
saving up for. over. These changes could be brought about by
changing circumstances or by unforeseen events. For
In other words, money is a value because it is a example, after the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda,
means to an end, which could be another value more people in the affected areas may have re-examined
important than money and for which you are willing to their priorities as they faced the reality of losing their
give up your money. Your textbooks are of value loved ones.
throughout the school year that you are using them.
But once the school year is over, you would normally
discard them to make way for a new set of textbooks
in your shelf for the next school year.
2.3 Moral Judgments and Moral Decisions 2.4 Intellectual Choice and Practical Choice

In our actions as free moral agents and the exercise of moral

According to Mothershead, “Making moral reasoning, there tends to be what Grassian has labelled as
judgments is budgeting actions”. Furthermore, for “the confusion between what one ought to do and what one
him, “[a] moral decision is the most important class would be inclined to do”.
of moral judgments” because it “has reference to the We can adapt an objective point of view and ask ourselves,
judger’s own future action.” “What do I ought to do given this situation?” With this question
in mind, we could very well examine and analyze the situation
Our moral decisions reflect our choices as to what as objectively as possible with the use of our intellectual and
rational capacity, in order to come up with an intellectual
should be included or excluded in our life. This is choice.
what freedom entails — to make these choices, and
in effect, to plan and budget our life, including This is the process of giving normative answers as rational
moral beings. Normative answers are answers about what
mapping out plans for the future. Mothershead also we ought to do from a moral system that we uphold and its
states that “not all moral judgments are decisions” moral principles. These normative or prescriptive answers
as “many of our moral judgments have reference would also take into consideration the behavior that is
to other people or groups of people.” We often expected of us by society.
render moral judgments on what others should or For example, when you are being asked to resolve a moral
ought to do. dilemma, you can try to give your intellectual choice as a
normative answer. Here you are using your imagination
Here, we are like spectators, where the process of because you are not, as it were, facing that actual moral
situation described in the dilemma. In this case, the answers
budgeting or planning extends to other people or that you are inclined to give are prescriptive in this imaginary
groups, and goes beyond our personal life and and hypothetical situation.
endeavors. This activity could extend outside of our
personal space, to our neighbors, to celebrities we On the other hand, the question “What would I be inclined to
do, given this situation” has to do with the practical choice
do not know personally, to other ethnic groups and when faced with the actual situation. There seems to be a
even to people outside our country of origin. difference between making moral decisions in actual situations
where you are involved and the normative answers that you
give when you are confronted only with a hypothetical
It has been said that Filipinos are prone to making situation.
moral judgments even on people they barely know.
Perhaps this is also true of people in other These practical choices when confronted with the actual
countries. In general, people have a propensity to situation have to do more with the psychological aspect of the
person actually embroiled in the moral situation or dilemma,
make moral judgments on other people. In fact, it according to Grassian. “[o]ur quest, however, is not the
could sometimes become a pastime or a habit for psychological one of what an individual would as a matter of
some, taking the form of giving unsolicited advice. fact be inclined to do in a given situation but, rather, the
These judgments could have a wide range of normative one of what he morally ought to do. The mere fact
that an individual might be inclined to act in a particular way
application and could extend into the indeterminable does not show that that is the way he should act” He adds that.
future. When we claim for example, as a moral
judgment, that no one should be allowed to punish For example, psychological and emotional stress and lack of
an innocent person, this judgment has a wide and time to deliberate during an actual moral situation may affect a
person’s moral decision in that situation. A person may be so
far reaching application beyond our lifetime. engulfed by emotions that s/he may sometimes fail to make
the right choice. Or the stress could make the person's
practical choice inconsistent with her/his intellectual choice.
This is the root of the confusion, Grassian claims.

The business of philosophy is the examination of what one

ought to do — i.e., one's intellectual choices. It is hoped that
given the luxury of time to reflect on moral problems and
situations, when the time comes for one to confront actual
problems and situations, one would make the correct
choices based on what one ought to do.
Conclusion Activity 1
To sum up, Read William Sumner’s “The Case for Ethical Relativism” in
Philosophy: The Basic Issues, pp. 496-511, and then answer the
Mores come from our folkways which are the source of our notion questions below based on what you understood from the reading.
of what is right, but with the added element of societal welfare in 1. How do you develop your notion of ‘what is the right thing to do’
order to protect, preserve and maintain society. in society?
2. What is the connection between your choices as an individual
In the study of morality, which is the subject matter of ethics, there and that of your society?
are two points of view to consider: 3. To what extent do the mores of your society shape your notion
First, the point of view of society, together with its customs, social of “good/bad” or “right/wrong”?
rules and sanctions; 4. Do mores change? How? Cite an example.
And second, the point of view of the individual or the human
being as a free moral agent. Activity 2
Watch the 40-minute HBO documentary “Saving Face”. After
According to Mothershead, there are two necessary conditions for watching the documentary about acid attacks on women in
morality to occur: freedom and obligation. Pakistan, answer the following questions:
1. Explain these incidents of acid attack on women in terms of the
Freedom is assumed when one is making his/her choices and is mores of their culture.
the agent who is taking full responsibility for planning his/her life, 2. Do you think women should be freed from this bondage? Do
and in the process, planning and budgeting his/her actions for you agree with Zakia’s pursuit of justice? Explain your answer.
some future outlook or goal. This is in accordance with his/her 3. Is it your obligation as a moral being to enlighten and empower
moral and rational capacity for knowing and discerning what is women and other marginalized sectors from their own culture by
right and wrong. Together with the assumption of freedom is educating them about their rights in order that they could assert
obligation. and enjoy freedom in their own culture? Why/Why not?

In its moral sense, obligation is construed as one’s duty to Activity 3

oneself to exercise this freedom as a rational moral being. In other Read Benedict, R. (1934). Anthropology and the abnormal.
words, it is seen as a person’s duty to him/herself to do this Journal of General Psychology, 10(1), 59-82 and answer the
budgeting and planning for the future. Thus, according to questions below.
Mothershead, only humans are moral in so far as they are capable 1. Explain Benedict’s concept of the “normal/abnormal” and relate
of deliberate human action. Value experience is the side-taking it with Sumner’s discussion of the mores of society.
part of our experience. This valuation process happens when we 2. Explain and analyze the normal practices or norms in the
make choices and indicate our preferences, for example when we cultures of the tribes described by Benedict in terms of the
like or dislike, approve or disapprove, favor or disfavor. discussion about mores and social sanctions to maintain,
preserve, and protect the welfare of one’s society.
Values are the result of this process of value experience where 3. Compare the norms described by Benedict to our own standard
you set which priorities to pursue. They may also be considered of what is “normal/abnormal” in our culture. How will you justify
as imperatives that you have set your mind to do. these ‘abnormal’ practices?

Mothershead argues that a value can become a moral value if it Activity 4

becomes an unlimited priority in its scope of relevance in one’s A. Read Mothershead’s Ethics: Modern Conception of the
life. Principles of Right, Chapter 2 (pp. 21-36), “The Problem of the
Scope of Morality” and answer the study questions below.
Moral decisions comprise the most important class of moral 1. When does a value become a moral value? Is money a value?
judgments because these have reference to the judgers’ own Can money become a moral value? Why/Why not? Can you think
future action. of other examples?
2. Why do we have this tendency to render moral judgements on
A moral judgment has reference to other people or groups of others so easily? Explain your answer.
people, specifically with regard to what they should or ought to do. 3. Is your practical choice always in consonance with your
intellectual choice? Why/Why not?
“What ought I to do given this situation?” With this question in B. Think of an example of a morally significant act that you have
mind, we could examine and analyze the situation as objectively done in the past which you consider as an exercise of your
as possible using our intellectual and rational capacity in order to freedom.
come up with an intellectual choice. This is the process of giving 1. Explain how, in your exercise of this freedom, you also
normative answers as rational moral beings. considered society’s role in limiting your behavior.
2. And then explain how your exercise of this freedom is a moral
Normative answers are answers about what we ought to do from obligation on your part.
a moral system that we uphold and its moral principles. On the
other hand, the question “What would I be inclined to do given Activity 5
this situation?” has to do with the practical choice that we Watch the movie ‘Hachiko’. Do you think the dog Hachi has the
make when faced with the actual situation. capacity to make moral decisions and choices? Why/Why not?

There seems to be a difference between making moral decisions Activity 6

in actual situations where we are involved and the normative Make a list of things that you value (they could be material or non-
answers that we give when we are confronted with a hypothetical material). Arrange them according to their degree of importance in
situation. your life. Consider the topmost three of these things that you
value. Do you also consider them as a moral value? Please
explain why they are so or why they are not your moral values?
And then consider the bottom part of your list of values and
explain why they should belong there using your valuation Another Pakistani rights group, the Aurat Foundation,
process. estimates that about 1,000. Pakistani women are killed
each year by their families. Reuters writes that the "true
Activity 7 figure is probably many times higher" because the
Cite statements that possess universal appeal and are upheld as census is based only on newspaper accounts of honor
moral values. killings.

Activity 8 The government does not compile such statistics or

In the recent past, can you recall any conflict between your track the outcome of prosecutions.
intellectual choice and your practical choice? Which did you
uphold? Discuss your reasons for making that particular choice. Convicted killers are sometimes released, because the
law allows a family to forgive the killer.
Summative Activity
Below is a news item from the May 30, 2014 edition of USA A News Pakistan writer said an honor killing "is most
Today. Read the article and write a short analysis and evaluation probably the easiest way of killing woman and avoid the
of honor crimes happening in other parts of the world like capital punishment at the same time.”
Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and elsewhere, based on our
discussion about mores and freedom, moral values and moral The Koran, the Muslim holy book, does not approve of
judgement. honor killings or other extrajudicial murder, the website
Questions About Islam says.
Michael Winter, USA TODAY8:48 a.m. EDT May 30,
2014 There is absolutely no justification in Islam for
"honour killing" of women or men. Those who
As a crowd watched outside a courthouse, the family of a commit these crimes can expect hellfire as their
pregnant Pakistani woman beat her to death Tuesday punishment, in addition to the wrath and anger of
because she married the man she loved instead of her God, as the previous verse from the holy Quran
cousin. describes. These types of killings are quite simply
murder crimes, and should be prosecuted as
The 25-year-old woman's father, brother and spurned such. ..
fiance were among about a dozen male relatives who
used bricks and clubs in the so-called honor killing of There is no historical background in Islam for "honour
Farzana Parveen for disobeying her family's wishes. She killing". No verse in the holy Quran and no saying of
suffered massive head injuries and was pronounced Prophet Mohammad sanctions such crimes. …
dead at a hospital.
Islam does prescribe strict and sometimes even severe
Lahore police charged her father, Mohammad Azeem, punishments for certain crimes, such as adultery and
with murder, and the others were being sought. Azeem robbery. However, Islam places a great burder of proof
told police he helped kill his daughter because she had on the accuser to prove their accusations. …
shamed the family.
Islam has prescribed these punishments as a deterrent,
"I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family and as a way to demonstrate to people how ugly these
by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no crimes are and how hated they are in the sight of God.
regret over it," police investigator Rana Mujahid quoted …
him as saying.
Therefore, although Islam does prescribe 100 lashes for
Parveen was attacked as she and her husband, fornication (sexual relations between unmarried people),
Mohammad Iqbal, arrived at the gates of the Lahore High and death by stoning for adultery (married people who
Court. They went there to dispute charges brought by her have sexual relations outside of marriage), these
father that Iqbal had kidnapped Parveen, who had been punishments are not really meant to be performed as
engaged to her cousin for several years. much as they are meant to make these crimes hated in
the eyes of the society in order to minimize their
Iqbal, 45, was a widower with five children when he occurrence. …
began seeing Parveen, he told the Associated Press.

"We were in love," he said.

Iqbal alleged her family wanted to extort money from him

before following through with the arranged marriage to
her cousin.

Every year, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Pakistani

women are killed by their families for actual or imagined
adultery or premarital sex. Public stoning is rare,
however.

Last month, the private Human Rights Commission of

Pakistan reported that 869 women were victims of honor
killings in 2013.