The Daily Mail is reporting that figures obtained by the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organization (IKWRO) show that there were at least 2,823 incidents of "honor-based" violence in the country in the past year, representing a 47 percent rise in honor-related attacks since 2009.
The report stated: "This is the first time that a national estimate has been provided in relation to reporting of honour-based violence. . . . The number of incidents is significant, particularly when we consider the high levels of abuse that victims suffer before they seek help."
Honor attacks or killings are usually committed against Muslim women who have been accused of bringing shame on the family. The attacks can be in the form of abductions, mutilations, beatings and murder.
"The perpetrators will be even considered as a hero within the community because he is the one defending the family and community's honor and reputation," said IKWRO director Diana Nammi to the BBC.
She believes victims are in need of more support than they are currently receiving. "For some cases, police and some organizations just help them up to a length of time, then they will stop. With honor-based violence, the threat may be a lifetime threat for them. The problem is that there is no systematic training for police and other government forces in the UK, such as social services, teachers and midwives."
Honor-based violence is an "organized or collective crime or incident" which is orchestrated by a family or within a community, she said.
Many things are considered dishonorable, such as having a boyfriend, being a victim of rape, refusing an arranged marriage, being gay or lesbian and in some cases wearing make-up or inappropriate dress.
The UK association of Chief Police Officers said they were working hard to better support victims.
"We are determined to end honor violence and recognize the need for greater consistency on the ground to stop this indefensible practice," a spokesman told the Mail.
"Our action plan to end violence against women and girls sets out our approach to raise awareness, enhance training for police and prosecutors and better support victims."
Domestic violence is part of all cultures, but Muslims commit 91 percent of honor killings worldwide, according to Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch.
" . . . (H)onor killings are encouraged by Sharia's inconsistency on whether parents can be held accountable for the death of their child," Spencer writes. "There is also the letter and spirit of Qur'an 4:34, which makes violence (yes, violence) an acceptable recourse for dealing with 'disobedient' women."
Honor killing in Muslim nations is commonplace. For instance, in Pakistan, one in five homicides is an "honor killing" and this figure is thought to be much lower than the actual numbers due to cultural and reporting factors.
"Unsurprisingly, statistics regarding honor killings and other forms of domestic violence among Muslims from over half of the Muslim nations researched found numbers to be consistent with those of Pakistan or higher," writes Douglas J. Hagmann of the Northeast Intelligence Network. "In those cultures, women are not only unequal to men, but husbands may beat their wives in Sharia compliant venues. At its most extreme, honor killings are accepted and sanctioned under Sharia law."
The U.S. has also seen a rising number of "honor killings" within its Muslim immigrant communities, such as the case of Noor Faleh Almaleki, 20, of Phoenix, Arizona who died after her father ran her over with a car because she had become too "Westernized."
Equally shocking was the case of Amina Said, 18, and her 17 year-old sister Sarah who were shot to death by their father in 2008 for dating non-Muslim men.
"Changing direction will require changing policy," Hagmann writes about the need for tougher laws against these crimes in the U.S.
"And policy change can only happen when those who have the power to make such changes accept the facts about Islam not only as a religion, but as a culture and political process – and have the courage to stand up and speak out."
If this isn't done, he says, "the statistics that scream out for disclosure will be drowned out only by the screams of cultural Islam’s next victims."
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