Killing women in the name of honour is a sin of the highest order: Sunni Ittehad Council

According to a fatwa issued by forty muftis of the Sunni Ittehad Council, killing a woman in the name of honour is not an Islamic act and is a major sin. 

In the fatwa issued by the honourable muftis, it has been stated clearly that considering killing in the name of honour as a lawful act was kufr and acts such as burning a woman alive for marrying out of her free will was against Islamic principles. 

The fatwa also states that Islam has provided women who have come of age, to marry the man of their choice. Islam certainly does not recognize or endorse a heinous crime such as honour killing. 

The muftis further stated that the incidences of Abbotabad, Murree and Lahore had shaken the very foundations of our society. The upcoming Friday sermons during the holy month of Ramazan will feature talks on the rights of women in Islam. 

Most recently, acts of violence against women have been on the rise in Pakistan. A 19-year old schoolteacher by the name of Maria was burned alive in Murree simply because she refused a man's marriage proposal.

Similarly, a couple of days ago, another girl named Zeenat was burned to death by her very own mother, simply because she chose to marry the man of her choice.