The article from the Guardian about honor killings and marriage in India was definitely something that opened my eyes, because I had never heard about the marriage situation in India before. I knew about the caste system, and a bit about Hinduism, but honor killings always seem to go more in hand with extremists in the Middle East, at least to the average American I would assume; but I think this article revealed that it is a much larger problem.
The focus of the article is the organization “Love Commandos,” a 24-hour hotline that people can call if threatened with harm or death because they wish to marry someone of a different caste. It sounds like the organization has done a lot of great work so far, the article discussed how they have saved many Indian couples and are protecting them from their non-accepting families and neighbors. Unfortunately, it seems as though it might not be a well-known organization in India yet, so many people are still dying in these honor killings.
My one question about the article is whether or not this caste system and these honor killings are really due to the religious ideas in India, or whether it is more of a cultural thing. I’m not sure that the article really made it clear, and I am no expert on Indian culture and religions. Personally, I will often be the first to condemn religious practices, but this just seemed more like a product of culture to me. I wish we had been able to discuss more of the article in class, but I did think it was highly interesting and it definitely gave me a broader insight into what life in India can be like.
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