U.S. 'honor killings' raise concerns

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- "Honor killings" by U.S. Muslim immigrants are a cause for concern, an expert on radical Islam says.

Robert Spencer, founder of Jihad Watch, says the six instances of alleged "honor killings" in the United States during the last two years show that law enforcement officials need to do more to stop the crimes, USA Today reported Monday.

"There is broad support and acceptance of this idea in Islam, and we're going to see it more and more in the United States," Spencer told the newspaper.

The World Health Organization says thousands of such killings have occurred in Muslim countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan and Palestinian territories, generally involving the slaying of women by relatives who claim they have brought shame on the family.

USA Today said one such killing happened Nov. 2 in Peoria, Ariz., when a 20-year-old woman's Iraqi immigrant father allegedly ran her over in a parking lot after because she had rejected her Iraqi husband and had moved in with an American man.

The newspaper said many U.S. Muslim leaders contend that Islam does not promote honor killings and call it a practice that goes back to pre-Islamic tribal times.