A few days ago in Lod, a 32-year-old woman was murdered in cold blood in front of her four children, in what appears to have been another so-called honor killing. This appalling murder brings the issue of violence against women in the Arab sector to the forefront of the public agenda. The reality is that hundreds of women are murdered every year in the Arab and Muslim world, not to mention the thousands more who are injured, simply for making one mistake that for their relatives was deemed critical and unpardonable. A woman who desecrates the honor of her family is to be punished by death. She will be murdered by those members of her family who feel their honor was trampled upon and that killing her is the only way they can atone for the shame brought upon them. A life sentence is not a deterrent for these killers. According to the worldview held by many Arabs, it is better to live behind bars for decades than to live with the disgrace. Although there is never a justification for murder, the absurdity is that sometimes these women are murdered simply because of a suspicion. Furthermore, it would be a grave mistake to disconnect the idea of "shame" from the idea of "honor." These terms are related to one another. According to this worldview, death is the only way the suspected woman can be forgiven for her alleged transgressions. One particular manifestation of this worldview is the women who carry out suicide terrorist attacks to atone for dishonoring their families. In Arab society, the woman is the heart of the family's honor. Any behavior on her part that does not coincide with society's values can dishonor the family. In many cases throughout the Arab world, women who were raped were then murdered by a relative, under the claim that they had not "behaved properly." In addition, there are many cases in which women do not report being raped to the police, fearing that the consequences could be deadly. Often, the rape is perpetrated by a family member. Jewish law stipulates that the punishment for a woman who commits adultery is "karet" ("cutting off," or excommunication). In Jewish tradition, karet is a divine punishment; it cannot be implemented by man. Although isolated cases can be found in which Jews murdered their daughters or wives for desecrating the family honor, such cases are rare. In Arab society this practice is known, familiar and even accepted, despite widespread activity in recent years in several Arab countries, mostly by women, to abolish it. The slogan used by these women is "Murder is never honorable." In Jewish society, the practice is shunned, and the vast majority of Israelis struggle to fathom the concept of murdering for the sake of restoring family honor. Jews sanctify life. The preservation of life, which includes the wellbeing of the soul, is one of our foundational values. In contrast, anyone unfamiliar with Arab society cannot understand the motive of the divorced husband, or the brother or father, who murders his wife, sister, or daughter, knowing with almost complete certainly that he will go to prison. According to the understanding in Arab society, it is better to spend a very long time behind bars than to live freely with that mark of shame. Sometimes these murders are committed under the auspices of the state or its leadership. For example, in the Gulf states that have adopted Shariah rather than civil law, a woman who is unfaithful to her husband is deemed a "zaniyah" (an illicit fornicator). She is punished by being stoned to death, in accordance with Islamic law. There are dozens of honor killings every year in the Arab sector in Israel and in Western countries, despite public relations campaigns from social workers and intervention by the state. What we can glean from this, apparently, is that Muslims in Israel and in the West identify more with their ethnic and religious affiliations than with the state and its laws. Dr. Edy Cohen is a research fellow at Bar-Ilan University.