Symbols and Representations of Honor

Found most commonly in Arabic and middle eastern countries, honor and shame in such places are very much associated with reverence of symbols and historic/religious artifacts and holy texts - such as the Koran. 

Maintaining reverence for the names of the Divine, prophets, and corresponding images and symbols all signify the community's honor. To desecrate any of those images/symbols or holy names is considered an insult to the honor of the whole community. Many westerners are confused into thinking that honor-killings happen because of one particular "religion", but in reality it is due to this particular type of honor/shame code more than it is because of any religious dogma. 

For example respecting Mohammed as a prophet of Allah is so much more than just a statement of faith or assent to a particular religious view. Rather it is deeply entangled in family and community honor. This is why it is not uncommon to for families to feel insulted if one member of the family commits apostasy. Again, the often-extreme social consequences have less to do with "religion", and more to do the social consequences of people feeling like their honor has been wounded. 

**more coming soon**