JO Magazine

Every year, around 25 Jordanian women are murdered in the name of 'preserving family honor.' And Jordan isn’t alone. In her new book, Rana Husseini discusses the problem of honor killing around the world.

Interview by Nicholas Seeley.

IN JUNE 2, VETERAN Jordanian reporter Rana Husseini will launch the English-language version of her new book, Murder in the Name of Honor, which tells the story of the fight against so-called “honor crimes” in Jordan that began in the 1990s.

For sixteen years, Husseini has been one of the leaders of the campaign against these crimes, which see women murdered by members of their own families for sexual transgressions either real or imagined. Jordan was one of the first countries where a major public campaign was waged to end the practice—but the killing has not stopped. In 2009, nine women are known to have been victims of honor crimes, Husseini says.

Woven in with the story of the campaign against honor killings are threads of Husseini’s own story: how she discovered the killings as a young journalist at The Jordan Times, how she began reporting on them in the face of great public opposition, and how it led her to become part of the campaign against the practice.

While the first half of the book is devoted to Jordan, the second half deals with honor crimes all around the world, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, but also in South America, the Indian subcontinent, Oceania, and in immigrant communities in the United States, Great Britain and Europe.

“In my book there are cases of Christian women who are killed, Muslims, Yazidis, Sikhs,” Husseini says. “I really don’t think that any religion condones or upholds these crimes, especially when it’s very clear that it happens everywhere.”

Cutting across the usual developed/developing world dichotomies, Husseini discusses how these murders relate to tradition, psychology, patriarchy, and perhaps most important, to “the clash of old and new,” which leaves individuals and societies struggling for a means to establish their identity.

Murder in the Name of Honor will be published in English by the UK-based Oneworld Publications. An Arabic version is expected in October 2009, under the imprint of the Lebanese publishing house All Prints. With the launch coming up, JO spoke to Husseini about how much progress Jordan has made, and how much is still to come.

Video (click to watch)

DO YOU THINK JORDAN IS DOING ENOUGH TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF SO-CALLED ‘HONOR CRIMES’?

If you want to compare to other countries, of course, yes. For us as activists, we always strive for more. But I think what we have achieved so far is very important. If you want to compare, from the mid-1990s until now, a lot of things have changed. Of course the laws haven’t changed, but [the government] are also working on the laws. They built a family reconciliation center for women. The issue is no longer a taboo; now if you talk to people in the street, almost everyone knows about the issue. The Royal Family spoke against it. You have a change in attitude in terms of the judges and criminal prosecutors. So I think there was a social move at one point that really pushed things forward in terms of raising people’s awareness.

In the late 90s, it was really very exciting. When we were collecting signatures and going out and speaking, we basically broke another taboo. People used to be afraid to sign petitions: “No, the security will interrogate me, I don’t want to get in trouble.” But we went out, we took everything: four names, national number, date of birth. So it was a really, really exciting moment.

There’s a good amount on Jordan [in my book], but I think Jordan deserves it—not because I’m Jordanian or because I live here, but if you look at each country’s efforts in this regard, I think Jordan has been the leading country in addressing this issue. And I think it was because of our efforts that many other countries moved. It became an issue for the United Nations: in the past, they used to just talk about violence against women in general. Now [honor killing] has become something very known. Countries have become more aware of the problem and they’re addressing this issue specifically.

That’s why, when you see the acknowledgements [in the book], I think I thank half of Jordan! I did want to stress that this was a national effort. Maybe I started reporting for The Jordan Times and nagging and nagging until people started listening and reacting. But it became a national effort, and I think it’s only fair to recognize everyone. Unfortunately, you still see crimes happening.

AND THE NUMBER OF KILLINGS RECORDED EACH YEAR HASN’T CHANGED MUCH.

No. What’s changed is the awareness. You have to bear in mind, in any country in the world, when the population increases, crime in general will increase.

MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS STILL THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK, THAT ALLOWS MEN TO GET VERY LIGHT SENTENCES FOR CRIMES COMMITTED 'IN A FIT OF FURY.'

Listen, I think they’re going to change. They’re working on the laws and I think we’ll hear something. I think that the leadership in this country is really genuine [about desiring] change, and I think they’re working, and they want to see these crimes end. I just think it’s going to take time.

But as I said, [among] the judges and the prosecutors, the attitude is changing, and this is very important. Because you can change the laws, and if the judge is not convinced, he can still find a way. You have to work on the judges, the prosecutors, the police. You have to work on the school curriculum, you have to work on the teachers who teach the curriculum. You have to encourage religious leaders to speak against these crimes.

I think the government needs to build more shelters to help women. Women in protective custody, the government should find a way to take them out of prison and ensure them a decent life.

The media should always be objective about this issue. If there’s a crime, they need to report it, in detail. Until now the Arabic press does not report [most honor killings]. What you see in The Jordan Times is not what you see in the Arabic press. I’m not saying that to boost The Jordan Times, or myself, but this is the fact!

It’s important and very good if they change the law, but the law alone will not solve the problem.

DO YOU EVER FEEL DISAPPOINTED, DISCOURAGED? IT FEELS LIKE THERE WAS A LOT OF PROGRESS, AND THEN—

It’s not that things stopped! People want to do something … but the thing is, when we had the momentum and everything was going on, in 2001 you had the second Palestinian intifada, and the interest shifted. And then the war in Iraq. The area is always filled with turmoil—but I haven’t stopped. I’ve been doing the same thing for the past 16 years now.

WHAT HAS KEPT YOU WORKING FOR THAT LONG?

I think I’m doing something very good, for women in Jordan, for humankind. And I believe that you can make a difference. When I first started writing, people were making fun of me: “You’re preaching to the believers, because it’s in The Jordan Times,” “Nothing ever changes in this country,” “You’re wasting your time!” I didn’t listen to them.

I’m sure—I’m sure—that with my work I saved somebody’s life; more than one. I don’t know them, but I’m sure I did. I hope that the book will save more lives.

In the stories, it sort of tells women to be careful, because a lot of times they think they live in a safe environment, and they don’t, and they don’t see the signs. But they’re there.

WHEN YOU WERE TRYING TO GET THE BOOK PUBLISHED, DID YOU GET PRESSURE FROM PUBLISHERS TO SENSATIONALIZE IT?

That’s why it took me a long time to publish the book: because I stressed to my agent that I don’t care how big the publishing house is, I want a house that’s not going to make major changes to my book or try to sensationalize it.

My aim is not to have a book that’s going to curse or condemn or damn anyone. On the contrary, my aim is to have a comprehensive and objective book that is also a reference for anyone who really wants to know the truth behind these crimes—and what some countries have done to address these crimes—and how we can try to stop these crimes! So that if anyone else in the future tries to write something that is not correct, this book will be there.

YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT NORMA KHOURI, WHO WROTE A FICTIONAL STORY ABOUT AN HONOR KILLING IN JORDAN AND THEN SUCCESSFULLY PASSED IT OFF AS A MEMOIR. IT SEEMS AS IF SHE HAS HAD A REALLY BIG EFFECT ON YOUR THINKING—YOU DEVOTE A WHOLE CHAPTER OF YOUR BOOK TO HER HOAX, AND HELPING TO EXPOSE IT. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

I started receiving e-mails from people cursing Jordan, and damning Arabs and Muslims for the issue of so-called “honor crimes.” Then an Iraqi reporter contacted me from the United States and she told me that there was this book that just came out. So she sent me the book and from the first page, I discovered that it was a fake.

It’s unfortunate that it got to be a bestseller. The way she portrayed Arabs and Muslims, and women, even Christians, in Jordan—it was really bad. If you want to fight this issue, you don’t fight it this way. You don’t go out and demonize a whole nation.

She made it look as if we’re living under a Taliban regime—women do not have a say, they’re all monitored by men—it’s really ridiculous. Nobody’s denying that so-called honor crimes happen. But she made it look in the book like no one is doing anything, and she is the rescuer. It’s not fair, you know? You don’t come and just erase what people did! I’m not talking about myself, I’m talking about Jordan in general.

We are fed up in this part of the world with people just writing things about us, accusing us of things, trashing us—and then people just believe what they want to believe. Like people who read Norma Khouri’s book. You have a book that comes out just before the war in Iraq, and people are just thirsty to convince themselves that Arabs are bad and evil. And this book really served the purpose. Norma was lecturing all over Australia, calling on the West to liberate Muslim women, just before the war!

So, I mean, we have our problems; the West have their problems. I don’t like to compare ourselves with the West. But it’s unfair to come and use a problem against us. The only difference is that this time somebody stood up against [Khouri’s] book. You have a lot of literature that comes out that is really against us and nobody makes a move or does anything. We moved and we did something.

SO WHAT KINDS OF THINGS NEED TO HAPPEN TO MAKE A CHANGE IN SOCIETY?

I think violence against women in general, and this issue of so-called honor crimes, these are two things that you need to keep working on forever.

You have to always be optimistic and build on whatever progress has happened. That’s why I’m saying the good things. We [still] have women that are being killed—this is a reminder to us that we have to continue to work. Nine [killed in 2009] is a big number. It’s more than last year at this time. This means by the end of the year you’ll have around 40. It’s very bad.

I just hope the book will be a positive contribution to the efforts that will happen in Jordan and other parts of the world.

Rana Husseini will be present for a signing and launch event on June 2, at Readers book shop, on the second floor of the Cozmo shopping center in Sweifiyeh.