Walden Cabin: Observations typed on an old Underwood

A Question of Honour?

Rana Husseini is a journalist. I met her yesterday in the offices of the Jordan Times newspaper in Amman. Rana is a Palestinian who works and writes in English. Considering that she does her work as an independent woman in an Arab country is interesting enough, but that's not what makes her story remarkable. Rana writes about honour killings, the tradition of killing women who are accused of having sexual relations outside of marriage. She has led a crusade against the practice for eight years and has gained international recognition for doing so, including an international humanitarian award.

Just this month, three young girls were murdered in Jordan, allegedly by their brothers or fathers. One was axed to death in her bedroom. In that particular case, the accused brother confessed that he killed his sister to restore the family honour. She had "been divorced and was coming and going at night". The post mortem revealed that the girl's hymen was intact.

Jordan is a fantastic country, but some traditions that are more commonly affiliated with the past remain. The fact that Rana Husseini can talk and write about honour killings is a good sign. The fact that the law of Jordan still protects men who kill their sisters or wives or daughters under these circumstances is not.

I asked Rana what kind of lives these men lead once they kill their sisters, and I reflected on my own circumstances. My sister Valerie drives me nuts sometimes, but I'd have a hard time living with myself if I took an axe to her skull. How do these men go on to have normal lives? Do they? Rana was quiet for a moment. "It's a tough decision between love and honour." In a traditional society where the world is the village, honour often comes first. But imagine the agony of the choice! With short and often suspended sentences, these men resume life in the community at large. No counselling, no discussion of the incident.

What about the women who survive? Apparently, and ironically, Rana explained that the jails are full of women who have been accused of dishonouring the family -- women who have been raped or who got pregnant. These women enter jail voluntarily, to protect themselves from their brothers and fathers. Some have lived this life in exile in jail for up to 12 years.

Rana is tough. She's cool. She gets death threats. But her work continues. One woman in one country speaks out. This makes Jordan a better place.

>> Write to Stuart.



	A Question of Honour? Rana Husseini is a journalist. I met her yesterday in the offices of the Jordan Times newspaper in Amman. Rana is a Palestinian who works and writes in English. Considering that she does her work as an independent woman in an Arab country is interesting enough, but that's not what makes her story remarkable. Rana writes about honour killings, the tradition of killing women who are accused of having sexual relations outside of marriage. She has led a crusade against the practice for eight years and has gained international recognition for doing so, including an international humanitarian award. Just this month, three young girls were murdered in Jordan, allegedly by their brothers or fathers. One was axed to death in her bedroom. In that particular case, the accused brother confessed that he killed his sister to restore the family honour. She had "been divorced and was coming and going at night". The post mortem revealed that the girl's hymen was intact. Jordan is a fantastic country, but some traditions that are more commonly affiliated with the past remain. The fact that Rana Husseini can talk and write about honour killings is a good sign. The fact that the law of Jordan still protects men who kill their sisters or wives or daughters under these circumstances is not. I asked Rana what kind of lives these men lead once they kill their sisters, and I reflected on my own circumstances. My sister Valerie drives me nuts sometimes, but I'd have a hard time living with myself if I took an axe to her skull. How do these men go on to have normal lives? Do they? Rana was quiet for a moment. "It's a tough decision between love and honour." In a traditional society where the world is the village, honour often comes first. But imagine the agony of the choice! With short and often suspended sentences, these men resume life in the community at large. No counselling, no discussion of the incident. What about the women who survive? Apparently, and ironically, Rana explained that the jails are full of women who have been accused of dishonouring the family -- women who have been raped or who got pregnant. These women enter jail voluntarily, to protect themselves from their brothers and fathers. Some have lived this life in exile in jail for up to 12 years. Rana is tough. She's cool. She gets death threats. But her work continues. One woman in one country speaks out. This makes Jordan a better place. >> Write to Stuart.				Jump to other Jordan posts: > A Little Closer to God and Bombs > Balloon Animal Diplomacy > Streets of Amman > He Shoots, He Scores > Pillar of Salt > Ahmed the Spud > Rana and Honour Killings Head for the Hills of Prince Edward Island Walden Cabin >> "I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, to front the essential facts of life and to see if I could learn what they had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Walden; Or Life in the Woods (08.21) Walden Cabin is a publishing creation of Accolade Intermedia, an Ottawa-based communications company that specializes in content-rich Web products. www.accolade.ca >>
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