Queen Noor also affirmed that, “There is no ‘gender discrimination’ in Jordan’s constitution and in Islamic Shari’ah, which do not distinguish between men and women, male and female, who have committed crimes.”
Jordan’s current reigning monarch, the peace loving Abdullah II, has made a personal push against laws in his country that allow for such killings, all of which failed in parliament, despite a protest that was 5000 people strong and was led by Prince Ali.
Abdullah’s wife, the Pakistan born Queen Rania, has been on press tour to promote the image that not all Muslims and not all Islamic countries are bad. When asked by Oprah Winfrey about the gendercide in her country, the pro-women’s rights queen responded passionately.
“It's very important for me to clarify that honor killings are not in any way condoned or accepted in Islam. They are, in fact, un-Islamic. These are more cultural and social aspects that we have to deal with here… we are hoping through democratic process to change these laws that we have in Jordan. It's only a matter of time before these laws that you're referring to are going to be changed.”
Though prominent heads of state in the state of Jordan publicly and vociferously oppose crimes of honor, little has been done in the Jordanian houses of parliament to change things. In December 2001, Article 340 of the Penal Code, which exempted from punishment men who kill their wives or female relatives, found committing adultery, was repealed and replaced with a provision that permits a reduction in penalty only if the murder is committed immediately on finding the victim in the act of committing adultery or “in an unlawful bed.”
While this is a step forward, it is only a fraction of a step, not nearly a full one. Moreover, “honorable murders” still benefit from the provisions of Articles 97 and 98, which allow for a reduction in sentence for those who commit a crime in a “fit of fury.” These Articles are still applied in cases relating to honor and were used to help Anas receive a reduced sentence for the clearly premeditated murder if his sister.
Steps are being taken to globally reduce crimes against women thanks to international organizations such as the United Nations and to the out cry of women who are treated unjustly in their home countries. Though progress is being made in Jordan, it is estimated by the United Nations Population Fund that as many as 5000 women and girls are murdered by family members each year in so-called honor killings around the world.
But Jordan is not alone, and to its credit, is showing some of the most progress. In Pakistan alone, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, more than 1000 women were victims of these crimes in 2002.
According to the United Nations, honor killings have been reported in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Sweden, Turkey, Uganda and the United Kingdom.
The epidemic may not come to an end for some time, but it has been identified, it is being addressed both internationally and nationally within countries such as Jordan; ones that are willing to recognize that there is indeed an epidemic and are also willing to cooperate with the international community. However, there are many areas in the Arab world, where honor killing have occurred for centuries, and may continue unabated well into the next.
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