Murder in the Name of Honor

by Rana Husseini

  104 ‘Manhunt continues in Texas; Father sought in girls’ deaths’, Washington Times, 4 January 2008.

  105 ‘For the first time, FBI admits Texas murder was a case of honor killing’, Hindustan Times, 15 October 2008.

  106 ‘“Honor” killing comes to the US’, Boston Globe, 10 August 2008.

  107 ‘An American “honor killing”’, New York Post, 23 July 2008.

  108 ‘Man charged with killing his wife’, PR News, 16 April 2004.

  109 ‘Cultural “honour” killing brought to Canada’, Vancouver Post, 11 June 2007.

  Acknowledgements

  I first thought of writing a book on so-called honour crimes in Jordan nine years ago. The idea was constantly postponed because of the political turmoil that seems to be a constant backdrop to our lives in this region. There have been many developments across the world in those nine years, and during this period I was able to further my research and include valuable information and consult specialists. I hope it will prove to be an informative documentary reference for those interested in learning more about this issue, as well as a tool to help end so-called honour killings.

  This work was made possible thanks to the support and help of my close friends, colleagues, government officials, local organizations and the international community. Thanks first go to Jane Fonda for her generous contribution. For me, it’s a real honour that such an outstanding, genuine and truly committed human rights activist such as Jane agreed to write the foreword.

  I would like to thank Diala Khasawneh, my editor in Amman, who put her heart, mind and remarkable editorial skills into this book, as well as adding her own rich insights.

  I am also indebted to my editor in the UK, Kris Hollington, who helped shape and update the book through his professional work. Special thanks also go to Nina Hollington, who conducted interviews in the UK and maintained and updated a database of the most recent cases of honour killing across the globe. I am especially grateful to Kris and Nina for their belief in this project and their eagerness to take it to another level, so that awareness about this horrific practice will be spread worldwide.

  My thanks and appreciation also go to my publisher and editor in the UK, Juliet Mabey at Oneworld, who used her talent and commitment to the cause of worldwide human rights issues to edit my work and produce a true and honest image of so-called honour crimes around the world, and in our part of the world in particular.

  I would like to thank my UK agent, Adrian Weston, who believed in me, as well as my cause, and who worked tirelessly to secure the best possible publisher.

  I am also thankful to the following people who dedicated much of their time over the past seven years to either helping me to formulate the outline or edit the early drafts of this book, and contributed hours of their time to assist with my pursuit of information, opinions and guidance: Amy Henderson, Dr Manal Hamzeh, Sana Abdullah, Mary-An Denis, Rima Cortbawi, Christine Arab, Jane Taylor, Muna Darwazeh, Maha Abu Ayyash, and Frances Abu Zeid, in particular, who provided me with numerous morale boosts.

  Special thanks go to Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania for their faith in my work as well as for championing the cause of women in Jordan and speaking out against so-called honour crimes, and for working tirelessly to introduce non-discriminatory laws to improve women’s status. My appreciation goes to Her Majesty Queen Noor who was among the first in Jordan to acknowledge my work openly, and did so again in her book, Leap of Faith.

  My thanks also go to Her Royal Highness Princess Basma bint Talal and her daughter Mrs Farah Daghestani for believing in me and supporting women’s causes in Jordan. I would also like to thank His Royal Highness Prince Ali for his personal commitment to the cause in Jordan and for his constant support. My thanks also go to every member of the royal family who has supported this cause, including Prince Hassan, Princess Sarvath, Princess Sumaya, Prince Ghazi Bin Mohammad, Prince Raed, Prince Hamzeh, Prince Mired, Prince Zeid, Prince Firas and Princess Dina Mired.

  I would like to thank Jordanian officials, influential persons and activists who have often expressed their support for and belief in what I was doing and had pivotal roles in bringing the issue of so-called honour crimes and domestic violence to the fore. They include Their Excellencies Zeid Rifai, Dr Fayez Tarawneh, Dr Zeid Hamzeh, Dr Bassem Awadallah, Dr Nabil Sharif, Asma Khader, Laurice Hlas, Leila Sharaf, Inam Mufti, Dr Marwan Muasher, Dr Abdul Rahim Malhas, Suhair Al-Ali, Hala Latouf Bseiso, Fadi Ghandour, Naser Judeh, Nader Horani, Samir Hiyari, Dr Adnan Abu Odeh, Dr Reem Badran, Maha Khatib, Dr Sima Bahous, Dr Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Dr Munib Werr, Judge Subhi Abbadi, Dr Nabil Sharif, Judge Ihsan Barakat, Haifa Bashir, and Muhieddin and Amineh Husseini.

  I would also like to thank those whose have provided me with their tireless support: Judge Yassin Abdullat, Karen Asfour, Amneh Zoubi, Nadia Shamroukh, Inam Asha, Dr Arwa Ameri, Dr Sari Nasir, Dr Nawal Faouri, Dr Hamdi Murad, Archimandrite Christoforos Atallah, Rania Atallah, Nadine Shbeilat, Ja’afar Touqan, Patricia Salti, Hala Kheir, Kathy Sullivan, Malak Anabtawi, May Abul Samen, Marwan Jumah, Samer Naber, Nadia Hashem Aloul, Emily Naffa, Laila Hamarneh, Toujan Faisal, Samar Haj Hassan, Salwa Nasser, Ethar Khasawneh, Lina Kutob, Reem Abu Hassan, Afaf Jabiri, Eva Abu Halaweh, Nadia Bushnaq, Basma Abdul Jaber, Shirin Mired, Mahasen Imam, Muna Mufti, Salma and Simon Issa, Rihab Malhas, Susan Phillips, Jeanette Jounblat, Myassar Saadi, Suhaila Khouri, Captain Amin and Nadia Husseini, Captain Nasri and Randa Jumeian, Ghada and Abed Husseini, Dalal Etoum, Najwa and Wael Karadsheh, Rami Oweiss, Farid Share, Suleiman Sweiss, Dr Rula Kawas and Vera Salti.

  I would like to take this chance to extend my thanks to my close and dear friends who stood by me and with whom I have shared many highs and lows; they were great believers in this cause, and their support helped me tremendously in the writing of this book. They include Najwa Ghannoum, Sahar Aloul, Widad Adas, Randa Naffa, Dima Darwazeh, Suha Snober, Haya Taher, Mona Abdeen, Razan Khatib, Maya Khalaf, Rania Tamimi, Dima Annab, Ola Khalidi, Lamia Fakhouri, Aline and Sevan Bannayan, Alma Khasawneh, Hania Kayal, Rasha Yaish, Ghassan Ghandour, Rula Saadi, Ghada Ziedan, Kais Asfour, Rana Masri, Mohammad Sabbagh, Dina Saad, Shadi Zaayadin, Rania Ay, Maysa and Reem Abu Lughod, Sed Haddad, Ramez Shatara, Runa Sundaha, Sahel Hiyari, Reem Hammouri, Oreib Toukan, ‘Dana Khan’ Malhas, Shatha Mahmoud, Nadia Abu Judom, Basma Amawi, Luai Qunash, Maro Calis Sahouri, Nadia Naffa, Tala Abu Taha, Sadouf Faraj, Lana Saman, Rula Abu Taha, Alia Nusseibeh, Rania Abu Hijleh, Fatima Issawi, Hala Khalaf, Dima Fayyad, Sultan Abu Maryam, Yasmin Naber, Sally Shalabi, Jan Sherdan, Alex Naber, Cherien Dabis, Amy Amahl Khouri, Aseel Sawalha, Ani Orfali, Alida Orfali, Maha Ghannoum, Samer Nasser, Aline Orfali, Lara Damarjian, Fairouz Abu Ghazaleh, Hala Ghosheh, Reem Hejjawi, Hala Muhaisen, Tala Al Mauge, Jumana Salti, Hala Ghatas, Taroub Khoury Kalis, Lina Sharaiha, Zahra Taher, Mays Shakhshir, Dana Tarawneh, Lara Dajani, Njoud Haddad, Corky Huffine, Kate Wilson, Heidi Elger, Maryum Saifee, Rama Ishaq, Amani Khatib, Arto Baghdayan, Amber Ridden, Nadia Oweidat and Nisreen Alami.

  I am also indebted to my editors and colleagues at The Jordan Times for adopting the cause of so-called honour crimes and other human rights issues. Special thanks go to my former editor-in-chief, Jennifer Hamarneh, who was always supportive and made it possible for me to focus on finishing this book, and my former editors-in-chief George Hawatmeh, Rana Sabbagh-Gharghour, Ayman Safadi, Rami Khouri and the late Abdullah Hassanat, from whom I also learned a great deal.

  I would like to thank my current editor-in-chief, Samir Barhoum, who constantly encouraged me to work on this book. I would also like to recognize other colleagues who had a great impact on my career, including Walid Saadi, Ellia Nasrallah, Ica Wahbeh, Lamis Andouni, Ara Voskian, Alia Shukri Hamzeh, Dalia Dajani, Ghalia Aloul, Francesca Ciriaci-Sawalha, Ranjana Usta, Victoria Macchi, Paul Tate, Dina Wakeel, Saeda Kilani, Nermeen Murad, Maryam Shahin, Taylor Luck, Mahmoud Abed, Natasha Twal and Jeff Tynes. To these people and other staff members I owe all the good things that happened in my life while working at The Jordan
Times. It is due to their constant guidance and support that I have reached the stage where I am today. Other colleagues at local media outlets were also instrumental in supporting me: Randa Habib, Musa Kilani, Tareq Masarweh, Ali Abunimah, Cynthia Atrash, Atef Itmeh, Nabil and Yousef Gheishan, Hala Boncompagni, Linda Maayeh, Suhair Tel, Caroline Faraj, Shafika Mattar, Aroub Soubh, Qais Elias, Eman Abu Qaoud, Khalid Nueimat, Ahmad Kreishan and Reem Zumut, to name only a few.

  I also thank the forensic medicine team at the Jordanian National Institute of Forensic Medicine represented by its director Dr Mumen Hadidi, and pathologists Isra Tawalbeh, Ali Shotar, Hani Jahshan, Mahmoud Shreideh, Ahmad Bani Hani, Ahmad Odeh, Muwfaq Muti, Azzam Haddad, Ibrahim Obeidat, Iwad Tarawneh, Hussein Abul Samen, Mahmoud Hirzallah and the rest of the pathologists working there who employed their expertise and scientific knowledge to help end so-called honour killings in Jordan.

  Special thanks and appreciation go to members of the Jordanian National Committee to Eliminate So-Called Honour Crimes for being the first collective in Jordan to raise the issue of so-called honour crimes publicly and make a real stand on this issue.

  Other Jordanian women’s groups which played a vital role in supporting the cause and recognizing my efforts include the Jordanian Women’s Union, the Jordanian National Commission for Women, Sisterhood Is Global Institute, Mizan Law Group, Princess Basma’s Women Resource Centre, Zarqa Family Guidance Centre, Arab Women Organization of Jordan, JO magazine, Ammannet and the Arab Women Media Center. Much appreciation should be expressed to the Rotary Clubs, UN agencies, the diplomatic missions and embassies in Jordan for their support for and appreciation of my work and the cause in general.

  I am indebted to Equality Now in the US and the UK, its director Jessica Neuwirth and its staff Jackie Hunt, Amanda Sullivan and Taina Bien-Aime, for offering all kinds of support to me throughout my career and for making a strong and positive impact on the lives of women worldwide.

  Other international bodies, media outlets and individuals include Amnesty International, Freedom House, the Nobel Women’s Initiative, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Carter Centre, Marie Claire magazine, Spanish city of l’Hospitalet, Ms magazine, Women’s News, RAND Corporation, Feminist Majority Foundation, Terre de Femmes, Kvinnoforum, Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organization, Gloria Steinem, Diana Nammi, Asma Jahangir, Mahnaz Afkhami, Rita Henley Jensen, Commanders Andy Baker and Brent Hyatt of Scotland Yard, Gudrun Sidrassi-Harth, Nanci Rafai, Paul Peters, Lesley Carson, Brigitte Schmid, Nicole Choueiry, Isis Nuseir, LaShawn Jefferson, Mariana Vos and Alasdair Soussi.

  Special thanks go to Kerry Kennedy for including me in her important project on human rights activists in the world, ‘Speak Truth To Power’, and the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation. My gratitude also goes to the following people who are associated with the project: Nan Richardson, Ariel Dorfman and Dr Ghada Karam.

  I would also like to thank the former Secretary General of the Jordanian National Commission for Women, Dr Amal Sabbagh, for her tireless efforts; we went through a lot together for over a year to expose the false story of Norma Khouri in her hoax novel Forbidden Love [Honor Lost]. I would also like to thank the former literary editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, Malcolm Knox, who worked professionally and objectively in exposing Khouri’s story as fake in Australia. I also thank Mustafa Khreishan, Dr Ihab Shalbak and Yasmine Bahrani for their help with this story. Special thanks go to the Australian film producer and director, Anna Broinowski, who travelled the globe, including a trip to Jordan, for her documentary Forbidden Lie$ and conveyed an objective message to western viewers by portraying the real lives of Muslims and Arabs.

  I also need to acknowledge one of the first organizations that recognized, supported and awarded me for my work: the Reebok Human Rights Foundation. The prestigious Reebok Human Rights Award, given to me in 1998, enabled me to achieve so much. It was the turning point of my career and helped me investigate, learn and understand the so-called honour crime issue from a human rights perspective. It was also the starting point for this book.

  My deepest appreciation also goes to the Embassy of the Netherlands in Jordan and Second Secretary Bianca Zylfiu-Niccolson for providing me with financial support in 2006 that enabled me to finish my book.

  My love goes out to my late grandmother, Wajiha Saifi, whose warmth and kindness engulfed me endlessly, and to my uncles Yacoub Husseini, the late Sameh Saifi and his wife Mukaram Malas, my late aunt May Midani and my aunts Lamis Adem, Umayya Sigilmassi and Ikram Husseini. My thanks go to my cousins who constantly expressed pride in their cousin and her accomplishments, including Reem Saifi, her husband Khalid Murad and their children Lara, Aya and Sameh, Samar Saifi, her husband Jamal Budeiri and their children Sameh and Abdul Karim, Widad ‘Dolly’ and Muhanad Midani, Rasha, Samar, Louie and Udai Husseini and Ahmad Budeiri.

  Last but not least, my gratitude goes to my dearest lovely mother, Randa Saifi-Husseini, who always wanted what is best for me and gave me the strength to remain a positive person throughout my career. I thank my brother, Moutaz Husseini, for being one of my greatest advocates, along with his wife, Sura Madani.

  Index

  Note: Names appearing in italics denote victims and their killers. The prefix ‘Al-’ is ignored in the alphabetical ordering of names.

  Aali, Jamiluddin 109

  Abbas, Amir 180

  Abdel-Qader, Ali (killer) 128–9

  Abdel-Qader, Hassan (killer) 128

  Abdel-Qader, Haydar (killer) 128

  Abdel-Qader, Rand (victim) 128–9

  Abdel-Rahim, Marzouk Ahmed (killer) 147

  Abdo, Maha 152–3

  Abdul Aziz, Samir 32

  Abdullah II of Jordan 35, 38–9, 51, 60, 64, 66, 70

  Abdullat, Yassin 86

  Abedin, Humayra (victim) 176

  Abu Ayyash, Maha 32, 75

  Abu Fares, Mohammad 79

  Abu Hassan, Reem 79

  Abu al-Hosn, Yumun 136

  Abu Mariam, Sultan 32, 43, 56

  Abu Odeh, Adnan 57–8, 70

  Abu Rayyan, Muna 32

  Abu Risheh, Zuleikha 42

  accidents, killings disguised as 82–3, 102, 127, 146

  Action Alert 208–9

  Adas, Widad 20

  adultery:

  blamed on women 41, 51, 52

  penalty for 33, 37, 51, 57–8, 76, 136, 139, 149, 154

  rape seen as 112

  and Sharia law 69–70, 72–3

  and stoning 131–2

  Al-Afaf Islamic Society 53

  Afgani, Hana 27

  Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) 115–16

  Afghanistan, honour crimes in 114–16

  Aftonbladet (newspaper) 187

  Afzal, Nazir 166

  Al Ahram Weekly 148–9

  Ahsan, Aitzaz 106, 109

  Al-Ajely, Ziyad Khalaf 125

  Al-Ajial 71

  Akayleh, Abdullah 67

  Alaa, Hamida 130

  Alaa, Hassan 130

  Alami, Nisreen 94

  Al Alawi, Irfan 142

  Algamo, Kickis Aahre 192

  Ali, Mohammad 180

  Ali, Prince 60–7, 70, 71, 73–4, 87

  Ali Rauf, Shawbo (victim) 129, 167–8

  Allak, Semse (victim) 145

  Allam, Abeer 148–9

  Amal Organization for Women 120

  Ameen, Jwan 126

  Amiry, Arwa 84

  Amman, and honour killings 1–7

  Amneh (victim) 45–7, 49–50

  Amnesty International 131

  Annan, Kofi 214

  Arab Al-Yawm (newspaper) 41, 53, 58–9

  Arab Times 144

  Arabiat, Abdul Latif 52

  Ardalan, Parvin 132–3

  Arshad, Rahan (killer) 174–5

  Article 98 (Jordan) 33–4, 49, 51, 68, 75, 77–8, 87, 181, 212, 215

  Article 340 (Jordan) 33–8, 41, 51–9, 62–6, 68–9, 71–6

  amendment 77
–9, 87

  Article 341 (Jordan) 54

  Asha, Inam 14

  Asian Human Rights Commission 112

  Al-Assad, Bashar 135

  Association for Women’s Role Development (Syria) 136

  Asuda (women’s rights NGO) 123

  Aswad, Duaa Khalil (victim) 117–22

  Athwal, Bachan 168–70

  Athwal, Pavan 170–1

  Athwal, Sukhdave 169–70

  Athwal, Surjit (victim) 168–70

  Atroshi, Abdulmajid (killer) 192

  Atroshi, Pela (victim) 192

  Atroshi, Shivan (killer) 192

  Australia:

  and honour crimes 192

  impact of Khouri’s book 89–90, 93, 94–9

  The Australian 192

  Awad, Mohamed 148–9

  Ayed, Samir (killer) 68

  Al-Azhar Ifta Council 69–70

  Aziz, Youssif Mohamed 123–4

  Babker, Dashti 80

  Al Badeel 152–3

  Bahrani, Yasmine 90, 93

  Baker, Andy 161–2

  Bakker, Hilde 189

  Bakr, Faeq Ameen 125

  Baladna internet company 56

  Bam (victim) 193–5

  Bangladesh:

  and forced marriages 176

  honour crimes in 104, 156

  Bani Hani, Ahmad 84

  Bani Hani, Mohammad 72

  Barzani, Nechirvan 124

  Basil, Roaa 122, 124

  Basma bint Talal, Princess 40

  Begard (victim) 122

  Begum, Shanaz (victim) 171

  beheading of women, in Iraq 117, 121, 127–8

  Belloque, Juliana 155

  Bilbeisi, Bashir 42

  Bilour, Ilyas 109

  Birch, Philip 204

  Bjorling, Bam 186–7

  Blair, Sir Ian 161

  Blair, Tony 170

  bounty hunters 161, 175

  Brazil:

  honour crimes in 104, 154–6

  Penal Code 154–5

  Burgan, Basil 31–2, 38

  burning see immolation

  Bush, George W. 117, 125