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Murder in the Name of Honor book cover. |
Jordanian Journalist, feminist, and human rights defender Rana Husseini had recently published her book Murder in the Name of Honour. In her book, Husseini battles against honor crimes through exposing stories behind many cases that have recently hit the news.
IslamOnline.net has conducted this exclusive interview with Ms. Rana Husseini.
IOL: Would you tell the audience more about your experience as an activist in this field?
Husseini: I have been a reporter and activist for the past 15 years. I have documented each and every case I heard about for The Jordan Times for the past 15 years to raise national and international awareness about this issue. I have been invited to speak about the issue on several occasions in many countries around the world and in Jordan. As a result of my constant activism and dedication to raise awareness around this issue, I have earned eight local and international human and journalism awards.
IOL: What was the motive behind your interest in this area?
Husseini: When I was first assigned as the crime reporter for The Jordan Times in 1993 when I returned form the US, I cam across a very sad story of a 16-year-old schoolgirl who was murdered by one of her brothers because a younger brother raped her. This woman, who I start my book with her story, was a victim five or six times. She was raped, her brother attempted to kill her, she became pregnant, underwent a secret abortion, and was married off to a man almost 30 years older than her. Six months later, this man divorced her and her family killed her.
It was a really moving story for me. When I reported the story for The Jordan Times, a Jordanian intellectual woman called the newspaper screaming and shouting at my editors that they should stop me from reporting these crimes because "this does not happen in Jordan," and "we are showing our dirty laundry to the world." I became even more enraged that the call came from a woman and decided to make it my mission, at a time when this issue was considered taboo and no one wanted to talk about it or ignored, to report each case, to write about court verdicts and women who are in protective custody.
IOL: Is honor killing a Muslim/Arab habit? Does it have roots in other cultures and ethnicities?
Husseini: No. These crimes have nothing to do with any religion. Its roots stems from the ancient civilizations which used to punish men and women, mostly, for committing acts of adultery. It is simply, in my opinion, wrongful believes in traditions and cultures that pushes certain people and families to kill. None of the religions call for ending anyone's life. All religions call for preserving lives and protecting human beings.
IOL: In your opinion, who is to blame?
Husseini: No one is to blame. It is a social problem that needs serious addressing from everyone. It is the responsibility of each and every individual in the society.
IOL: Have you ever met a non -Muslim who was subjected to honor killing incident?
Husseini: I did not meet anyone in person but there are many stories around the world about women from all faiths being killed for reasons related to family honour.
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| Rana Husseini |
IOL: How do you evaluate the way the media portray honor killing. Does it give a real image or does it rely on twisting facts for the sake of propaganda? Mention examples of news you read recently, movies you watched etc…
Husseini: I believe the media did play a positive and a negative role when addressing so-called honour crimes. But it is hard to specify since we are talking in general here. I believe the Arab media did tackle the issue in a more balanced and objective way that the western media did. This is due to the many misconceptions the west has on people in this part of the world. That is why, it is our duty to portray the real image in the media in an objective manner without trying to defend ourselves. Violence against women and murder of women is an international phenomenon and not something restricted to any community, class or religion.
There were some books that came out that were really damaging to the cause and to our nation. This did not help either in portraying the true size of the problem or the efforts that were exerted by many in this part of the world to tackle this issue and at some occasions were used to attack us as an Arab nation.
IOL: Tell us your opinion concerning enlightening people who believe in honor killing as a legal way.
Husseini: As I said before, no one has the right to end anyone else's life. God created us and it is God who will end our lives. No one has the right to assign himself as the ruler and executioner. Unfortunately, the laws in most countries in our part of the world are not fair and winks to killers of such crimes. That is why we have been fighting these laws as well. Thus, you have to keep in mind that the law alone will not solve the problem. It is a comprehensive issue that needs to be worked on from all angels and aspects.
IOL: Is this "tradition" too strong to be shaken?
Husseini: No. Societies in the world broke their own traditions and developed through times. Our wrongful traditions will also be changed by time. We need to work on introducing correct concepts and fight wrongful and harmful traditions. This is our duty as good citizens.
IOL: Finally it is about your book, Murder in the Name of Honour, is it only a collection of true stories about honor killings or does it extends to a wider scope?
Husseini: The book is a mixture of both. It includes full stories and addresses the issue from various angels and addresses efforts exerted in other countries in the world. There is a section on the fake book that was written by Jordanian-American author Norma Khouri and the negative effects it had on the region and the cause. The book concludes by offering solutions and recommendations. I really and truly hope that this book will help save lives and have a strong impact on women's lives worldwide. I hope it will make a difference.
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