Sondos | Gender & Sexuality Activist
Jordanians are demanding justice in the wake of the 'honor killing' of 30-year-old Ahlam, a Jordanian woman who was brutally murdered by her father in Amman. Her screams for help were heard by neighbors as she ran to the streets covered in blood, with her father chasing her and eventually beating her to death with a brick.
‘Honor killings’ have existed in Jordan for ages and the numbers continue to increase each year. This is not only due to more reports being filed about these murders, but also due to revolutions happening within the region, including the Jordanian women’s revolution. Jordanian society is becoming more afraid and threatened by women since they are now in higher professional positions and are fiercely defending women’s rights through social media platforms.
Jordan is a family oriented country; therefore, it is hard to change individual’s mentalities. For example, if an individual adapted a new change in his mentality or lifestyle, he/she needs to consider not only their parents, but also uncles, cousins, and extended family. This mentality is one of the reasons why we still have ‘honor killings’. Another reason is that religion is embedded into certain parts of our constitution. Most Jordanian laws do not include anything from the Quran, unless it is related to personal state laws and women. Yet, the Quran does not say anything regarding ‘honor killings’."
"Sadly, a huge group of Jordanian people are supportive of ‘honor killings’, but they hide these views from the international community by diplomatically describing themselves as developed and open minded. For example, it is common to find a sexist man who says ‘I support women’, but shows aggression towards his wife, sister, or daughter.
Each time an ‘honor killing’ occurs, there is a social media uproar for 1-2 days and then it instantly fades away. However, after Ahlam’s murder many people are outraged since there have been numerous ‘honor killings’ this year. There was an ‘honor killing’ of a 13-year-old girl last month, and just before COVID-19, a Jordanian woman had her eye gouged out by her family.
Due to the outrage over Ahlam’s death, there have been two organized demonstrations this week; one next to the Family Protection Department and one on Fourth Circle. Yet activists do not know who planned these demonstrations and there is no coordination among activists in these demonstrations, which is necessary in order for these demonstrations to better promote change."
"Our country wants to have an exceptional international image to the United Nations and other entities. That is why many human rights violations within Jordan are denied, including violations against women and LGBTQ individuals. The government and NGO organizations try to present Jordan as an open society, but we are still not open in many aspects. There are issues regarding intersectionality with Jordanian activists claiming that they defend women, yet they will not defend women from different religions or of different sexual identities. The Royal Family has continuously remained silent on the issue of ‘honor killings’ for decades."
"There is the Crime Prevention Law which includes the Administrative Detentions clause. Essentially, this law means that the governor has the right to take legal action against citizens if he thinks they will commit a crime in the future. This law is used against women disproportionately and allows governors to put women directly into prisons rather than detention centers. I personally know a woman who was imprisoned for more than 15 years under the Administrative Detention clause for simply helping her sister when she was being killed in the name of ‘honor’. If this law were to change, it would be a significant step forward for women.
Since Ahlam’s death, people have created a petition on Facebook demanding that the government amend Articles 52, 98, & 99, but many people are unaware that these articles were amended in 2017. This means that when a man attacks his wife or daughter, he will not receive a harsh sentence. Without changing these articles, men committing these crimes will continue to be unafraid of the police."
"If severe punishments were made against perpetrators, then it might help reduce the number of ‘honor killings’; but this alone will not solve the issue. This is because men like Ahlam’s father, who find it acceptable to kill their daughters, do not fear being sentenced to prison. Changing the laws would help reduce ‘honor killings’, but other aspects of society must change as well, such as empowering women economically. These steps towards women’s equality should have been taken 50 years ago and would have contributed to preventing the death of Ahlam."
"Unfortunately, ‘honor killings’ will continue, but this time Jordanian women are demanding justice for Ahlam’s murder because they are personally scared. Just a few months ago in Palestine, the ‘honor killing’ of Israa frightened Jordanian women since she was a relatable figure who used social media platforms and loved fashion. Murders like Israa and Ahlam make Jordanian women think that the same could happen to them. Women see the reactions of people supporting Ahlam’s father and are disturbed that Jordanians would support such crimes.
Ending ‘honor killings’ needs to be a joint effort between legal amendments, Jordanian people themselves, the Royal Family, and a strong women’s social justice movement. Together, these would lead to the violent actions of men towards their daughters and sisters being deterred. A social movement such as this would further influence the people of Jordan. In order to do this, we must have the freedom to demonstrate for women’s rights to create these necessary changes."
: @sondosabuaziza, featuring she and her family at a women's rights demonstration in Amman after Fatima, a mother of three, had her eye gouged by her husband last year.
