Honour Killings in Jordon

This paper interrogates Jordan’s socio-political positioning of honour to grasp how societal meanings about honour killings are constructed in Jordanian society, which is both complex and grounded in traditional values. Most existing research on honour crimes in Jordan indicates that little is known or understood about the link between Jordanian law, honour crimes and the way Jordanian citizens understand these crimes. This paper closely examines the factors that can explain the incidence, causes and continuation of honour killings in Jordan to better develop opportunities for policy and legislation that can reduce these crimes. It exposes the country’s gender inequality, and the notable gap between its social and legal codes when it comes to the punishment of honour crimes. It also offers insight into the correlation between society and culture and the incidence of crimes committed in the name of honour in Jordan and the Middle East. The research is based on a close examination of court cases from 1993‒2010.