Ammon News - By Khetam Malkawi
The Jordan Times

AMMAN - “Murder in the Name of Honour: The True Story of One Woman's Heroic Fight Against an Unbelievable Crime”, a book reflecting a lifetime of work by The Jordan Times reporter Rana Husseini, will hit the shelves on Tuesday.

In the book, Husseini describes stories from all over the world of women who were killed in the name of honour.

“Murder in the Name of Honour” is no longer a slogan spoken in hushed tones by those who suffer from this phenomenon, after the issue gradually galvanised human rights activists across the world thanks to efforts by campaigners like Husseini.

The turning point for Husseini occurred early in her career, when she came across a “very sad” story of a young woman, which later inspired her to change her focus in reporting for The Jordan Times newspaper.

"This woman’s brother raped her several times until she became pregnant. She underwent an abortion and was forced to marry a man 50 years her elder, who divorced her six months later; and she was immediately killed by her family because she was raped by her brother," said Husseini, who took on the crime beat at The Jordan Times in 1993.

Since that incident, Husseini’s focus turned to reporting about honour crimes, not only to document the once-taboo subject, but to change society’s attitude towards these types of crimes, leading a crusade to awareness on the issue.

Husseini was honoured for such efforts by His Majesty King Abdullah, who bestowed on her the Al Hussein Decoration for Distinguished Contribution, Second Order in 2007.

Her journalistic work was also praised by Her Majesty Queen Noor.

"Rana Husseini has almost single-handedly brought [honour crimes] to public attention through her newspaper articles and campaigns, and her achievements in journalism and human rights have been internationally recognised,” said Queen Noor, whose review of “Murder in the Name of Honour” appears in the upcoming book.

“She does not just pontificate from behind her desk. Ms. Husseini has investigated the crime scenes, visited the prisons, and talked to both victims and perpetrators, and has produced a brilliantly researched and passionate attack on honour killings around the world. A powerful, heartfelt and important book,” the Queen added.

The 256-page book, according to Husseini, came “in order to document cases about women who have been killed and raise awareness on this issue and document all efforts exerted in Jordan and elsewhere to end these crimes”.

“I hope this book will be an empowering tool for women as well as a credible source for anyone who wants to learn about honour crimes. I also hope it will be an advocacy tool for those worldwide who want to combat this issue, because it includes successful campaigns and experiences from several countries across the world,” Husseini said describing her book.

“The other important thing I want to document is Jordan’s experience in this regard because I believe all the efforts and huge civil society movements that have occurred over the past 10 years need to be brought to light,” Husseini noted.

The English language book will be launched in Arabic in July.

“It is also very important for Arab readers to read and know more in order to get involved in fighting these inhumane murders that mostly target women,” Husseini said.

The launching ceremony for “Murder in the Name of Honour” will take place at Readers Bookstore in Cozmo on Tuesday between 7:00pm and 9:00pm.