“Crimes of Honor in Jordan and the Arab World”

In this article, the author argues that it is mostly societal traditions and customs that drive people to resort to ‘crimes of honour’ – which she describes as “shameful, irreligious acts”. She states that in Islam it is a sin to take people's lives in one's own hands. Crimes of honor are therefore social in the full sense of the word. Perpetrators see it as 'social cleansing of shame', and seeking the community's approval. The author uses the example of Jordan, one of the countries that has the highest rate of such crimes, to argue her point.