JORDAN: TWENTY FIRST REPORTED HONOR KILLING FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002624 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2019 TAGS: PHUM PREL KCRM KWMN KJUS JO SUBJECT: JORDAN: TWENTY FIRST REPORTED HONOR KILLING FOR 2009 AND IAF COMMENTARY REF: A. AMMAN 02603 ¶B. AMMAN 02324 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Lawrence C. Mandel for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) The twenty first honor killing for 2009 was reported in the local press. On December 4, a 34-year-old woman who was 9-months pregnant was stabbed to death by her older brother. The perpetrator stabbed her 7 times and went to the nearest police station, claiming family honor as his motive. The press cited his initial police testimony and said that his sister would often leave her husband's house and he "once caught her committing adultery with another man." The woman's husband had sent her to her family's home two weeks before her death. Her brother, who had been monitoring her activities, attacked her in a neighborhood alley when she left the house for an alleged "unknown destination." CONSERVATIVES SAY PRACTICE IS PART OF JORDAN'S "PERSONALITY" -------------- ¶2. (U) Islamic Action Front (IAF) leader Hamzah Mansour told The London Daily Telegraph that the practice of honor crimes is being exaggerated because the government is trying to turn Jordan into a Westernized society and "giving up (Jordan's) personality" to do so. While the IAF leader insists that Islamic law does not support honor killings, he does believe that there are "political forces standing behind the issue" which are trying to destroy the Jordanian family. ¶3. (C) Comment: Much of the Jordanian public appears to regard honor killings in a matter-of-fact manner. Addressing so-called family disgrace is considered a normal part of family life, and there appears to be no groundswell of popular support on the street or widespread public outcry for changes to the existing law. Hamzah Mansour's commentary serves to highlight the disconnect between staunchly anti-honor killing rhetoric on the part of the government and a lack of progress or enthusiasm toward meaningful societal change related to honor killings. End comment. Mandel