Yet another woman has been murdered in cold blood in the name of honor. According to The Jordan Times, the deceased became the thirteenth woman killed this year in Jordan in what is termed an "honor crime."

Authorities on Thursday said two brothers confessed to murdering their sister for reasons related to family honor two weeks ago, then dumping her body in a canal in Karak. A shepherd discovered the victim’s badly decomposed body in a canal earlier this week. Coroners detected light burn marks on her body and traces of gasoline. Initial investigations indicated that the two brothers drove their sister from Irbid to a deserted area near the Queen Alia International Airport, beat her up, then strangled her, one source said. The suspects then drove to Karak and dumped their sister’s body in the canal and tried to set it ablaze to conceal their actions and get rid of the body, the source added.
Source: [The Jordan Times]

The most repulsive thing for me about these hideous crimes is that the killers still get reduced sentences for their brutal acts against humanity. All previous efforts to amend Jordanian Penal Code Article 340, which facilitates reduced sentences for these despicable crimes, has failed. It is such a shame that in this day and age, lives — especially those of women — can be so damn cheap. Here is what Jordanian blogger Euroarabe has to say about honor crimes:

Article 340 in Jordan’s penal code allows honor crime to go unpunished. The article was rejected in 1999 for ratification. Jordanian Minister of Justice, Abdul Karim Dughmi, who, at the time, responded to a question about honor killings in the case of rape smiled and gave this statement, "All women killed in cases of honor are prostitutes. I believe prostitutes deserve to die." In November, 2000, 20 countries signed a UN draft condemning violence against women. Jordan abstained.

And here is a link to comments by Jordanian blogger Nas on the issue.

So after issuing a report slamming the rights extended to workers in Jordan’s Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ), the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, or AFL-CIO, and the US National Textile Association (NTA), are filing a lawsuit against Jordan.

The AFL-CIO, the largest labor federation in the US, representing more than 10 million workers, and the National Textile Association, which represents US textile producers, on Sept. 21 filed the first worker rights case ever submitted under the US-Jordan Free Trade Agreement (FTA). "This is the first time a business association has formally joined in filing a worker rights case under a trade agreement," the AFL-CIO and NTA said in a joint press release issued last week. They called on the Bush administration to initiate dispute settlement proceedings under the FTA that would halt alleged workers’ rights violations in Jordan. The complaint charges that the Jordanian government failed to meet its obligations under the Jordan-US FTA’s labor chapter, both because its labor laws fall short of international standards and because the government has failed to effectively enforce its laws. Source: [The Jordan Times] [Complaint in full here. Or as PDF]

And here is the Jordanian government’s reaction:

"We would like to know what else is needed to prove that we are totally serious when dealing with these allegations," Minister of Labor Bassem Salem told The Jordan Times yesterday. "The ministry has increased the number of inspectors on the team to 164, to ensure that workers’ rights are protected," the minister added.

The ministry has also initiated a hot-line, in seven different Asian languages, creating a channel through which workers can lodge complaints. In its response to the allegations listed in the AFL-CIO and NTA lawsuit, the government reiterated its position that "it takes these allegations very seriously and will not tolerate any labor violations against guest workers and takes all steps necessary to ensure that the treatment of such workers is in accordance with international standards."
Source: [The Jordan Times]

It’s hard not to notice that there has been a lot of pressure on Jordan these days from international organizations. Just last week Human Rights Watch slammed Jordan’s alleged use of torture in detention centers. I guess being a US ally makes Jordan the subject of greater scrutiny.

Thanks to the blogosphere, I’ve found out about an amazing cinematic project that will be established in Jordan. It is the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts (RSICA) based in Jordan’s Red Sea resort town of Aqaba. I first heard about this great project on Laith’s blog and it really made my day knowing that such a highly needed institute would be established in Jordan. Kudos to all those behind it.

However, the announcement of this project is already creating controversy in the blogosphere. The reason stems from a statement by veteran filmmaker Stephen Spielberg, who will be involved in the project:

When His Majesty the King approached me on the subject of a Jordan-based, world-class film school serving every country in the Middle East, including Israel, I immediately saw the importance and significance of such a venture for the people and the future of the region. I knew as a trustee of USC and a member of the school’s Board of Councilors that the university had the exact expertise he needed for this incredible initiative.
Source: [University of Southern California]

Some were not happy about having Israelis involved in the project. One anonymous commentator on Ameen’s blog said:

I read what blogger Laith Majali posted about the film school and it said the school is also open to Israelis. Imagine, sitting next you will be an Israeli who is an IDF reservists and who may have killed or maimed an Arab few kilometers away from the film school. And then we in Jordan will help him make films about evil and terrorist Arabs. This is like Israeli film schools admitting skinheads and neo-nazis. Will we go along with anything if the price is right?

Another commentator on Laith’s blog said:

"… world-class film school serving every country in the Middle East, including Israel" The New Middle East? You can count me out.

Another commentator on Laith’s blog going by the name of Shlomo said:

Thank you. I can’t [wait] to learn filmmaking in Jordan to make films about terrorist Arabs.

Regardless of the controversy, I see this project as the materialization of the dreams of so many aspiring Jordanian and Arab movie makers. I am excited.

I just came across a new blog by Jordanian journalist Oula Farawati. I enjoyed reading most all of it. One post that grabbed me was an article she wrote about sexless marriages in Jordan.

I thought the article was well researched and extremely engaging. I also thought it was very brave of her to tackle a taboo subject like this in Jordan, which remains conservative and not open to such frank sexual discussions. I salute her courage and journalistic instincts. Here is a link to the article.

I read two news items related to Jordan today. Both have negative vibes — one particularly so– making me still more skeptical of any reform prospects in my native land. The first thing that caught my eye was this:

Syrian film director banned from visiting Jordan
Film director Omar Amiralay, whose trenchant documentaries on life and government in Syria earned him praise abroad, has briefly been arrested by Syrian authorities at the Jordanian border and barred from leaving the country, a leading human rights activist said. Ammar al-Qorabi, president of the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria, said Amiralay was heading to Jordan on Monday to work on his new film — the reason for his repeated visits to the neighboring country. After several hours, the authorities released the filmmaker and rights activist but banned him from visiting Jordan, said Qorabi.
Source: [Yahoo News]

It is not clear why this director was banned from visiting Jordan. If this piece of news proves accurate then some explanation is due from one side or the other. Was it a Syrian decision? Or was he black-listed in Jordan? I wonder. The details are unclear but hopefully it will be resolved. The second bit of news was this:

Human Rights Watch accuses Jordan of torture at central detention
A New York-based human rights group Tuesday accused Jordan’s security services of carrying out frequent arbitrary arrests and torturing detainees. Human Rights Watch also alleged that many suspects were held in solitary confinement without being charged before they were eventually released. The group urged U.S. President George W. Bush and members of the U.S. Congress to take up the matter with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and the head of the main detention facility, Maj. Gen. Muhammad al-Dhahabi, who are currently visiting the United States.
Source: [International Herald Tribune]

These torture allegations have been tainting Jordan’s reputation for quite some time. We all know the drill by now: first the accusation, then the denial. The truth lies somewhere in between. My take: For the sake of humanity, torture must be put to an end no matter where it occurs or what the reason.

Update: Reading the film director banning story one more time, I’m inclined to believe that it was a Syrian decision. Maybe this story is not as Jordan-centric as I thought. I hope so.