The UN news agency, IRIN, has a new feature about honor crimes in Jordan. According to the article:

"Jordanian law continues to be lenient on those who kill their female relatives in the name of protecting family honor. Last year, between 15 and 20 women were stabbed, beaten or strangled to death by family members, sometimes women themselves."

And here is the most disturbing part:

Mohammad Rai — from Salt, 30km west of the capital, Amman — killed his cousin a few years ago to uphold his family’s honor. He was 17 years old at the time and said he did it under pressure from family elders. But a few years later, he has no regrets.

"I would do it again if I had to. People here would have stigmatized my entire family if I had not killed her and shame would have followed us wherever we went," said Rai, who is now a bus driver. He served just six months in prison because the victim’s father dropped the charges.

The only crime Rai’s cousin committed was that she told her conservative father that she was in love with a man from another family and that he wanted to ask for her hand in marriage. "We are prisoners of our own social habits, there is nothing we can do about it," said a defiant Rai.

The fact that Mohammad Rai says he would do it again is extremely and utterly disturbing. It should give those that support honor crimes something to think about. Since Rai got away with committing such a heinous crime, why should he fear doing it again? Since Rai is a free man after murdering another human being in cold blood, what would stop him next time? The answer is nothing. He’ll do it again if and when he wishes. This is just horrendous. Read the whole article here.