Thesis Chapter 3

3 – The Influence of Economic Status on Culture and Tradition
On September 29th, 2006 in Amman, Jordan two boys confessed to murdering their sister for reasons related to family honor two weeks previously, and then dumped her body in a canal in Karak. A shepherd initially discovered the woman’s body clad only in undergarments, but officials later found her clothes stained with blood and coroners detected light burn marks on her body as well as traces of gasoline. Her family had not reported her missing, and investigators fear there may be a male victim whose body was not found. The initial investigation found that the brothers drove their sister from Irbid to a deserted area near the Queen Alia International Airport outside of Amman, beat her up, and then strangled her, later dumping her body in Karak where they tried to set it on fire to cover their traces. A source told the Jordan Times that, “The suspects claimed they were cleansing their family’s honor because their sister often left the house without their permission and her behavior brought them disgrace.” Three months previously the victim, who was twenty-two at the time of her death, had been referred to the administrative governor after her father and two brothers beat her up, the source also said. On October 6th a twenty-six year old man was charged with the premeditated murder and attempted burning of his younger sister, though earlier reports indicated that other family members were involved. The suspect claimed to have acted alone and he only strangled her after medical examinations proved she was not a virgin, though medical reports indicated that from the extent of injuries sustained she had been sexually assaulted (Jordan Times).

Ghosson Rahal, a lawyer and independent researcher, thought that economic status played an important role for both the perpetrator and the victim. In a study done by the Human Forum for Women's Rights (HFWR) in 1998 31% of victim's families feel into an income range of 101-150 Jordanian Dinar (JD) a month, which supported on average a family of seven. Likewise, 32% of perpetrator's families lived on a monthly income of 50-100 JD (Nasser 17, 21). It also must be noted that people of a lower economic status often are the bearers of tradition and it is those of a higher economic status that abandon traditional norms for modern values that promote achievement and egalitarianism (Ingelhart).
On a positive note, it is the higher economic status Jordanian families that has allowed for the liberation of women . More women are entering university each year and proving that they are just as valuable as their male counterparts . While families still hope for sons, it is no longer the shame and disappointment it once was to have daughters .