Women in the Middle East:
In Iraq and 'Honor Crimes'
With Rana Husseini
Reporter, Jordan Times
Tuesday, May 20, 2003; 3 p.m. ET

What is the status of women in Iraq and the Middle East? Security and civil liberties are major concerns in post-war Iraq, especially for women. In many countries in the region, "honor crimes" -- those committed against women who are raped or even talk to a man outside of immediate family -- are common.

Jordan Times reporter Rana Husseini, winner of the Women's eNews Ida B. Wells Award recipient for Bravery in Journalism, will be online Tuesday, May 20 at 3 p.m. ET, to discuss the status of women in Iraq and her pioneering coverage of "honor crimes" in the Middle East.

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Rana Husseini: Hi dear readers,

Thank you for joining this chat. I will be more than glad to answer your questions about women in the middle east, including the issue of honour crimes.
welcome

Arlington, Va.: Do Arab men generally take the view that honor crimes are merited, regardless of international opinion? That is, any attempt to stem these crimes is a form of cultural imperialism and therefore we in the "West" should mind our own business?

Also, is there a difference in opinion concerning these crimes between younger Arab males and the older generation, or do the younger Arab men see things differently than their fathers?

Thank you.

Rana Husseini: Some arab men do feel this way and they really do not care that much about what the west thinks. many beleive that most of our problems do occuer because of western interference. i have been accused of being a western agent for defending women's rights in jordan. i beleive there are no differences in opinion between the younger and older generation. but maybe there is one thing i would like to explain to you which is men who commit these crimes are some how victims themselves. victims of social beleifs and erongful traditions.

Washington, D.C.: I'd like to know if the US government is making specific efforts to include Iraqi women as they go about convening different meetings for the purpose of crafting a new government structure.

And where are the US/International womens' rights groups demanding that this happen? The situation is not totally analgous to Afghanistan, but shouldn't the US accept as a "standard operating procedure" the inclusion of women in decision making?

Rana Husseini: one of the other women being honoured by women's Enews tonight, former ambassador swanee hunt, is very vocal about it and would be the person to address such a questoin to. please join the same chat on thursday at 12:00 noon.

Mt. Rainier, Md.: Ms. Husseini, it seems that the women of Iraq have had more freedom than many of their sisters, in terms of dress, education, opportunities. Is that a fair assessment? And it seems that if religious conservatives get much power in that society, that women will have much less freedom.

Rana Husseini: I beleive that Iraqi women are free in terms of you have mentioned. however, it is too early to determine how their life will goio about. as we hear in the middle east, the situation in iraq is not stable at all and their is no government to run the coiuntry. maybe in two to six months things will start to become clearer. i do beleive that if a strickt group does take power, chances are that women might get oppressed.

Mt. Rainier, Md.: I just realized that you are THAT Jordanian reporter who began reporting the honor crimes in Jordan. I think that was incredibly courageous, and I'm wondering if you still have to be very cautious. Is the Jordanian society changing at all in respect to women's rights?

Rana Husseini: Thank you for your supportive words. i beleive that covering this issue will always be tough. i find it hard to report regular crimes and covering such crimes where usually the families kill to end the talking will always be hard. but i have to admit that things are changing in jordan and the public is more aware of these crimes but still some still beleive that these crimes are okay.

Bethesda, Md.: Seeing all the protests about the US occupation and knowing how restrictive Islam towards its women, what is the view from Iraqi women towards the US leaving the country in the hands of a largely male dominated Islamic clergy ?

Do they want the US to leave sooner rather than later also ? Or do they see the US occupation as their only protection for the rights that they enjoy now and that they probably will not not have under Islam ?

Rana Husseini: I am not sure and this is a hard question to answer because really we are not in direct contact yet with the effected women. i know some iraqi women who already live in jordan but they never mentioned to me this fear. maybe one thing that i want to point out is that islam is not a strict religion as many think it is. i would say that there are certain religious leaders who twist the religion to their own benefit and they apply it in a strict maner on women.

Boston, Mass.: Hi Rana,

I am the senior editor of Teen Voices magazine, an international social & economic young women's quarterly magazine. Right now we are working on our news section of the next issue and we want to give our readers information on how the women of Iraq are doing right now--seeing that coverage of their lives is seemingly impossible in mainstream media. How would you describe the situation many women in Iraq are facing today to our readers? Thanks so much for your amazing and honorable work.

washingtonpost.com: Iraqi Women Out of the Picture (Post, May 17)

Rana Husseini: This question is not really my speciality. check back thursday at noon. former ambassador to austria swanee hunt, will join the chat and she could answer such an important question.
thank you for joining

Boston, Mass.: As a female reporter in a traditional male society, do you find that this hinders your reporting. Do men talk to you as freely about honor killings and other "male perogatives" as they would a male journalist or are you shut out?

Rana Husseini: I would say that sometimes it could be hard because some do not beleive the fact that a female journlaist is doing the investigation. but eventually i do manage to get some answers to my questions, and the rest i get from other sources. i am not really sure how people would react to male journalists. in general, these crimes are hardly reported in the arabic press, and if they are ever reported, it would be a very small news item with very little details. so i am assuming that the few male crime reporters in jordan do not carry a full investigation into the matter.

Silver Spring, Md.: Ma'am, I was wondering whether such "honor crimes," truly an oxymoron, occur among the Arab population in the state of Israel?

Rana Husseini: i beleive they do happen in that part and there are some organisations that are very active in fighting this practice over there.

washingtonpost.com: Rana, how did you begin reporting on honor crimes and what was the initial response from the paper? Were you discouraged and did you feel at anytime that it would be dangerous or difficult for you to do the reporting?

Rana Husseini: i was assigned as the crime reporter for The Jordan Times in september 1993. few months after reportinmg regular crimes and acidents i came accross several crimes committed against women, including a sad story of a 16-year-old girl, who was killed by her older brother because her younger brother raped her. this girl was a victim several times because she was raped, then her brother threatened to kill her if she told her family, and she had to tell them because she became pregnant. he tried to kill her but she survived. she underwent an abortion and was married to a man 50-years older than her. six months later she was divorced. the day she was divorced a second brother killed her blaming her for being raped. this story really shocked me a lot, and when i wentg to talk to her family i asked them why did you kill her? it is not her fault. she was raped by her brother, and they told me it is her fault because sje seduced her brother to rape her. at this point i came to the realisation that the society tend to blame women for many of theproblems that occur. the newspaper was very supportive. maybe the good thing about it all is that my editors beleived that this was something wrong and that something needed to be done to stop such a practice. i was never discouarged because i knew i was doing theright thing. some people did make fun of my reporting and kept telling me that my stories will never change anything. but i never gave up and i knew that someone will hear me one of these days and i beleive i am being heard. sometimes it could be dangerous and i have faced some difficulties.

washingtonpost.com: Are you religious and did your beliefs help you be sympathetic to families or victims' perspectives of justice. Also, did you find it difficult to interview women because of their religious beliefs or limitations?

Rana Husseini: i would describe myself as a beleiver in God. when i first starteed my work, i thought a lot aboutr religion and that these crimes are in fact against all religions, and this is one reason i was never scared in reporting these crimes. i know i am not contradictinmg any religion and that all religions call for the right of life, and that ius what i am fighting for. i do not find it hard to interview any women because of their religious beleifs. maybe what i find hard is that some of them do not understand the religion very well and tend to make up their mind based on their own beleifs thinking it stems from religion.

Lewiston, Maine: Can you tell me what it's like to live among women who are subjected to "honor crimes?" How do they react to you? Thank you.

Rana Husseini: I really do not live among women who are subjected to honour crimes. sometimes some come to me for help. others i met in the prison. i feel that they respect me although they would not show it clearly. sometimes i feel helpless because i really do not have the means to help them. what i could do is write a story or refer them to some of our NGOs and organisations for help. it could be frustrating at some points in time.

Macon, Ga.: Peace and Blessings
Are there honor crimes for men?

Rana Husseini: Yes. but i would say that it is very rare. in the past nine years of my reporting i remember writing only about two or three men being killed. it is almost always women who are being killed because many families find it hard to kill a man because they have to go through tribal settelments or killers will end up spending more time in prison. sometiomes there are no men involveee and women are killed for other reasons such as being victims of rumours or suspicion.

Columbus, Ohio : After a so-called honor killing, are the women in the family allowed to grieve--how do they handle the fact that a sister or daughter or niece has been slain.

Rana Husseini: no one really grieves for these women. deep down inside mothers, daughters and sisters are distressed and sad but they cannot show it because of they do shot it their male family members might think that they agree to what they did and they could become victims of such crimes.

Philadelphia, Pa.: Are there other women and girls joining in your efforts... wanting to become journalists, wanting to document the lives of women in your culture?

Rana Husseini: yes. i have met many women who are very supportive of my work and really wanted to do something to help these women. every year i got and lectuer at some schools about my work, especially during the career day, and many ask me interesting questions about my work and involvement in this topic. i ebelive the younger women generation in jordan are much aware of women's rights and they try to involve themselves in any way possible.

Washington DC: What can women in the US do to raise awreness and try to put a top to these crimes? Do you feel like there is a strong reaction to the crimes in the US?

Rana Husseini: i beleive that the issue in the US is known to many and there are many women who wrote me asking the same question and wanting to get involved. i really appreciate the fact that there are people living in the US, and although they live thousands of miles away and probably are happy and content in their lives, are interested and feel with us and want to do something. i would say joining or getting in touch with women groups and organisations in the US that deals with this issue would help. it is also worth lobbying the jordanian government to do more to end this practice and eliminate many of the laws that discriminates against women. but i would say that the situation is improving but we still need them to act faster.

Indianapolis, Ind.: I'm a late arrival so maybe this has been asked but I read Iraqi religious leaders are enforcing some of their religious beliefs regarding women outside of Baghdad in some of the smaller towns and these rules are very represive toward women. Have you know of any such events?

Rana Husseini: it is very hard to answer the questions because the situation is not clear yet in iraq. i would suggest you join the same chat on thursday noon. former ambassador swanee hunt will answer questions related to iraqi womne and the situation in iraq.

Annapolis, Md.: I was shocked by the way the press portrayed women in Afghanistan during the war. It was almost a chant of "free the women from their burkas."

I guess it made it easy for us to swallow the idea that women were forced to wear burkas and that we would liberate them from that oppression. Now we find out that many of them love their religion and have no intention of giving up their burkas.

We never see reporters covering human interest stories by visiting families who live in Afghanistan or Iraq; and calmly talking with the men, women and children. So I feel like I'm being deprived of seeing life through their eyes.

Ironically, most Americans seem to know what the people of Iraq and Afghanistan want, but I can't figure out how we have reached these decisions without first gaining a real sense of these cultures.

Rana Husseini: i beleive the US media did play a role in making most americans beleive that they are going there to liberate women. you are right about afghani women to a certain extent, but again we really do not know the situation there because as you said, the media is not reporting human interest stories. so it is hard to determine how these women think.

Ann Arbor, Mich.: What are ways in which we as "ordinary" people concerned about these issues can support YOU in the work that you do investigating and reporting on these issues?

Rana Husseini: i would say the greatest support i would get is from people like you who are interested to learn and know more about other cultuers. i would say the greates thing for and the greatest support is to interact with people like you and receive supportive emails. at least i know that there are people who are miles away who care about the well-being of women in our part of the world.

Queens, NY: How supportive have you found Jordanians and others in the Middle East or Arab-speaking and Muslim world to be, of your work against honour crimes. Could you speak on men in particular, as well?

Rana Husseini: my work wasa received with mixed reactions. in general, i received positive support from many people from jordan and abroad. there are many men who beleive in what i am doing and have openly told me so. there are others who openly crticised my work and told me so. i had some men, who are educated, sort of upper-middle class, who told me they would kill their sisters. i have two men tell it to me in different local lectuers.

Boston, Mass: Do you ever fear for your safety while reporting?
How do you stay grounded? How do you relax or is the pain of all these women always with you?

Rana Husseini: it depends on the situation. i always go prepared. i wear a sports shoes and good clothes in order to run or move quickly if needed. as for how i live through these crimes, i have to admit that sometimes these crimes, and other crimes, get to me and i think about them a lot. but i am used to it now and i try to keep them behind my back so i could go on with my life. maybe one thing that makes me feel good about the whole thing is that i am the voice of these women who are dead and have no one to tell what really happened. this sort of lift my spirits sometimes.

New York, N.Y.: What insane logic leads these men to blame the VICTIM for something that happened TO HER? If they must kill, why do they not at least go after the perpetrator? How can they possibly justify their actions? And do the societies that perpetuate this outrage ever expect to be taken seriously by the West when they indulge in this kind of savagery? Animals don't treat each other this badly. This is outrageous.

You are incredibly brave for pursuing these stories. Thank you for your efforts.

Rana Husseini: i beleive this blaming part occuers in almost all the weorld. here in the US, women who are raoped, are sometimes blamed for the rape, and in court they try to put the blame on them. in our par of the world, some women supposedly are held responsible for their actions and therefore ae punished for it.
as for societies being taken seriously by the west, i would say that people who kill really do not care what westerns, easterners or whoever thinks of them. they do something they beleive is right.

thank you for your supportive words. they keep me going.

Bethesda, Md.: I admire your courage, and pray your work helps to save other women from similar fates. Take care and Peace be with you.

Rana Husseini: thank you very much and God bless you. i really appreciate your supportive statements.

Bethesda, Md.: IS there anything in the Koran that may justify such horrid behavior? What does Islam teach about these honor crimes? Surely it does not condone such things?

Rana Husseini: islam is very clear about these crimes. it does not support such practice what so ever. there are verses in the koran and sayings that really speaks against these killings. in the koran, it talks about having four witnesses to an act of adultery and even if it is proven, and it is hard to prove, it is not the individual who applies the punishment but the ruler or the state. the religion also is very clear about this issue and asks people to settle things without exposing the matter. the problem is that some people do not understand the religion very well and others misinterpert some of it to their own benefits.

Bethesda, Md.: Has Queen Nora (I think that is her name) spoken out against these crimes? She is the western wife of King Abdulla is she not ? or am I referring to another country?

Rana Husseini: her name is queen rania and yes she has been very active in trying to improve the lot of jordanian women. she also spoke out against these killings internationally. locally the queen was involved in pushing for change on all directions. the problem is that there are certain forces in our society that doesn't want to see any positive change for women.

Washington, D.C.: There are many ways in which women in the U.S. can support fighting crimes against women around the world. Particularly by encouraging our government to spend our foreign aid dollars on programs that target women's empowerment. There are many groups who work on this including Amnesty International and Women's Edge.

Rana Husseini: you are right. there are many groups that deals with this issue. i personaly deal with women's Enews, equality now, and other active organisations.

Texas: Are some of the behaviors that we in the West find most objectionable occur more often among lower social/economic classes? In other words, to what extent do the political/cultural elites of countries like Saudi Arabia really believe in the rules that they impose? (I have known people who, sincerely, I think, considered themselves observant Muslims and yet were perfectly happy to have a glass of wine even though a poor person from their country might be flogged for a similar offense.)
This is not an attempt to criticize Islam: do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do is, I believe, universal.
Also, has it registered among opinion-makers in conservative Muslim countries that women in chadors who are not allowed to drive cars elicit about the same disgust in the West that teenage-bimbo-sex-comedies-from Hollywood probably elicit from them?

Your comments?

Rana Husseini: i beleive that these practices occur more in poor, crowded and uneducated people whose religious strong faith is very weak.

Los Angeles, Calif.: By the way, what is Women's eNews?

Rana Husseini: women's enews is a website and an electronic news services that distribute balanced and non-partisan journalism on issue that matter to women. visit them at www.womensenews.org.

Rana Husseini: okay my dear readers. i have to leave you now so i can get ready for the awards event. hope my answers helped you all in getting a better understanding of what is going on in the rest of the world. thank you for your intrests and concerns and God bless you all.

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