Long-awaited edict

The fatwa just issued by the mufti of the Iftaa Department prohibiting the murder of women in the name of family honour is a most welcome move; it is a decree that society must abide by, particularly since it is in keeping with the teachings of Islam, which any true believer should heed.

The fatwa was issued just as we witnessed 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, organised in a bid to raise awareness about the issue and to change the mindset of some individuals who believe that killing a female member of the family for a perceived or real transgression would cleanse the reputation of the family and protect its social standing. 

The mufti said that “it is strictly against Sharia to kill a female relative in the name of family honour” and that “Islam cherishes life and forbids the killing of any human being without a legal justification”. 

The immediate challenge is how to convince certain members of the society to conform to this religious edict.

The existing legislation on crime and punishment needs to be strengthened and enforced unfailingly.

Unfortunately, there are loopholes that permit felons to escape punishment, including securing the pardon of the family of the victim, very often the same as the perpetrator’s, and allowing a rapist to escape punishment if he marries his victim.

That has to change.

The head of the Jordanian Women’s Union rightly asked the government to consider the demand to cancel the clause in the code that allows families to drop charges against perpetrators, which leads to reducing the sentence by half.

Law should reign supreme. Individuals cannot be allowed to impose their will, nor to take the law in their hands.

But if forcing compliance with the law should, in principle, pose no problem, more difficult will be to change the tradition and culture that provide an environment that enables the commission of crimes against women. 

Yet, again, if the law is applied scrupulously, if individuals get their comeuppance based on fair justice, they will eventually learn that every act has repercussions and that they have to behave responsibly.

We have to start somewhere, and the fatwa is just as good a beginning as any.