Progress Amid Resistance

220 WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICAAUTHORRana Husseini is a journalist, author, consultant, and women’s rightsactivist based in Jordan. While writing for the Jordan Times, the country’sleading English-language daily, she focused on social issues, with aspecial emphasis on so-called honor crimes and other forms of violenceagainst women. She has worked on these topics with domestic NGOs aswell as international organizations including UNIFEM, Equality Now,and Freedom House. She is the author of Murder in the Name of Honor, anew book on the effort to combat honor crimes.NOTES1Samar Haddadin, “Jordanian Women Contributed in Achieving and Strengthen ingIndependence,” Al-Rai, June 5, 2009, http://www.alrai.com/pages.php?news_id=273982.2Haddadin, “Jordanian Women.”3The possible penalties for violations of the Societies Law include fines ranging fromUS$1,400 to US$14,000, up to six months’ imprisonment, and seizure of the organization’sfinances. Women’s rights activists said the law would leave them at the mercy ofthe government, which would be free to meddle in their decisions. The governmentdefended the measure by stressing that it replaced a 42-year-old statute and was meantonly to regulate the work of these organizations. Although officials yielded to local andinternational pressure and promised to study the activists’ complaints, the governmenthad taken no action by year’s end to amend the law or draft a new version.4Shari‘a Courts also handle issues pertaining to the Islamic waqfs. Regular courts havejurisdiction in cases involving parties of different religions.5Rana Husseini, “Man Receives Reduced Sentence for Killing Sister,” Jordan Times,December 1, 2008, http://www.jordantimes.com/index.php?news=12512.6“Special Tribunal to Hear Honour Crimes in Jordan,” Gulf News, July 29, 2009, http://gulfnews.com/news/region/jordan/special-tribunal-to-hear-honour-crimes-in-jordan-1.503127.7For the text of CEDAW, see http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/text/econvention.htm; for Jordan’s reservations, see http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N06/309/97/PDF/N0630997.pdf?OpenElement.8Law No. 82 of 2001, amending the Personal Status Law (No. 61 of 1976).9Article 6/A of the Personal Status Law.10Combined Third and Fourth Reports of States Parties: Jordan (New York: UN Committeeon the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, March 10, 2006), 89, http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/reports.htm#j.11Amnesty International, Isolated and Abused: Women Migrant Domestic Workers in JordanDenied Their Rights (London: Amnesty International, October 30, 2008), 2–3, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE16/002/2008/en.