Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Her story was a harrowing one that described the death in Jordan of her childhood friend, the legendary Dalia: a
killing carried out by the girl's Islamic knife-wielding father for a harmless flirtation with a Christian soldier. This
event, together with the author's description of it, apparently led to Khouri's flight to the USA from the benighted
country of her birth and a
fatwa
being placed on her head. Comparisons with author Salman Rushdie begin to
form…except that Rushdie never claimed his works of fiction were fact.
A 2008 documentary,
Forbidden Lies,
charts Khouri's exposure as a con artist and her book as a pack of lies. The
very existence of Dalia is called into question and with it a pall of uncertainty covers the issue of 'honour killings',
which is the topics central theme.
And this, of course, is the real tragedy behind one of the biggest literary hoaxes of the 21st century. Honour
killings - where a woman is killed by members of the family to protect familial honour - do occur in Jordan, albeit
in ever-reducing numbers. Sensationalist accounts that capitalise on the practice, however, undermine the work of
various interest groups who try to work quietly and discreetly to change attitudes without compromising the sense
of national pride.
A few years on and the dust is settling, and the painstaking case-by-case documentation of each crime has re-
sumed, but it will take more than the global humiliation of the biggest con artist of the decade for Jordanians to talk
about this subject openly again.
The documentary
Crimes of Honour
by Shelley Saywell, filmed in Jordan and the West Bank, gives more inform-
ation on this sensitive subject.
Respect for the Royals
Another noticeable trait of the Bedouin inheritance is an ingrained tribal respect for local
elders, or sheikhs. This character trait is extended to the ultimate leaders of the country.
Claiming unbroken descent from Prophet Mohammed, Jordan's Hashemite royal family is
a nationally beloved and regionally respected institution. All monarchies have their critics
from time to time, not least for seeming arcane in their function, but Jordan's modern roy-
al family has helped to redefine the royal image through benign and diplomatic gov-
ernance (especially with regard to Middle East peace issues), as well as through a history
of charitable works. It was evident during the Arab Spring of 2011 (
Click here
)
that des-
pite protests against the government, there was no popular demand for a republic. Jordani-
ans look to their royalty for leadership and an example of how to live a modern life in the
context of their largely Islamic and Arab heritage.
In a region where men are more commonly
the public face of royal initiatives, Jordan has
been unusual for the high profile of its royal
women. Visit many of the small women's co-
operatives like Bani Hamida in Mukawir, and
you are likely to find some mention of either
Queen Noor or Queen Rania in the patronage or even funding of the project.
Queen Noor is not the mother of the present king.
That distinction belongs to King Hussein's second
wife, Princess Muna, who was from England. They
