By Brian Whitaker
"Research by the Institute of Criminology at Cambridge University has discovered alarmingly high levels of support for 'honour' killings among Jordanian teenagers.
Such crimes are a particular problem in Jordan, where
government efforts to discourage them have met stiff resistance from
traditionalist elements.
In 2009, for instance, the King Hussein Foundation launched
a two-year
campaign (funded by the European Commission) with the slogan: "There is no
honour in honour crimes". That has clearly had little effect in changing
attitudes.
The Cambridge researchers' full report can be purchased online, but
here is the university's summary
of their findings:
A study into the attitude of teenagers in Jordan’s capital
city of Amman reveals that almost half of boys and one in five girls believe
that killing a daughter, sister or wife who has ‘dishonoured’ or shamed the
family is justified. A third of all teenagers involved in the research advocated
honour killing.
Importantly, the study found that these disturbing attitudes
were not connected to religious beliefs. The research is published in the
journal Aggressive Behavior.
Researchers surveyed over 850 students, and found that
attitudes in support of honour killing are far more likely in adolescent boys
with low education backgrounds.
After analysing the data, researchers concluded that religion
and intensity of religious belief were not associated with support for honour
killing. Instead, the main factors include patriarchal and traditional
worldviews, emphasis placed on female ‘virtue’, and a more general belief that
violence against others is morally justified....."
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