The Shame of Preserving Honor: Why Honor Killings Still Plague the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the 21st Century

In Jordan, a woman is often murdered by members of her own family if she is found to have tainted the family\u27s honor in any way. Refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being seen alone with a male stranger or even wearing makeup have all been cited as incidents that shame the family and result in what are called honor killings . These honor killings have continued to plague Jordan, and other countries in the Middle East, well into the 21st century, despite the country\u27s progress towards modernization. The dominance of the patriarchal family and the inability of the country to experience economic growth are strong contributors to the perpetuation of these horrible crimes in a country that is considered to be relatively modern in this day and age