ken place, silence prevailed. Pakistani politicians who dared to condemn Samia’s murder were silenced. One political leader, however, Ms. Benazir Bhutto, condemned the murder and expressed solidarity with the human rights lawyers. She now faces a prison sentence on corruption charges. (Ali 88-94)If the laws in these countries do not change, no woman’s life will be safe. It is because of these laws that so many millions of women are losing their lives unnecessarily, and the men that commit these heinous crimes manage to walk away free. For example, according to Jordan’s Penal Code, (November 16, 1960):He who discovers his wife or one of his female unlawfuls, committing adultery with another, and he kills, wounds or injures one or both of them, is exempt from any penalty. He who catches his wife, or one of his female ascendants or descendants or sisters with another in an unlawful bed and he kills or wounds or injures one or both of them, benefits from a reduction in penalty. (Article 340)Moreover, should a woman fear for her life in such situations, and requests the help of the higher government, it is she – not the potential killer – who is jailed involuntarily “for her own safety.” (Afkhani 183)Some of the cases that have come out of Jordan include the story of 19-year-old Hanan Abed, who was shot to death by her brother, 22-year-old Mohammed, in what the courts called “a fit of fury.” Her crime? Going out to eat with a male cousin without the permission of her brother. (Goodnough)Abed was jailed for six months, having invoked a clause in the Jordanian law providing for reduced sentences for those who kill female relatives they suspect of having brought the family "honor" into disrepute. (see Jordan Penal Code)Yasmine Abdullah, 20, was shot four times in the chest by her brother, Sirhan, last March after she reported having been raped by a family member. Although the victi...
