Fascinating Arabic Forgiveness Process
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According to G. Irani and N. Funk, some Arabic communities in the Middle East still use the old fashion ways of working out a dispute. Not only does this model pre-date many of the cultures who are credited with discovering the Restorative Justice Movement, this communal model is very much in-line with the ancient Jewish approach as portrayed in the Old Testament, in particular during the High Holy Days of the Fall. Maybe there is an ancient bridge for peace in the Middle East that yet remains? This high community participation model is wildly different from the individualistic cognitive therapeutic model that reigns supreme in the West. There is much for us to learn here.
The historic Arabic forgiveness and reconciliation intervention approach to resolve both individual and groups conflicts is the sulh (settlement). The sulh is very public, inclusive of the whole affected community and is structured as a legal ceremony—complete with due diligence, trial, judge, plaintiff and defendant (Irani & Funk, 2002). In the sulh, both parties submit to the jurisdiction of the jaha, a team made up of wise and respected community leaders and elders. According to Islamic law, the sulh is legally binding upon the all of the participants. The sulh could be either “total” or “conditional”. The former officially ends all conflict as both parties resolve to end all disputes and not to hold any grudges in the future. The “conditional sulh” binds the parties to abide by a peace defined by specific conditions.
In the sulh, the family of the victim calls for a truce (hudna) and engages the jaha to accept the role of mediators. The jaha then engages in detailed fact-finding, interviews and other due diligence, defines the compensation (largely symbolic) from the offender’s family to the victim’s, and initiates the reconciliation ceremony, the musalah. The musalah typically takes place in the village square. The families of both the victim and offender line up on both sides of the road and exchange greetings; the latter offering apologies to the former.
Next, the two families shake hands, sealing the sulh settlement. It is often appropriate, as an act of atonement and humility, for the offender to directly approach the victim’s family. This is supervised by the jaha and is an important exercise of repentance and, on the other hand, of the capacity of the victim and family to forgive. Then it is not uncommon for the family of the victim to go to the family of the offender to receive a cup of bitter coffee—followed by a shared meal hosted by the offenders clan (Irani & Funk, 2002, pp. 24-26).
The goal of the sulh is not to punish the offender but to prevent escalation of dispute, restore dignity to the individuals who suffered loss, and most importantly, to restore peace and stability to the community.
[1] Irani, G., & Funk, N. (2000, August). Rituals of reconciliation: Arab-Islamic perspectives. Kroc Institute Occasional Paper #19:OP:2.