Bedouin Bishah Justice: Ordeal by Fire

ISBN-13: 9781845195656 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 248 str.

Ginat, Joseph

Opis

Bisha h ceremonies trials by ordeal in which the guilt or innocence of the accused is determined by subjecting them to a painful task are the focus of this volume. The book discusses how the ordeals, which originated in Bedouin societies and are still practiced in Egypt today, occur when someone suspects another person of crimes that include theft, property damage, murder, manslaughter, illicit sexual relations, rape, or witchcraft, and there are no witnesses to the crime, and the suspect or suspects visit a mubasha, a Bedouin notable who conducts the ordeal by fire. The work details the history of Bisha h ceremonies and how they are conducted today where the suspect licks a heated ladle and if their tongue blisters, they are deemed guilty. The author, who observed 169 of such ordeals, documents and illustrates the occurrences in this volume."