Local newspapers recently reported that a 24-year-old man was handed 20 lashes and fined SR23,000 for assaulting the principal of an elementary school in Jeddah. The lashing was carried out by the principal in the school’s playground in front of teachers and students.
At first, I couldn’t believe that a teacher would expose children, between the ages of six and 12, to such a shocking scene. Adults usually become tense and disturbed when they see such things. Unfortunately, it seems that all that this particular principal thought about was his ego. He forced the schoolchildren to witness a lashing without taking into consideration the negative impact that it could possibly have on them. When children are exposed to such shocking sights, they usually suffer nightmares, experience a loss of appetite, lose concentration and, in this case, perhaps even develop a feeling of rejection.
The scenario would have been totally different if the principal had chosen to teach the children a lesson in high morals and forgave his assailant. From this incident, it does seem that we have failed to properly spread the concept of forgiveness in our society.
Universities and colleges in the US have been teaching about the positive psychological and social effects of forgiveness on both the victims and criminals. Dr. Robert Enright — who teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is co-founder of the International Forgiveness Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge about forgiveness — recently delivered a lecture on forgiveness.
On TV, we watch so many programs about people forgiving others when they are wronged. Even the late Pope, who was shot by a Turkish man called Mehmet Ali Agca, publicly forgave him after visiting him in prison.
People who have been denied their rights usually say that they find peace of mind and comfort when they forgive. At the same time, forgiveness can create wonders on the mind of the person committing the crime. That is why forgiveness was the trait of our Prophet (peace be upon him).
In South Africa, the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission was set up to help deal with the wrongs that took place under apartheid. Dullah Omar, the former Minister of Justice in South Africa said: “A commission is a necessary exercise to enable South Africans to come to terms with their past on a morally accepted basis and to advance the cause of reconciliation.”
Initiatives are carried out across the world to promote an ethos of forgiveness and peace. As Saudis we need to ask: What are we doing in this direction?
