ABHA, 30 November 2007 — Paying millions of riyals in blood money for getting amnesty has become a disturbing phenomenon for all people at all levels of society. Paying exorbitant blood money (diya) causes psychological and financial burdens on the killer’s family or tribe, according to a report in Al-Watan recently.
Mesfer Al-Meftah Al-Qahtani, a 60-year-old man, stayed for more than 10 years in prison due to his family’s inability to pay the blood money. Al-Qahtani had a fight with his nephew over a piece of a land when he claims he accidentally killed his kin. The family of the victim asked for SR6 million in diya as a condition for granting him amnesty, a sum his family couldn’t pay.
“The amount of money needed is very high,” said Saleh ibn Manea Al-Moenes, Al-Qahtani’s legal representative. “His family consists of his wife and seven kids. They live in poverty in a house made of clay.”
Al-Moenes mentioned that, according to the tribal customs, it isn’t easy for them to forgive. So they placed such exorbitant amounts of money to make it difficult for the killer’s family to pay.
Another murder was committed at Tohama Qahtan in Aseer district, due to a fight between two persons of Al Yazid tribe. The killer was sentenced to prison. Muhammad ibn Awad Al-Yazidy, a relative of both the victim and the killer, said: “The family of the victim asked for SR8 million as blood money to forgive the killer. Although many people interceded to reduce the amount of money, the family of the victim persisted with this demand.”
Al-Yazidy said that Tohama people have constructed a charity tent and called it Al-Maghram to encourage people to donate. But the amount was too high.
Another story is that of Masud Maeed Al-Agyan, who suffered with his family in poverty to save his brother’s neck.
“Eight years ago, a fight occurred between my brothers and some others in front of the house that ended with a shooting,” said Al-Agyan. “My eldest brother was killed and another one from the other side was killed, too. My brother Hossam was placed in prison on a murder charge.”
Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, then the governor of Aseer, interceded to solve this problem. Even after Hossam was granted the amnesty, the whole family suffered from debt because of the very exaggerated diya demanded by the family of the victim.
Walid Saeed Abu Malha, supervisor of Sagina district in Khamis Mushayt and Takfun district, said: “A useless tribal custom comes as part of traditional protocols and procedures listed in any reconciliation treaty that allows your opponent to take all our possessions, such as land or crops.”
Abu Malha added: “I don’t think that those who contributed in this tragedy, which may last for generations, would be happy of their cruel and unfair conditions. The policy of losing all possessions to the opponent is like a time bomb that will explode one day.”
Abu Malha urges people to end such unfair traditional regulations and feel responsible for a more humanitarian reconciliation treaty.
Abdul Rahman ibn Abdullah Al-Hamid, a member of Abha Literary Club and a researcher of traditional customs, said: “The phenomenon of imposing unrealistic diya demands has recently spread in Saudi society. It has nothing to do with tribal culture. It depends on the individuals themselves. Some people accept the intercession of others to reduce the blood money or just grant the amnesty for God’s sake. Some demand exile of the killer and his family, to send them away from their land in addition to demanding blood money.”
Abdullah ibn Aid ibn Hamid, the sheikh of Alkam tribes in Aseer, said: “The steady increase in diya has become a crucial issue that needs to stop. It is no longer a matter of legal rights, but rather a kind of trade by extorting the killer’s family who are willing to pay anything to set their son free.”
Al-Hamid added that these high demands are common. In a village that belongs to the Alkam tribe, the family of the victim asked for an incredible amount of blood money in order to forgive the killer. Social intercessions of a group of people appointed by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal succeeded in reducing the amount of blood money.
“Sometimes the media contribute in complicating the case. They display the case in a way that provokes tribal biases. Some blame the victim’s family for not reducing the amount of blood money, which increases their insistence on their demand and not responding to intercessions. The role of the media is to encourage amnesty and reduce the blood money, not to provoke the tribal hostility between the opponents,” he said.
Al-Hamid added: “The tribe also has a role in reducing that kind of crimes among its members. We are all responsible for spreading awareness among people, starting with mosque preachers who have the biggest responsibility in that matter. They could tell people how important it is to control their anger and explain how sinful it is to commit such crimes. They also have to show the great reward that the person gets when he controls his anger. They can talk about Islamic principles and teachings about brotherhood, amnesty, and forgiveness among people in society. In addition to the role of the sheikh of the tribe to make his people aware of the merits of forgiveness.”
