Specialists to meet ‘soon’ to reframe jalwa, other tribal traditions

AMMAN — A meeting will be held soon with the participation of specialists in the tribal, legal and Sharia (Islamic law) affairs from various parts of the Kingdom to endorse a “national code of honour” to regulate some negative aspects of tribal traditions, mainly jalwa (forced relocation), Interior Minister Salameh Hammad said on Monday.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Hammad said that there are some tribal norms that should be promoted, while others must be addressed for their transgression on “authentic Jordanian customs and the principles of Islam”, such as jalwa.

Jalwa is a tribal tradition, which can include the eviction of an entire family, and entails the forced relocation of a clan if one of its members murders someone.

A jalwa’s aim, its supporters say, is to avoid friction between the tribes of the victim and the killer, if they live in the same area.

In this regard, the minister said that jalwa should only include the perpetrator, their sons and father, and its duration must not exceed one year, which can be extended if necessary upon the approval of the administrative governor and following a recommendation from the security council of the governorate or the district.

He also added that jalwa should be made from district to district within the same governorate, in addition to authorising the estimation of diyeh (blood money) in homicide cases that end with conciliation to the chief justice.

Hammad said that addressing tribal issues requires framing them in a certain formula that all relevant sides agree on, mainly in homicide, honour and defamation cases, Petra added.