Blood feuds blight Albanian lives
It is interesting to note that the BBC can write this entire article without mentioning that this is a practice sanctioned by Islamic law:Blood feuds blight Albanian lives
The centuries-old custom of blood feuds - responsible for thousands of Albanian deaths in the past - has started blighting lives in the Balkan nation again in recent years. The law and order vacuum created by the collapse of communism sent many Albanians back to the ancient customary laws of their tribal roots. These laws include the right to murder to avenge an earlier killing. Blood feuds have existed in Albania for more than 3,000 years. They are regulated by the customary law known as the "Kanun" - used by Albanians during the centuries of foreign occupation, when there was no central authority. "The Kanuns sanction blood feuds and regulate them from all points of view," said professor of law Ismet Elezi, a specialist in the Kanuns, in an interview with BBC World Service. "And first they established the rule: whoever kills will be killed. Blood is avenged with blood." The Kanun states - among other things - that the blood of the victim can only be avenged with the blood of the killer. But professor Elezi conducted a survey which shows that today few people under 35 know what the Kanun actually says - yet many invoke it as an excuse to kill.
posted by Unknown @ 7:34 PM
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