The Arab Tribal System

Basic Characteristics

For Arabs, their association to a tribe is an important part of their social and cultural identity. In the Western European countries, people have lost most of their feeling of belonging to a very large extended family. Very few Europeans are able to recite the names of their forefathers for 5-10 or more generations, but it is not uncommon to encounter people in the Middle East who have this ability. For thousands of years, the tribe has been the main form of identity for the people the Arabian Peninsula. When dealing with shortages water or food, raids, occupations and religious strife, the tribe has offered to the people of the Arabian Peninsula a sense of loyalty and worked as a wellfare system or a mutual insurance policy. In the last century, tribes have been transforming from the nation states in the areas beyond Ottoman or British rule, and a unit of direct administration in Ottoman areas, and indirect administration in British areas, to a kind of informal welfare organisation (for Yemeni immigrants in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States), a political unit maintaining deep loyalties and ties (in Iraq, especially among the tribes which were oppsing Saddam Hussein), an economic unit closely resembling a limited company offering finance and employment for tribe members (in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrein, Kuweit, UAE). As population in the Arabian Peninsula becomes more and more urban, the tribes take up new roles, offering newly arrived urban immigrants continuity and a sense of belonging to a community in an otherwise alienating and unfriendly environment, by helping their members find jobs, accomodation and friends, all with the help of tribal networks. However, the tribe continues to represent the main focus of identity for many Arabs, who consider it to be less important than the family but certainly more important than the state.

The structure of the tribe

For centuries, most Arabs have been socially and politically organized in tribes. A tribe is divided into related sub-tribes, which are further divided into clans, and then into extended families. Usually, individuals are more strongly bound by these tribal ties and a strict code of honor than by ethnic origin or religion. A tribe can number from a few thousand individuals to even a couple of millions. The Arabs, no matter what their religion is, are descendents of the Northern Arabian Qaysi tribes (Nizari, Ma'di, Adnani, or Isma'ili) or the Southern Arabian Yemeni groups (Banu Kalb or Qahtani). The people of Qahtan, which are considered to be the pure Arabs, originally lived in the mountains of Yemen and encompassed numerous tribes among which the largest were Himyar and Kahlan. The Qahtan tribes established a number of states, such as Maeen, Sheba and Himyar. The rulers of Himyar were known as the Tubba. The other main group of Arabs is descendent of Qahtan, but it appeared as a result of mixing with other populations of different origins. These Arabs descended from the Prophet Ismail (one of Prophet Abrahams sons) who had settled in Mecca. This group is also known as the Nizari or Adnani, after their common ancestor Adnan and his son Nizar bin Maad bin Adnan. These Arabs were concentrated in the upper region of the Arab Peninsula and were known as the Northerners. A tribe which had its origins in this Nizari was the Quraish into which the Prophet Mohammed (Gods only messenger in Islam and last prophet after Jesus) was born. Today, it is not uncommon to find Qahtanite Arabs in Northern Africa or in Iran, and many of them are fully aware of their origin and heritage. Structurally, nomadic tribal groups (most Arab tribes were originally nomadic) are organized according to paternal descent, which unites individuals in larger segments. The smallest functional unit is the bayt (house). The bayt is made up of all closely related individuals who live together under the same roof and are dependent upon one another for their livelihood. The bayt, also known

as ahl, aila or ahl al-bayt (house or tent), usually consists of members of a same family, made up of husband, wife or wives and children. Five to seven generations of a bayt form a hamula (also fakhd in some parts of the Arabian Peninsula) or clan (hamula can be translated as clan or lineage), which is made up of descendants of a common, relatively distant male ancestor. The clan takes the name of the original house or the name of a member who had distinguished himself in the affairs of the clan. The head of a clan is a sheikh, acknowledged by all members of the tribe for his leadership qualities. Nowadays, the clan still is the repository of family honor and tends to be endogamous. In many Arab cities, its members live in the same neighborhoods, and in the rural areas they may dominate a whole village, which means that everyone in a village belongs to the same descent group. It is also common for the members of a particular hamula to have the same occupation or work in the same line of business, and for new workers to be recruited from the same clan. The clan serves as a major source of identity and psychosocial support and social status. There is an extensive system of mutual commitments, values and expectations that govern the behavior and the relationships between the members of the same clan. In terms of achieving access to social relationships, government bureaucracy, and economic well-being, membership and connection to the clan are the key elements for the individual member of a tribe. The clan is often led by one individual, a mukhtar (pl. makhatir). In rural districts, the usual practice has been that the mukhtar of the largest and most powerful humula is also the mukhtar for the whole village. The mukhtar which is most commonly known by Westernenrs as sheikh is acknowledged by all members of the tribe for his leadership qualities. The clan shares joint responsibility for avenging any harm done to its members and pays compensation for any harm caused by its members. Although tribes may differ in status, all clans which are part of the same tribe are considered equal. Among nomads,

water wells are held in common by the clans. Membership to certain clan is the basis of summer camps, and all livestock, although it may be property of several individual households, bear the clan's brand. Despite the fact that the nomadic way of life has almost disappeared, group interactions in the Arab world, tribal social structure and organization are still remnant of what Bedouin life used to be like. Above the level of clans, there are larger segments that together make up the tribe. The largest segment below the tribe is the ashira which is made up of a number of clans which share a common ancestor. The sheikh of a ashira is usually a member of its wealthiest and most powerful bayt. Several ashiras which share a common ancestor form a qabila, a tribe, also under the leadership of a sheikh. The sheikh is the speaker for the tribe, and responsible for its welfare. His duties include maintaining a guesthouse for the benefit of his tribesmen, providing meals and advancing money to those in need. All units of the tribal structure are united by blood relation. The houses of a clan are bound together by mutual economic interests and family obligations. In a tribe great importance is placed on the concept of honor (ird). Injustice or injury suffered by a member of a tribe is considered to be affecting all members of that group; likewise, all members are responsible for the actions of a fellow tribal member. When injury or injustice is inflicted by a member of the clan or even tribe to a nonmember, it is the collective responsibility of the entire clan to pay in compensation for the harm done and reach reconciliation through mediation. The sheikh of the ashira has the responsibility to settle disputes between clans, and the sheikh of the qabilah has jurisdiction over all the sheikhs of the ashiras. Each level of tribal structure maintains its autonomy until threatened by danger; in this case the sheikh of the qabilah assumes control over the entire structure and deals with the problem. The claims of tribes which are related to each other prevail over any commitment to outsiders. Any kind of conflict between the units of the tribe stops when it is threatened by an outside danger, be it another tribe or a government.

Arab tribal society obeys customary law, defiance means expulsion from the tribe and severing all family ties, which is considered a fate worse than death. Legal disputes are referred to the sheikh who presents the matter to a tribal council of men selected for their wisdom. If a council cannot reach a decision, then a specialist in tribal law is consulted.

Few examples of famous qabila-s and ashira-s in the Arab World:

In Libya, the complex tribal system is still a main part of Libyan society, probably in a greater extent than anywhere else in the Northern Africa. Most Libyan names include the tribal and/or clan names of the tribes and therefore it is usually easy identify a person's tribe simply by knowing his surname. For example, Col. Gaddafi comes from the Gaddadfa Tribe (an Arabised Berber tribe of the ancient Greater Syrtis region, now known as Sirte or Sert). There are more than 140 known tribal networks in Libya, most of which subdivide into several clans and groups. Lybian tribes: Warfallah (Warfalla, Werfella): the largest Arab qabila (tribe) in west Libya, made up of 52 ashira-s and estimated at around one million people, inhabiting the areas of Bani Walid (Bani Waleed), Zamazam, Bey, Sirte, Sabha, Dernah, Benghazi and most recently the Misurata District; Al-Majabra, al-Mujabra: south-west of Libyan capital Tripoli, close to the Western Mountain, and in the Jalo area in Cyrenaica in Eastern Libya. The most well-known member of this tribe is the Libyan head of the army Major General Abu-Baker Younis Jaber - one of the original members of the 12 officers who were part of the Revolutionary Command Council led by Gaddafi in 1969; Qaddafa / Qadadfah / Gaddafa / Gaddadfa / Gadhadhfa / Qathathfa / Gathafi Arabised Berber tribe, centred around Sert [Sirte). An influential ruling tribe in today's Libya, originally found around the present-day Sert in central Libya and Sabha in the south, the present capital of Fazzan. Col. Mua'mmar al-Qaddafi, belongs to the Qaddafi tribe. Al-Magarha, al-Magariha, al-Megrahi: one of the largest tribes in the centralwestern region of Libya, and traditionally strong allies of the Gaddadfa tribe. The former Libyan Prime Minister Abdessalam Jalloud belongs to this tribe. 5

Also the release of the alleged Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was secured by Al-Qaddafi family. Bani Salim (Banu Saleem): like their brothers the Bani Hilal of Tripolitania the Bani Saleem tribes were brought from Arabia in the 11th century to assist in the spread of Islam in North Africa by the Fatimid rulers. While the Bani Slaeem settled in Cyrenaica as the first stop to strengthen the forces in the east of Libya, the Bani Hilal continued their journey towards Tripolitania.

Large tribes and tribal confederations in Iraq: - The Shammar are supposed to be Iraqs biggest tribal confederation, counting more than 1.5 million people. As with other big tribal confederations, it had quite a loose structure, with the exception of the times when it was threatened from the outside, as in wartime. Shammar member tribes include the Toqa (historically settled in central Iraq) and the Jarba (centered in the north). Shammar tribes cover vast territories, from south of Baghdad to the Syrian border in the northwest. They include Sunni and Shia groups and their reach extends from Yemen to the United Arab Emirates. - The Dulaym belong to a large group of tribes of Zubaydi origin and are connected to the Jannabiyin, Ubayd, and other tribal confederations. They claim to have originally migrated from Central Arabia. Many prominent Iraqis carry the last name Dulaym, signaling they belong to this broad tribal confederation. Many Dulaymi tribes and leaders were among the most important in supporting Hussein during his rule. Dulaym tribes reside mostly in the western province of al-Anbar, around Ramadi. The Dulaym reportedly orchestrated a failed coup attempt against Saddam Hussein in July 1992. - The Jibur are one of the largest tribes and are scattered along the rivers as far north as Mosul and Khabur. The Jiburi tribe includes both Sunni and Shia branches. Their relationship with the late Saddam Hussein was more complex. In the 1980s, Hussein gave money and powerful jobs to Jiburi tribal leaders, and in exchange, they offered thousands of men from their tribe to fight against Iran. But the relationship fell apart after a group of

prominent Jiburis reportedly plotted to assassinate Hussein in 1990. He purged the tribes leaders, and Jiburi leaders now cooperate with U.S. forces, notably in helping rule the northern city of Mosul. - Al-Tikriti - the late General Ahmad Hassan Al-Bakr, former president of the republic, former commander-in-chief of the armed forces, command member of the Baath party from 1973-1977, and Saddam Hussein came from a section of the Albu Nasir Tribe, the group of tribes usually called al-Takarita (or the Tikritis.) The Albu Nasir tribe is believed to have more than 350,000 young men.In July 2003, Abdullah Mahmoud al-Khattab, leader of Saddams section of the tribe, was gunned down in Tikrit, a few weeks after he publicly spoke against Saddam. - The al-Zubayd tribe is believed to have migrated from Yemen. They came from the South probably, in the late 17th century, and like all early migrants, they are very scattered. They have a wide kinship. The Dulaymi, Jibur, and Ubayd albu Amir are of Zubaydi origin.