CÂHİLİYYE ARAPLARINDA KIZ ÇOCUKLARINI GÖMEREK ÖLDÜRME ÂDETİ

Year 2004, Issue: 3, 9 - 29, 01.12.2004

Adnan Demircan

Abstract

Custom of Wa’d al Banat (Female Genocide or Killing Daughters by Burying Them Alive) in Jahiliyya Arabs

Abstract

The custom of wa'd al-banat is one of the most frequent blames used
against Jahiliyya Arabs by people who want to criticize them. Frequent
usage of this blame has been causing to give someone an impression
that the custom was commonly being performed among all Arabs in the
time of Jahiliyya. In fact, after searching and evaluating the sources in
this field, it is seen that the custom was taking place in few tribes, such
as Tamim tribe, not in the others. Reports claiming that the custom of
wa'd al-banat emerged just before the advent of the Prophet Muhammed,
are far from being acceptable.
The main reasons of wa'd al-banat were economic reasons and “possible
honor problems” that might be caused or created by daughters
when they reached to puberty or adult ages