xeer

xeer

English

Noun

xeer (uncountable)

1. The traditional legal system of Somalia, believed to predate Islam, in which elders serve as mediators and people are responsible for the actions of their families.
   • 1977, David D Laitin, Politics, language, and thought: the Somali experience‎

     It arranges for settlement of collective debts, discusses xeer dealings with central authorities, maintains the group wells, and protects grazing areas.

   • 2005, Walter Dostal, Wolfgang Kraus, Shattering tradition: custom, law and the individual in the Muslim Mediterranean

     In rural areas, there is still confusion between xeer and shari'a.

   • 2007, Lars Buur, Helene Maria Kyed, State recognition and democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa

     The key feature of the xeer is its common law character...