Under tight security measures, two Giza families agreed Tuesday to end vendetta killings in a conventional reconciliation session, a practice that has persisted for years to resolve bloody inter-communal disputes.
At Kafr Hakim village, and in the customary presence of local security and governorate officials, a member of the Shendy family offered his shroud to the Zayed family, a ritual that stands for requesting amnesty from the opposing side for killing any of its members. Many denounce the practice as illegal and call for punishing wrongdoers instead so as to assert the rule of law.
Both families had engaged in a gunfight several months ago, leaving one fatality among the Zayeds.
Attending the gathering were representatives for Giza Governor Ali Abdel Rahman, and the Giza Security Directorate, as well as officials from al-Azhar.
The session started with recitations from the Holy Quran and was followed by a speech by organizers on co-existence and self-restraint.
The Shendy amnesty-seeker carried the shroud and offered it to the Zayeds who publicly said they grant him pardon.
The Zayeds said they would hold a mourning ceremony for their deceased member. Communities adopting the vendetta mentalities do not hold mourning events before revenge is fulfilled against the killers.
