Veiled Sentiments

The physical attributes that blood can bestow come with a “moral nature” that unites Awlad ‘Ali and, they believe, “distinguishes them from and makes them superior to other peoples” (78). The “system of morality” is “the basis for the hierarchical social divisions” within their system, and while it “is touted as highly egalitarian,” there are still “power differences” within the family (78). Social status, among the Awlad ‘Ali, comes when an individual heeds the code of honor, “in which the supreme value is autonomy,” and “the weak and dependent, who cannot realize many of the ideals of the honor code,” live instead by the “modesty code” (79). Awlad ‘Ali rationalize these “unequal” codes and opportunities, Abu-Lughod writes, by calling them “not antagonistic but complementary” (79).

The concept of equality, in Bedouin society, applies primarily to autonomy: each family unit is equally free “from domination by or dependency on others” (79). There is a hierarchy of tribes, with the Mrābṭīn (tied) tribes paying dues to the Sa’ādi (hurr or “free”) tribes. Traditionally, the Mrābṭīn could not own land and had to pay tribute to the Sa’ādi, and even though those rules have worn, this original distinction still separates the groups.