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Robert Stewart is a researcher at McGill University’s Interuniversity Consortium for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies, and has recently returned to his doctoral studies at the University of Exeter. His work focuses on ideological change in Islamist groups and Islamist political parties as well as on transitional justice in the Arab world. He is the co-editor of Transitional Justice and the Arab Spring (Routledge, 2014).
Incorporating Cultural and Religious Practices into Transitional Justice: Lessons Related to Islam in Tunisia and Aceh, Indonesia
The Tunisian transitional justice has not drawn upon the Islamic tradition and would almost certainly not have been able to do so in a way that contributes to the ultimate success of transitional justice there. Why? This article will answer that question by focusing upon the circumstances of Tunisian transitional justice and by comparing them to the transitional justice process in Aceh, Indonesia, where Islamic practices were to some degree drawn upon. These case studies demonstrate that local cultural or religious practices must have widespread legitimacy and popular acceptance if they are to effectively contribute to transitional justice.
