Public apologies blur repentance traditions in the Caucasus

Public apologies for minor misconduct are contrary to Caucasian traditions, which prescribed highlanders to repent to elders only for serious offences, scientists have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that residents of Chechnya had repeatedly apologized publicly. Thus, in September, the Chechen police detained Sekinat Ibragimova, accusing her of providing magic services, after which she repented of her deeds on air of the "Grozny" TV channel.

Vainakhs had a tradition to repent for grave offences, mainly to end the blood feud, Sergey Arutyunov, an ethnologist, believes. According to his story, Vainakhs "had no aim to humiliate the guilty person" – usually the parties stopped confronting and started friendship.

Vladimir Bobrovnikov, an Orientalist, has noted that they are now resorting to public apologies, "even in situations, when they are not needed."

Ruslan Gereev, Director of the Centre for Islamic Studies of Northern Caucasus, has added that highlanders never treated public apologies as a shameful act. The today's public apologies, which, in his opinion, are done under pressure, are "insincere."

Apologies are humiliating, when a person feels no guilt, says Dmitry Gusev, a psychologist. In his opinion, apologies made under pressure lead, inter alia, to a manifestation of violence by the apologizing person.