A call for forgiveness has been made by a retired teacher who has admitted to thrashing her former pupils when they stepped out of line and behaved badly.
She posted an apology on a messaging app about her actions during the 1990s at the former Jidhafs Elementary and Preparatory School for Girls.
The English tutor said she wanted to personally ‘make amends’ with any pupil she had beaten in class after consulting with religious scholars who suggested ‘raising a hand’ in the manner described goes against the Sharia rules which she now abides by.
Sharia, which means ‘the correct path’ in Arabic, refers to the divine counsel that Muslims follow to live moral lives and grow closer to God.
Determined to make things right, she took to WhatsApp and created a group chat with 362 former students to request forgiveness in the hope her message would reach any of the former pupils she may have physically lashed out at.
Her message stated that ‘the group was created to absolve my conscience from those that I have assaulted through thrashings during that period’.
She added that legally her beatings were not justified, even if she thought at the time it was for ‘the benefit’ of the student involved and she pleaded that ‘whomever she did hurt to help clear her conscience and if that student cannot forgive her actions, to reach out to her personally’.
Local media and website forums have enabled the message to go viral on social media.
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