The basic ritual consists of the accused being asked to lick a hot metal object (spoon, ladle, rod, etc.) thrice. He is provided with water for rinsing after the ceremony. He is then inspected by the official who … See more

The Bisha'a was illegal under British Mandate rule, though numerous accounts of the performance of the ritual are documented in the … See more

Recent interest in the Bisha'a stems from two contemporary Israeli films which portray the Bisha'a - Yellow Asphalt (2001) and Bisha: The … See more

The right to perform Bisha'a is granted only to the Mubesha, and this right is passed on from father to son, along paternal lineages. The Mubesha hears the account of the … See more

The legend behind the Bisha'a goes back to a man of great powers named Weymer abu Ayad of the Sultani branch of the Ayayideh tribe of the See more

The Bisha'a has been variously described in ethnographic and cross-cultural studies. The earliest well-documented reports of the Bisha'a … See more

Joseph Ginat, Bedouin Bisha’h Justice: Ordeal by Fire (Sussex Academic Press, 2009) See more