Xeer

Xeer is the traditional customary legal system used by Somalis in Djibouti, Somalia, Somaliland, the Somali Region of Ethiopia and the North Eastern Province of Kenya. It is one of three systems from which formal Somali law draws its inspiration, alongside civil law and Islamic law, and is believed to pre-date Islam, though Islam later influenced it and Xeer came to incorporate many Islamic legal principles. Under this system elders known as xeer begti serve as mediator judges who help settle disputes, taking precedent and custom into account. Xeer is polycentric, meaning different groups within Somali society hold different interpretations of it. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/