Genocide in the Rome Statute

A Process of Secularization?

Abstract

In 1972, Arabic became one of the five official languages of the United Nations. Documents produced by this international organization began to be translated into Arabic, adopting the terminological and conceptual framework established by the UN, which was later also utilized by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Although Arabic has historically been closely tied to religious and tribal references, it has now become an integral part of international law, which is grounded in a positive and universal paradigm. Consequently, the Arabic terms proposed as translations for concepts and principles of international law have gradually detached themselves from their semantic memory, religious referents, and tribal reminiscences. To illustrate this process of emancipation, this study examines the Arabic equivalent of the term genocide by analyzing its etymological origins, pragmatic functions, and limitations within the classical and modern Arabic linguistic spheres. To do so, the study references the Rome Statute in its French, English, and Arabic versions, highlighting the similarities and differences in the conceptual transfer of this principle specific to international criminal law. The central question structuring this study focuses on the Arabic language’s terminological capacity to express the cognitive and legal content of the term genocide. In other words, is Arabic capable of providing a positive meaning that aligns with the legal, philosophical, and social tenets of the Rome Statute? Can the proposed Arabic equivalent successfully break away from its semantic memory and the collective imagination associated with it?