Islamic court upholds Nigerian stoning verdict - Woman convicted for bearing out-of-wedlock child

Agence France-Presse | August 19, 2002

[xJones]

It's "religion of Peace" that is spreading like wild fire and soon it could be a cry of "God save us"!

Yes, look at Indonesia, "coming to your neighborhood soon". It's too agressive, and non-Muslims have their rights also, right?

To hell with PC and multi-culturalism, I don't want to live in a third-world country.

[CatoRenasci]

Islam - the religion of peace: the peace of the dead.

How anyone can conceivably, believe after the exposure we have had to the tenets of Islam over the past year, that we are engaged in anything other than the continuation of the war that began when Islam swept out of the Arabian desert in the seventh century, is beyond me.

Islam: fourteen uninterrupted centuries of barbarism unhampered by any civilizing influence or progress!

[aristeides]

If there is no one with a bank account to fleece, the Mullahs Jackson, Sharpton and Farrakahn want nothing to do with it.

Lots of oil money in Nigeria.

[aristeides]

Apparently men can get away with it under Shariya law if they swear on the Koran that they're innocent. That must be what the guy in Florida thought he could do.

[SarahW]

I want to DO something besides just pray about this specific case.

Aside from the obligatory letter to my congressman (sent)
I feel rather impotent to help save her.

Any practical ideas?

[vannrox]

Islamic court rejects Nigerian mother's appeal on stoning verdict

From Yahoo News

A Nigerian Islamic court threw out an appeal by a young woman sentenced to be stoned to death for bearing a child out of wedlock and ordered her to be executed once her child is weaned.

To cries of "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) from the public galleries, the judge ordered 30-year-old Amina Lawal to be taken to a public place, buried up to her neck and put to death by stoning.

The judgement was a slap in the face for a coalition of lawyers, activists and federal officials who had chosen the case to challenge the reintroduction of the strict Islamic legal code, or sharia, in the north of the country.

Amina's legal team announced an immediate appeal. If they fail, their client could become the first Nigerian to be stoned to death since 12 northern states reintroduced sharia.

Her team of Abuja-based lawyers and rights campaigners had argued that her conviction was unfair, that her confession had been retracted and that she had never understood the case against her.

But a four-judge panel meeting at the upper sharia court in Funtua, 300 kilometres (190 miles) north of Abuja, dismissed their arguments.

"We uphold your conviction of death by stoning as prescribed by the sharia. This judgement will be carried out as soon as your baby is weaned," the lead judge told Lawal, who sat before the bench cradling her eight-month-old daughter.

A cry of "Allahu Akbar" resounded around the packed courtroom as Lawal, a shy and slight village woman dressed in a bright red dress and deep purple open-faced veil, burst into tears.

At an earlier hearing in January during which she was not represented, Lawal told reporters she was confident that she would be cleared now that she had high-powered lawyers behind her.

"I feel bad, I'm not happy at all. We thought they were going to discharge her," said Clara Obazele, a spokeswoman for Women's Affairs Minister Aisha Ismail. "We're going to appeal the judgement."

Lawal's defence lawyer Aliyu Musa Yawuri said: "We're not satisfied with this decision, and we're going to appeal."

Lawal, a divorcee, gave birth in January and was denounced by police to the Sharia court in Bakori.

She told the authorities that the father of Wasila, her third child, was Yahaya Mahmud, her boyfriend of 11 months, whom she said had seduced her with an offer of marriage, the court heard.

Mahmud admitted being Lawal's boyfriend, but swore on the Koran that he was not the father. He was discharged. Lawal was tried and convicted based on her confession.

This mirrored Nigeria's previous stoning case, that of 35-year-old Safiya Husseini. Under Sharia's strict rules of proof, witnesses are required to convict a man of adultery, while a woman may be condemned for falling pregnant.

In Husseini's case earlier this year the defence managed to get her acquitted on a series of technicalities.

Before Monday's verdict, Ibrahim had expressed concern that if Lawal were to be stoned to death, it could open the floodgates to dozens of similar cases across northern Nigeria.

The defence had hoped to safeguard her life before mounting an action to challenge the legality of Sharia trials in the higher courts.

[agrace]

Mahmud admitted being Lawal's boyfriend, but swore on the Koran that he was not the father.

Oh! Well in THAT case... </ sarcasm >

Thanks for the ping, knighthawk. I too am wondering where all the outrage is for this poor woman. And I'm getting really tired of listening to folks like Sean Hannity speak of Islam as if it is a nice, peaceful religion aside from those nasty extremists. Sharia is Islamic Law, period. Real peaceful, and just chock full of human rights.

[knighthawk]

aside from those nasty extremists

Yes, it's not like a majority wants to introduce sharia in Malaysia or Indonesia, or in Europe or the US for that matter. /sarcasm off

[xJones]

Lots of oil money in Nigeria.

Yes, but lawyers like Sharpton can't get at it. I would love to see Ol' Al in Nigeria trying to run a scam like he is here.

[xJones]

Apparently men can get away with it under Shariya law if they swear on the Koran that they're innocent.

Yes, but they have to be careful WHO they rape. If the victim is a member of a neighboring Islamic tribe, the rapist might be in real trouble. However, if the victim is an "Aussie pig" or some European, well, "inshallah". Coming from a religion where the "prophet" married a six year year girl, and consummated the marriage when she was nine years old, you can't expect too much.

[kjenerette]

But a four-judge panel meeting at the upper Sharia court in Funtua, 300 kilometres (190 miles) north of Abuja, dismissed their arguments.

"Based on proofs derived through our investigations and through Islamic books I, Aliyu Abdullahi, and my three assistants hereby uphold the judgement passed by Bakori Sharia court," the lead judge said.

Just for the sake of argument, same situation, same black woman, same crime - except now the four-judge panel were WHITE judges. Do you think the UN or the media, etc. would have something more to say about this situation? Hmmmm...?

[Orangedog]

Lots of oil money in Nigeria.

Being able to sound like a fool AND make it rhyme won't get them very far in Nigeria.

One of these days I hope to hear Mullah Jackson's recitation of "Green Eggs And Ham." That would sound more intelligent than his usual prattle.

[Sally II]

Mahmud admitted being Lawal's boyfriend, but swore on the Koran that he was not the father.

God, Mahmud is such a weenie. What does it matter to him if he is the father. I've read a little bit of the Koran. And from what I remember the law goes something like this: "If a man commits adultry, Allah is just and forgiving. If a woman commits adultry Allah is just and forgiving and she gets to be locked into her house and allowed to starve to death." Chances are, even if he were the father he'd justs get a few nudges from his peers: "Eh, Mahmud, you got some eh old boy!"