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Topic: End this Miss World debacle. Article by Bianca Jagger (NSC) Return to archive
11-29-02 06:53 PM
CS End this Miss World debacle
By Bianca Jagger, Human Rights Campaigner
29 November 2002
Amina Lawal is a 30-year-old Nigerian woman sentenced to death by stoning by a sharia court in Fantua, Katsina state, northern Nigeria on 22 March 2002. Her crime? She had her third child out of wedlock.

When Amina became pregnant, local villagers had her arrested. The man identified as Amina's partner, Yahaya Muhammad, the presumed father of her baby daughter, was released on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence against him.

According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, under the Maliki school of thought which dominates the interpretation of sharia law in northern Nigeria, a woman can be convicted of having had premarital sexual intercourse because she is pregnant, but a rather sterner test applies to the man. Often, a denial of having had sexual intercourse with the woman is considered sufficient proof of innocence - unless, ludicrously, at least four independent male eye-witnesses testify that they witnessed the adultery.

It is in this context that the organisers of this year's Miss World want to hold their discredited contest. For years now, beauty pageants have aroused controversy for making women into mere objects, but this year's Miss World stands out for having the dubious distinction of being the springboard for riots, vandalism and murder. An economic opportunity for Nigeria has become a public relations nightmare and human tragedy, with approximately 215 dead, 1,200 hospitalised and hundreds left homeless. The Nigerian government appears unable to seize back control of a country seemingly running amok.

THE pageant first received attention when President Olusegun Obasanjo failed to intervene on behalf of Amina Lawal. An international outcry on her behalf has since forced Obasanjo publicly to declare that the sentence will never be carried out, although his administration has still made no move actually to overturn the ruling.

As a result, contestants from Denmark, Austria, Costa Rica, South Africa, Panama and Switzerland boycotted the pageant, and I applaud their decision. A beauty queen pulling out of a Miss World contest is making no small sacrifice, a far greater sacrioffice than any that the contest's organisers are prepared to make. A few weeks ago I was asked to judge the Miss World competition and refused unless Amina Lawal's sentence was overturned. Other finalists, including Miss USA, Rebekah Revels, felt it would have been better to use the opportunity to voice dissent on the ground, and that I could have used the fact of being a judge as a platform.

As a woman concerned with women's rights, I urge all finalists to use this opportunity to alert the public about Amina Lawal's case and withdraw from the competition, which is due to take place in London tomorrow week. Now more than ever, our voices must be heard. The spotlight has moved on following the decision to move the contest to London from Nigeria, but the pressure must be maintained. We must make sure that Amina Lawal's case doesn't fall through the cracks as Nigeria's government focuses on the current crisis.

Amina Lawal's sentence is a complete affront to human rights. It is shocking even to the most seasoned human rights advocates. Amnesty International spearheaded a campaign that generated millions of letters and petitions from people worldwide which have been sent to the Nigerian government and its embassies around the world, but still the cruelty of the current arrangements under sharia law persists. A representative the Consulate-General of Nigeria in Atlanta said: "We should all patiently wait for the judgment of the superior court before condemning Nigeria."

But there is a time for patience and there is a time for action. Why should we be patient when Amina Lawal remains in hiding, at risk of townspeople taking matters into their own hands, before her next appeal? How can we wait as others are being sentenced with the same punishment?

Sixteen-year-old Adama Yunusa, who was convicted of having premarital sex, will be flogged with 100 lashes next August after she gives birth to her baby. Are we supposed to "be patient" about her case? It isn't good enough to rely on the courts at the last minute to block executions under sharia law. The death sentence should simply be abolished.

HUMAN rights violations are unacceptable and cannot be rationalised in the name of tradition or religion. For political reasons, though, the Obasanjo administration kept silent in an attempt to curry favour with citizens in the north, a key voter base in the upcoming elections. One of the ironies of this episode, incidentally, is that Obasanjo now may lose ground in the region because of the violence that spiralled precipitously following controversy over the pageant, leaving many more questioning a government that would allow such violence to ferment.

It is crucial that President Obasanjo heed the warning that rang out last weekend: he can either actively work to build a tolerant, pluralistic society, or risk watching his country go up in flames. It is not as if his hands are tied, either. He has the option of starting a productive dialogue among all factions to negotiate sentencing guidelines that are acceptable to Muslims and Christians alike. He must enforce a constitution that leaves no room for stoning or executions of any kind and sets consistent sentencing standards that are in line with international law.

In the meantime, Amina Lawal quietly awaits her fate as she raises the baby girl for whom she may be forced to die. Anybody with an ounce of humanity would agree she must be released immediately. She must not be allowed to die - or is that something that the Miss World contestants could live with?
11-29-02 09:50 PM
Maxlugar I wish Islam would put a hit out on Bianca.

There, I said it.
11-30-02 10:40 PM
Dandelion* Yeah Max - Bianca should wrap herself in furs and exploit her children as a means to become tabloid fodder once again. Now THAT'S the way a "Stones chick" should be!

Join the peace train...the peace train...