posted on February 16, 2002 07:13:40 AM new
What barbarism is practiced in the name of religion! Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could replace religion with universal human values?
Christian woman to be stoned to death
By Uwe Siemon-Netto
UPI Religion Correspondent
Published 2/1/2002 6:39 PM
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Human Rights Watch appealed to Sudanese President Omar Hassan Bashir on Friday to intervene on behalf of a young pregnant Christian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery.
The New York-based organization asked Bashir "to prevent this cruel and inhuman punishment from being exercised against her." The accused is Abok Alfa Akok, an 18-year-old Dinka tribeswoman from southern Darfur in western Sudan.
According to HRW spokeswoman Jemera Rone, information available about this case is spotty. However, in its letter to Bashir, HRW stressed, "The man with whom (the woman) allegedly had sex was not tried, because the court lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute him."
The trial was conducted in a criminal court -- not a religious tribunal -- in the city of Nyala. As HRW pointed out to Sudan's soldier-president, Abok Alfa Akok "did not have legal representation during the trial."
"The trial was conducted in Arabic, which is not her language, and there was no translation of the proceedings in order to ensure that she understood fully the case against her."
Faith O'Donnell, coordinator of the Church Alliance for a New Sudan, reminded the Khartoum government that it had promised to change its ways after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
"We expect them to rethink their position in this present case," she told United Press International on Friday. She added, "We understand that the sexual act this young woman is charged with was coerced." The case is now on appeal.
According to HRW, "The Sudanese government has in the past claimed that its Shari'a (religious) laws would not be applied to Christians, but this case shows otherwise. The sentence was based on Article 146 of Sudan's 1991 Penal Code, which is based upon the government's interpretation of the Shari'a."
This article, HRW went on, stipulates that adultery should be punished with:
"1. Execution by stoning when the offender is married; one hundred lashes (when) the offender is not married."
While reiterating its opposition to capital punishment, Human Rights Watch stated in its letter to Bashir, "Stoning to death is additionally painful and brutal."
Under the Shari'a, the stones thrown during the execution should not be so large that the offender dies after a few strikes. Neither should they be as small as pebbles and fail to cause serious injury.
Executions by stoning are not mentioned in the Koran, Islamic legal scholar Tarik Abdul-Rahman wrote, but they are part of the Hadith (collections of sayings and acts of Mohammed). As Abul-Rahman has pointed out, this punishment goes back to the Pentateuch, or first five books of Hebrew Scripture.
In radical Muslim countries, stoning has experienced a major comeback in recent years. "Since the inception of the mullahs' rule, hundreds of women of various ages have been and continued to be stoned to death throughout Iran," the National Council of Resistance of Iran claimed.
One recent such execution was described in vivid detail by local newspapers: Maryam Ayoubi, a 38-year-old mother of three, was convicted of adultery and being her lover's accomplice in her husband's death.
The execution occurred on July 11, 2001. According to Iranian press reports, she was first flogged 50 times, then given a ritual bath, wrapped in a white shroud and carried to the execution site on a stretcher.
There she was buried up to her armpits and subsequently bombarded with rocks. Her lover was hanged.
Human rights activists charge that male adulterers often fare much better than women in strict Islamic countries. In the northern Nigerian state of Sokoto, a woman sentenced to be stoned to death is awaiting the outcome of her appeal in her blind father's small hut.
The only evidence against Safiyatu Huseini had been her pregnancy. The father of her child was an older man, already twice married. She claims he had raped her. But the same court that sentenced her acquitted him after two months on death row.
In some countries, the stoning of women is a welcome popular entertainment. When a lesbian couple was sentenced to die last year in Somalia's autonomous region of Puntland, several hundred people "cheered as the judge handed down death sentences on the two women," according to a BBC report.
Islamic legal scholar Abdul-Rahman confirmed that the Prophet Mohammed personally prescribed death by stoning for married men and women indulging in illicit sex.
Abdul-Rahman added, however, that the death sentence could only be passed if some strict criteria had been fulfilled: "The act must have been publically witnessed by four pious people ... The person must be sane and not under the influence of alcohol."
Moreover, the scholar stressed, "Nobody is allowed to spy or invade your private space. The prophet has said that if anyone peeps into your house, you are allowed to poke out his eye."
posted on February 16, 2002 01:02:53 PM new
That God, Infinitely Wise and All Powerful, Ruler of the Universe, sitting perhaps many galaxies away over millions of light years, should have a sudden stroke because on the outer rim of a dull galaxy, on an insignificant planet, an insignificant human animal had sex not advised is ludicrous at best, total nonsense at any other time. That totally insignificant low life form called Man should assume to know what Almighty God's thoughts are in any given situation and to act upon those imaginary thoughts, is arrogance of the worst sort! That God already once nearly wiped Mankind off the face of this planet for their arrogance has failed to sink home to these so-called "religious" leaders of every stripe that woulkd dare to invoke the Name of God when passing out thier own judgements, should not be amazed when it becomes their judgment time.
posted on February 19, 2002 08:12:54 PM newThe Sudanese government has in the past claimed that its Shari'a (religious) laws would not be applied to Christians
What a coincidence. It was a politically-motivated section of the Jewish faith that influenced the government to crucify the Son of God. The Jewish high priests enjoyed a great deal of power and influence over the Jewish people and felt threatened by Jesus' offer of atonement for free. They still wanted people to have to be bound by the old laws and come to them for atonement.
Whenever men twist God's word to manipulate others & lift themselves up, yes, they are arrogant; they are trying to be a god.
BTW, not all the High Priests were like that. They genuinely followed God for the right reasons.
posted on February 19, 2002 09:14:54 PM new
"They get drug behind pick up trucks until they die."
Helen, that doesn't sound like much of a high.
Personally, I'm waiting for Borillar to enter this thread and expound upon the ecological miscreance of stoning (or RVing) women. I hang on his every word, you know...
posted on February 20, 2002 12:35:20 AM new
I caught the tail end of a report from Saudi Arabia today. Seems a brother-in-law forced sex on a woman. She's been sentenced to the lash. She's the one who reported it.
posted on February 20, 2002 04:51:03 AM newShe's the one who reported it.
dequirrel,
That's how our school handles bullying, too. If a kid gets beat up, both he and the bully are kicked out of school for 1 day. If he fights back, both he and the bully, et c.... If he puts his hands up to block the blows, both he and the bully ........If he just comes to class with a bloody nose and says nothing, he'll be sent to the office for questioning ...............
If someone threatens to beat him up and the kid askes a teacher for help, both he and the bully........
This is clearly printed in our student handbooks. They call it zero tolerance. I call it "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil." Oh, BTW, if this happens 3x, the kid is expelled, not allowed to make up any work, blah, blah, blah.
Think about it. If the victim asks for help, fights back, doesn't fight back, he gets punished 2 ways. One - the bully beats him up in each case, and two - the school kicks him out for a day and 3x you're out.
posted on February 20, 2002 05:52:37 AM new
well thats a stupid policy Milwaukee was worse when I was there they would have a lots of racial incidents they were called isolated incidents with several students jumping 1 white the school would suspend the white was easier than having to explain 3 minority parents filing discrimmination com plaints, one toad named haney was real good for this. If this is going on in your area sue the schoolboard and the parents and the students invloved for denuying your child the right to an intergrated education. I remember one girl was raped and the imbecile principal at Washington high saying she should not have been in that hallway and she was wearing seductive clothing (coveralls).
these incidents shoould have all been handled with an investigation and charges on the crimminal party only with a blind eye on race. 1984 has come and gone we are all equal its just some of us are a little more equal than others. Goodthinkful to you all.
posted on February 20, 2002 07:27:16 AM new
Plsmith
When I said, "They get drug behind pick up trucks until they die." I was responding to Auroronorth's comment that "we have Chrisitians that get stoned here too!"
I probably should have said, "They ALSO get drug behind pick up trucks util they die." It had nothing to do with your remark about the bong.
Your remark,
"Personally, I'm waiting for Borillar to enter this thread and expound upon the ecological miscreance of stoning (or RVing) women. I hang on his every word, you know.."
was out of line in my opinion.
Helen
As you may note, I don't give a f-u-c-k-i-n-g dam about what anybody thinks about what I say anymore. I refuse to suck up to anybody here or anybody's friend.
posted on February 20, 2002 02:49:24 PM new
POT KETTLE BLACK
Helen, for someone who claims to have a desire to have this forum continue or return to what it was you do little to help either occur. Instead, sooner or later, you turn your odd nuerotic resentments toward anyone who stops by.
posted on February 21, 2002 11:08:35 AM newalwaysbroke, you marveled, "What a coincidence." earlier about how the Muslims based their rock-throwing punishments upon the ancient Jewish Law. Just to let you know, Islam is not really a separate religion at all. It is based upon Judaism, clarified by Jesus whom they feel is the Greatest of Prophets, but not divine, and Mohamed refined the message in the 5th century AD. They do not see the Prophet Mohamed as being divine either. The head of their belief system is Moses, as it is in the orthodox Jewish faith. So, it should not be any surprise to anyone if they base their criminal code upon the same precepts that the ancient Jewish Law code was.
posted on February 21, 2002 11:40:01 AM new
borillar,
You are correct. I may not have been clear. However, I wasn't surprised they use stoning; I knew it came from old Jewish law. My analogy was supposed to be:
a Christian (woman) condemned to stoning by a religious group
was not unlike:
Jesus being crucified by a religious group.
My comments were in response to an earlier comment of "barbaric religion."
My point was supposed to be that whenever a person or group claiming to be "religious" does something bad, they discredit everyone who claims to have faith.
posted on February 21, 2002 09:14:50 PM new
alwaysbroke: I was aware of your position and took the irony for what it was. I just wanted eyeone to make sure that they understood the diffence between the Christian Right-wing propaganda about Islam and the truth which few Americas seem to know about Islam.
I just wanted eyeone to make sure that they understood the diffence between the Christian Right-wing propaganda about Islam and the truth which few Americas seem to know about Islam.