[lbo-talk] another petition

[Liza Featherstone]

I would definitely encourage people to sign this - last night I talked to a
journalist who has been in Nigeria writing about her case, and he said the
international pressure has made a big difference. The judges, he said,
really don't want to decide this thing because they fear fallout at home if
they decide in her favor (and reprisals internationally if they decide
against her), but he thinks they will end up letting her off once they're
all safely re-elected. So, this is one worth circulating since it may
actually be working.

he also had a lot of interesting things to say about the appeal of Sharia to
ordinary people, in a system where things are pretty corrupt and just don't
work very well. also the perspective of muslim scholars in nigeria, which is
that cases like this represent a horrifying misinterpretation of Sharia.
look for forthcoming article by Trenton Daniel in Legal Affairs magazine.

Liza


> From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
> Reply-To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 19:21:23 -0400
> To: lbo-talk <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
> Subject: [lbo-talk] another petition
> 
> [this one worth signing - curious to see if this attracts as many
> names as the Cuba ones]
> 
> 
> PLEASE READ and POST WIDELY: This is Quick to do and such petitions
> have been influential in the past.
> 
> AMINA LAWAL SET TO BE STONED ON 3RD JUNE 2003
> The Nigerian Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence for Amina
> Lawal, condemned for the crime of adultery on August 19th 2002,
> 
> The Nigerian Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence for Amina
> Lawal, condemned for the crime of adultery on August 19th 2002, to be
> buried up to her neck and stoned to death. Her death was postponed so
> that she could continue to nurse her baby. Execution is now set for
> June 3rd. If you haven't been following this case, you might like to
> know that Amina's baby is regarded as the 'evidence' of her adultery.
> The father denied everything when he realised the trouble he was in.
> To find out more about sharia law, see
> <http://www.guardian.co.uk/theissues/article/0,6512,777972,00.html>
> 
> Amina's case is being handled by the Spanish branch of Amnesty
> International, which is attempting to put together enough signatures
> to make the Nigerian government rescind the death sentence. A similar
> campaign saved another Nigerian woman, Safiya, condemned in similar
> circumstances. By March 4th the petition had amassed over 2,600,000
> signatures. It will only take you a few seconds to sign Amnesty's
> online petition. Go to the web page
> <http://www.amnistiaporsafiya.org/>
> 
> Enter your first name in the space marked "nombre", last name
> ("apellidos"), county ("provincia"), country, and In the drop down
> box pick Estados Unidos (USA). Then click on "Seguir" and go to the
> second page. There you have the option of entering your email address
> if you wish to receive follow-up information. In any case, be sure to
> click on "aceptar" to have your name added to the petition list.
> 
> Please sign the petition now, then copy this message into a new email
> and send it to everyone in your address book.
> 
> Dr Reg Dennick, BSc, PhD, MEd, ILTM
> Assistant Director of Medical Education
> The Medical School
> The University of Nottingham
> NG7 2UH UK
> Tel (44) 0115 9709788
> Fax (44) 0115 9709922
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk