Sarah Childrey 9.08.09
Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, a Sudanese journalist, was arrested back in July by so called “morality police” for wearing indecent clothes. Sources say 12-18 other women were also arrested at the same time. All were at a restaurant watching a female singer in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. She was accused of wearing pants that were too tight and a top that was too sheer. However, an African news source says she was wearing “a pair of long, loose, green trousers under a long lose top, which covered a good part of the trousers.” The other women arrested that plead guilty received lashes, a fine and were then sent home.
Since Lubna al-Hussein pleaded not guilty, she had a trial where she faced 40 lashes if found guilty. She had her one-day trial last Monday. She was not allowed to present a defense case or witnesses. She was found guilty but not given lashes, instead, she was fined $209 or a month in prison. She refused to pay the fine on principle because she did not believe she had a fair trial. Because of this she is now in jail. She and many human rights groups believe that the law is vague about what counts as indecent dress. In addition they think that it has been used against women in an unacceptable manner.
They plan on filing an appeal. She knew she would be sent to jail if she refused to pay but she felt what had happened was wrong. Lubna al-Hussein wants “to fight for women to live as free human beings instead of constant harassment and humiliation by ensuring a total abrogation of Article 152,” which is ‘contrary to the Constitution and the Sharia,’ she says. Her supporters outside the court had headbands and signs that said, “No to suppressing women” and “No to return to the dark ages.” Sudanese police injured some demonstrators and detained 47 women.
Inequality happens on many levels among nations and within them. Women being mistreated in patriarchal societies is all too common a problem. But it isn’t often that we hear a story like this. When Westerners look at this picture of her “scandalous” attire we probably think she is over dressed. It may seem almost laughable to us but in their personal lives it is devastating. One African source said she was “spared” 40 lashes. As if finding her guilty without fair trial and fining her $200 or jail time was her being spared. Besides, the only reason they did not give her 40 lashes is most likely because of the international media attention and criticism.
I don’t think that it is our place to tell another culture they need to be like us but when it becomes a matter of human rights it changes things. In addition, the women/people within that culture are rising up and saying flat out that the authorities use “abhorrent” behavior towards women.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/09/07/sudan.journalist.pants.lashing/index.html
6 comments:
This is so predictable, and so incredibly awful at the same time. Its really sad that international women are still being ill-treated that way. It just goes to show that women's rights haven't spread as far as we would like to think they have. This is a good example of that unfortunately. They still can't wear what they want, say what they want, or even defend themselves in a court of law. All because they are women. They're at the patriarchal mercy of their country's men and government. It's really really sad.
I'm glad you posted this one.
This incredibly sad and makes me appreciate being born in the United States. Although there are many injustices Americans face (especially minorities) when compared to the rest of the world we are lucky. Being an African American female I could only imagine the prejudices I would face abroad. Being both a minority and a woman, this is a story that I can relate to on a semi-personal level.
I think that it is interesting the other women who were charged with the same thing plead guilty and were just sent home. But because this lady did not think she had done anything wrong she was faced jail time or a fine just because she was trying to stand up for herself because she didn’t think that she had done anything wrong.
This was very predictable. It's ridiculous that after so long women still don't have the rights they/we deserve, luckily we have more rights here in America; although, we are faced with other things. I love how courageous she was and that she stood up for herself. Hopefully, this is an example of how other women should respond if put in a situation when they know they're correct about an issue, despite what everyone else thinks.
I think the story itself is very interesting, but as others have said, its also quite sad. Women are continually being treating unfairly in the eyes of the law, and it simply isn't right. This shows a major clash of cultural and traditional perspectives on the rights and place of women.
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