Women’s Rights: One Pair of Pants at a Time

http://www.biconews.com/?p=19313
Aisha Crawford
3:48 AM
9/25

Can you imagine eating dinner with friends in a restaraunt and then suddenly being arrested because you were dressed "inappropriately". This is exactly what happened to July Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, a Sudanese journalist and a former United Nations employee, with thirteen other women. They were fined a schocking $200 and can face 40 lashes just because you were wearing pants. To make it even worse July was only wearing a pair of green slacks, not form fitting jeans or anything.

Part of the Sudanese law follows the Shariah law (Islamic law). In this law anyone caught in public wearing "an obscene outfit" (such as women wearing pants) or committing "an indecent act" can be whipped up to 40 times. Hussein refused to pay the fine in order to raise awareness about women’s rights and the harsh laws in Sudan.

There have been an estimated 43,000 women have been arrested due to law, and this is only the official number for women living in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. But there were no incidences of men being arrested for clothing-related offenses have come to light!

Even though this is a law people are outraged that the government can have any sayso in what they are wearing. Supporters of law reform feel that women should have the choice to wear what they want to, even if it is considered "obscene" by the government.


To be honest I would have been an obstruction to justice if police came to me while dining and tried to arrest me for wearing a pair of slacks. Week after week I see all of these priveleges women dont have that men have so freely. I can not believe that it is considered obscene for women to wear pants in public. I also can not believed they threaten to lash you for it to. Lashing seems like such a serious punishment for wearing pants. I really feel that in this case church and the government should be separated. You can not govern peoples clothing with the law, it is ridiculous. I am just so glad that I have the freedom to where what ever I want when ever.!