Nigeria gets a negative image...

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Nigeria gets a negative image...
Saleema
12/26/00 at 19:36:22

SPARE GIRL, CANADIANS ASK NIGERIA
By STEPHANIE NOLEN, Globe and Mail, 12/23/00

www.globeandmail.com  Type "Islamic" in Globe 7-day search box.

Excerpts:
"A 17-year-old Nigerian girl sentenced to 180 lashes for
premarital sex – which she says she was forced to have --
has become the focus of an extraordinary international
campaign, fuelled by ordinary Canadians horrified by her
plight.”

"Ms. Magazu was sentenced to 180 lashes (although half
that may be enough to kill her) by an Islamic court in
the northern Nigerian state of Zamfara in late September."

"A particularly harsh interpretation of that law saw Ms.
Magazu sentenced to 100 strokes of the cane after she
became pregnant out of wedlock. Police in her village
reported her to the courts when they noticed she was
pregnant in July. Asked by the court to name the child's
father, she could not, saying it might be any one of three
associates of her father, all middle-aged farmers.
Some reports say she was paid by them for sex; all concur
that it was against her will."

"Ms. Magazu had no legal representation at the trial.
While she reportedly produced seven witnesses, none was
sufficient to satisfy the court's demand for substantive
proof that those three men had premarital sex with her."

"Ms. Magazu was then sentenced to 80 more lashes for
falsely accusing the men. She was to be publicly flogged
40 days after her child was born. Her fate remains unclear --
the child was due in mid-November. Some reports say she
was being held in prison, others that she was in the care
of her parents."

Comments can be sent to:
Letters@GlobeAndMail.ca

NS
Re: Nigeria gets a negative image...
Sara
12/27/00 at 21:51:25
Assalam,
IF-this girl was raped,then she deserves to have a fair trial. It seems to me in the excerpt that people around her are accusing her without proof.
Re: Nigeria gets a negative image...
Saleema
12/28/00 at 17:51:26
Assalam ualykum,

Yes she does deserve a fair trial. I don't think that she said she was raped though.

wassalam
Re: Nigeria gets a negative image...
Saleema
01/03/01 at 16:05:31
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

CAIR CAN MEDIA WATCH
Council on American-Islamic Relations - Canada
P.O. Box 67058, Westboro RPO,
340 Richmond, Ottawa, ON  K2A 0E8
Tel: (613) 798-0003
Fax: (613) 798-9645
Email: canada@cair-net.org
URL: www.cair-net.org

CANADIAN  MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS – 1/3/2001

HEADLINES:

* MEDIA UNFAIRLY PORTRAYS SHARIA
* PALESTINIANS HAVE THE RIGHT TO RETURN
* BIASED MEDIA COVERAGE OF MIDDLE-EAST CONFLICT
* SIGN AN ONLINE PETITION IN SUPPORT OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

-----
DON'T RUSH TO JUDGMENT
In protesting a shocking Nigerian rape case,
we're turning Islamic law into the West's
whipping boy

By SHEEMA KHAN, Globe and Mail, 1/3/2001

Excerpts:

"Two decades ago, the Western press picked up shocking reports about a rape
case in rural Pakistan: A blind, 13-year-old female labourer, Safia Bibi,
had been gang raped by sons of a wealthy landowner. The rape resulted in
pregnancy and a charge of fornication was brought. The local Muslim judge
decided on a verdict of 15 lashes, according to his interpretation of
Islamic law (sharia). The alleged rapists were freed due to lack of
evidence, while the rape victim waited in jail to give birth and then to
suffer her punishment."

"The account bears a chilling resemblance to the recent news of a sentence
handed out in a rural village in the northern Nigerian state of Zamfara..."

"First, the initial press accounts of the Pakistani incident were wildly
exaggerated..."

"Not surprisingly, the most ardent critics of sharia were foremost in
propagating exaggerated versions, for it suited their ends..."

"If we can learn anything from that earlier case, it is to filter
sensational media reports with a healthy dose of skepticism..."

"[B]efore we rise up in outrage, let us find out more about the system, and
work through it. Telling Muslims that they should not apply sharia is
neither a wise step, nor a productive one. Appealing to their sense of
God-consciousness, and reminding them of the exacting conditions of sharia
will be far more respectful."

To see the full article, go to:
www.globeandmail.com and type "Muslim" in the 7-day search box.
Comments can be sent to letters@globeandmail.ca
NS
Re: Nigeria gets a negative image...
Saleema
01/03/01 at 16:30:03
Well here is the whole story, I thought it would be better if I went ahead and posted it. Well anyway, I still don't get it. The court is saying she commited fornication and she says she was raped? grrrrrr....I have read conflicting reports. God bless Sheema Khan and people like her. Go Nigeria!! Go Africa!!! Go Muslims!! Go Sharia!! May Allah help all the Muslims to establish justice and sharia. Ameen.  :)


Don't rush to judgment
In protesting a shocking Nigerian rape case,
we're turning Islamic law into the West's
whipping boy, argues SHEEMA KHAN
SHEEMA KHAN

Wednesday, January 3, 2001


Two decades ago, the Western press picked up shocking reports about a rape case in rural Pakistan: A blind, 13-year-old female labourer, Safia Bibi, had been gang raped by sons of a wealthy landowner. The rape resulted in pregnancy and a charge of fornication was brought. The local Muslim judge decided on a verdict of 15 lashes, according to his interpretation of Islamic law (sharia). The alleged rapists were freed due to lack of evidence, while the rape victim waited in jail to give birth and then to suffer her punishment.

The account bears a chilling resemblance to the recent news of a sentence handed out in a rural village in the northern Nigerian state of Zamfara. Once again, outraged voices are raised in protest. Yet there are valuable lessons that can be gleaned from the Pakistani case for well-meaning individuals who wish to make a difference in the case of Bariya Ibrahim Magazu, the young woman sentenced to 180 lashes for giving birth out of wedlock.

First, the initial press accounts of the Pakistani incident were wildly exaggerated. Court records show that Safia Bibi was a myopic, unmarried 20-year-old woman -- not a blind 13-year-old -- when she gave birth to a child in 1982. After the birth, Ms. Bibi's father lodged a complaint charging her with fornication. Ms. Bibi testified that she was raped by one man -- not a gang rape, as reported -- and that he was the son of a neighbouring family who owned less than two acres of land.

The judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to convict the rapist; he found that Ms. Bibi's testimony was self-exonerating, and thus inadmissible. He sentenced her to three years imprisonment, 15 lashes, and imposed a fine of 1000 rupees. Before any part of the sentence could be carried out, distorted accounts appeared in local and international media. Not surprisingly, the most ardent critics of sharia were foremost in propagating exaggerated versions, for it suited their ends.

Just as initial reports from Pakistan in the Bibi case were sketchy yet sensational, so, too, are news stories from Nigeria. Little is known about Ms. Magazu; reports of her case have not quoted court records. What is known is that the divisions in this part of Nigeria are deep, sometimes violent -- and some members of the Christian minority in Zamfara may think it is in their own interests to paint the actions of their neighbours in grim tones.

If we can learn anything from that earlier case, it is to filter sensational media reports with a healthy dose of skepticism. At the same time, let us assume that the verdict in the case of Ms. Magazu -- 180 lashes, which could prove fatal -- is an accurate report. Can public outcry make a difference? Already international pressure has prompted the central government of Nigeria to ask for a stay of Ms. Magazu's punishment, while her sentence is "clarified."

Certainly, international protests did make a difference in the case of Safia Bibi. Even though her lawyer had filed an appeal, the Federal Sharia Court of Pakistan called for the case to be reviewed because of the international publicity it had attracted. The court set her free pending the appeal and later ruled that the trial judge had made a mistake in disallowing her statement that she had been raped. It set aside the conviction, and found that under Islamic law, if an unmarried woman delivering a child pleads that the birth was a result of a commission of rape upon her, she cannot be punished.

This decision was consistent with previous interpretations by the Federal Sharia Court of Islamic law regarding cases of adultery or fornication -- namely, if an unmarried woman becomes pregnant or gives birth, and in the absence of circumstantial or corroborative evidence proving deliberate fornication (zina), doubt should go with the claimant. As the Koran clearly states, the proof that zina has occurred requires four eyewitnesses to the act, which must have been committed by a man and a woman not validly married to one another, and the act must have been willfully committed by one or both of the partners.

Proof can also be determined by a confession. But this confession must be voluntary, and based on legal counsel; it must be repeated on four separate occasions, and made by a person who is sane. Furthermore, those who bring a charge of zina against an individual must provide four eyewitnesses. Otherwise, the accuser is then accorded a sentence for defamation (which means flogging or a prison sentence), and his/her testimony is excluded in all future court cases.

Critics of sharia jump to the conclusion that such requirements exclude the possibility of charging an individual with rape because it is so difficult to find eyewitnesses, or for rapists to offer their confession. However, rape and zina are classified differently. The former has less stringent requirements for proof, and can be proven based on the sole testimony of the victim -- providing that circumstantial evidence supports the allegations.

These facts point out the intricate system of checks and balances within sharia that must be met before any sentence is carried out. One wonders if Ms. Magazu has been able to legally appeal of her sentence; if not, the problem lies with the Nigerian state of Zamfara's application of sharia, not with sharia itself. If Ms. Magazu needs money in order to hire legal counsel for an appeal, Canadians can contribute to a legal fund.

But before we rise up in outrage, let us find out more about the system, and work through it. Telling Muslims that they should not apply sharia is neither a wise step, nor a productive one. Appealing to their sense of God-consciousness, and reminding them of the exacting conditions of sharia will be far more respectful.

Let us hope that those who seek to apply sharia in Zamfara do so fully -- by searching deep into Islamic legal precedence. A cursory approach will lead to injustice, and possibly the death of an innocent young woman. And that is a burden no God-fearing Muslim wishes to carry.
Sheema Khan, a PhD in chemical physics from Harvard, is director and chair of the Council on American-Islamic Relations/Canada, a group formed to educate institutions and the public about Islam. The opinions expressed in this article are her own and do not necessarily represent those of the CAIR.
NS
Re: Nigeria gets a negative image...
Ikani
01/22/01 at 01:56:48

[quote] One wonders if Ms. Magazu has been able to legally appeal of her sentence; if not, the problem lies with the Nigerian state of Zamfara's application of sharia, not with sharia itself. If Ms. Magazu needs money in order to hire legal counsel for an appeal, Canadians can contribute to a legal fund.

But before we rise up in outrage, let us find out more about the system, and work through it. Telling Muslims that they should not apply sharia is neither a wise step, nor a productive one. Appealing to their sense of God-consciousness, and reminding them of the exacting conditions of sharia will be far more respectful.

Let us hope that those who seek to apply sharia in Zamfara do so fully -- by searching deep into Islamic legal precedence. A cursory approach will lead to injustice, and possibly the death of an innocent young woman. And that is a burden no God-fearing Muslim wishes to carry.
[/quote]
I live in Kaduna, just some hours drive from Zamfara. The words above seem very true to me. The issue of implementing sharia in parts of Nigeria seems today to have been blown out of proportion by the media. When muslims here feel they've been insulted, they tend to go ahead and do things and then dare the 'international community' to interfere. A man lost his hand also in Zamfara for stealing a cow and now this girl's case is also steering up emotions.
All I know is this - we've serious problems in this country such as corrupt government officials who seem to be the only ones able to get away with misdeeds; poverty is getting to the extreme; there's, for some dubious reason or the other, a severe fuel scarcity (we have to store fuel in our homes - to think Nigeria's is an oil producing country now importing it, what's going on?). The teenaged mother claims she was lured by some men (don't know how true that is, but such incidences are common in poor villages here under the cover of darkness), I don't know for sure how she's going to get out of this. Things aren't that straight forward in this country and if you begin to complain you won't even be sure on whose side you're on - the sharia issue is seriously mared, in my opinion, by tribalism; some Christain groups eager to show this is their millenium are out to provoke tensions and report whatever garbage they can; etc.
As I stated earlier, I live in Kaduna where one of the worst cases of violence broke out in Nigeria last year. People'll tell it was a clash between muslims aspiring for sharia law to be implemented in Kaduna and the non-muslims who didn't want it. To some degree we could say that's true, but to tell the truth, those of us in the midst of all the violence can tell you it was another bad case of tribal warfare (the mainly muslim Hausas and the mainly non-muslim Kajes). I belong to neither tribe so you can imagine such a case where people like me can be attacked 'cos "you're one of those who prays with the Hausas" or "the kufirs are killing the Hausas, how do we know you're a muslim when you can't even speak Hausa". It was a really bad time and we pray never to go through such a crisis again - innocent lives were wasted!
Sharia in Nigeria? Well, that's what we hear and I pray Allah helps those with good intentions on the matter and grants we muslims success, but I think true sharia doesn't exist yet (e.g. in places where it is said to have been implemented, how come most of the important posts have to be occupied by members of one tribe only <imams, hudges, etc.>? - this was one of the reasons Kaduna got into so much violence: it's cosmopolitan with too many tribes for one to actually dominate). I may be wrong, Allah knows best.


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