Sudanese Journalist Lubna-Ahmed al-Hussein Trouser Trial

What's going on in Sudan? I just heard that a Sudanese woman, Lubna-Ahmed al-Hussein, who happens to be a journalist is on trail for breaking sharia. She could be punished by being lashed 40 times. What did she do? She, and 12 other women were arrested on July 3, 2009 because they wore pants in a restaurant. It's against the law in Sudan for women to wear pants. Ten of the women arrested have already accepted punishment of 10 lashes each, but Hussein and two other women still face charges. Apparently because she is appealing the law in court and trying to force the issue she could get 40 lashes instead of just 10. The law they are accused of breaking is committing "an indecent act which violates public morality or wears indecent clothing." The women were wearing "a loose-fitting top, headscarf and green slacks."

For Lubna-Ahmed al-Hussein this is really an issue of principle. She works as a journalist with the United Nations Mission in Sudan and could have avoided all of this but has waived her rights and has submitted to be judged by the local authorities. She wants to draw world-wide attention to the plight of women in Sudan under their laws and get those laws repealed. She said:

"If I'm sentenced to be whipped, or to anything else, I will appeal. I will see it through to the end, to the constitutional court if necessary," Hussein said. "And if the constitutional court says the law is constitutional, I'm ready to be whipped not 40 but 40,000 times."

Hussein told AFP thousands of women have been flogged for their clothing over the last two decades, but it is not publicized because those prosecuted fear no one would believe them. By becoming a voice for these women, Hussein said, "I've already won half the battle."

She appeared in court July 29 wearing on the same outfit she wore when she was arrested. And she appeared in court today, August 4. I saw today that Sudanese police mixed it up with about 50 protesters who came t0 support Hussein during her court appearance. Read that article here.

To many Westerners this all seems strange. We say that we are enlightened and women are equal to men and no one has the right to tell a woman how to dress. If we take this attitude and look down on the Sudanese we are being hypocritical. Sudanese law is based on Sharia. Muslims who believe in and practice these laws believes that they must obey them to be in right relationship to Allah. I can't fault them too much. In my own Christian denomination I grew up in, the Church of God In Christ, used to teach that women should not wear pants. People used to teach that a women who wore pants was going to hell.

Very few churches in my denomination still teaches this but I can't deny that it was taught. I believe that the Muslims teach this the same reason why people in denomination taught it: women wearing pants cause men to lust and tempt them into sexual sin. Or so they think. Personally, skirts are a bigger turn on for me...but if men are really honest, women are attractive no matter what they wear. I can find no place in the Bible that says that a woman is at fault for making me sexually aroused and fantasizing about her. That's not saying that a woman should go around purposely to tempt and seduce a man that she isn't married to, but I am accountable for my own sin in lusting after her. She isn't. Islam by definition can't make that distinction and be Islam. The teaching cannot bear up under the Bible, but the Koran demands it, according to the rulers of Sudan. I have an example from Genesis 38. Judah's son Onan didn't have to take his older brother's wife Tamar for his own after his brother died, but he did and instead of treating her as a full wife he used her for his own sexual satisfaction. God didn't like that so he was put to death. God holds us accountable for our own thoughts, words, and deeds.

I believe this is why Hussein will be be whipped. In a Muslim country I don't see how it can be avoided and uphold sharia at the same time. She argues that such laws are not supportable by the Koran and Hadiths but I would like to explore that further. I found one source that reports that she is a Christian but I cannot confirm that. The following video actually refutes the report that she is a Christian.

Here is a video report.


The Offending outfit



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Sudanese Journalist Lubna-Ahmed al-Hussein Trouser Trial

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