Condemnation of Adultery Sentence in Nigeria Exposes Contradictions Within Capitalist Societies: A Comment From Hizb ut-Tahrir - Britain

Forwarded by Taji Mustafa Fombo

taji@hotmail.com


On Tuesday 20th August, a Sharia Appeal Court in Katsina State Nigeria confirmed the death by stoning of a sentence earlier passed on 30-year-old Amina Lawal for bearing a child out of wedlock. The court however directed that the baby be weaned before the sentence is carried out. Lawyers say an appeal will be lodged to a higher court with a view of reversing the judgement.

This case has generated the expected vitriolic comment from opinion writers, commentators, and politicians, especially in western countries. LaShawn R. Jefferson, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, women’s rights division, said in a statement "The legal system is being used to punish adult women for consensual sex," Melanie Mcdonagh writing in the London Evening Standard on the 21 August said “The Old Testament barbarism of the punishment, the disproportion to the offence, is a salutary reminder that when Nigerian Christians rioted in those northern states against the introduction of Muslim sharia law, they knew what they were doing.”

Much of the critical comments have attacked Islam for condemning adultery as a punishable offence. On the 21st August, the Cypriot Interior Minister said he was prepared to give asylum to unmarried Muslim women from Northern Nigeria who are accused of adultery, and urged other European countries to follow suit. His comments come at a time when European countries are actively discouraging immigration and are focussed explicitly in expelling asylum seekers. Consequently one can only conclude that the reason there is so much concern about this particular case, is because it touches a raw nerve. It is a violation of the values, which are held dearest and sacrosanct within capitalist countries. Values such as freedom of the individual and the belief in the sanctity of human life are articles of faith in liberal societies.

However a closer look at the values upheld by capitalist societies raises some interesting questions. If human life is precious and should be protected, then it is obviously right to be concerned about the life of a woman accused of adultery in Nigeria. However that same concern and agitation seems to evaporate when it comes to reflecting on the death of thousands of Muslims in Palestine or the millions that die as a result of starvation in the developing world. Indeed if life is considered so precious why was there not even a murmur of criticism aimed at the US on the recent 57th anniversary of the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki where over a hundred thousand people were brutally put to death by America’s use of nuclear weapons.

With regards to the stated belief that people should be free to commit adultery if they want to, this opens up a further series of questions. For example why is taking heroin banned, but the use of alcohol glorified despite the many problems resulting from the latter’s use? Why is bigamy banned, but adultery allowed, despite the problems of abortion, children growing up without a mother or father, as well as the emotional devastation visited upon partners of adulterers? When we examine adultery and illicit sexual relations it cannot escape the aware observer that it is one of the main selling points for magazines, newspapers, soap operas, films and much of the entertainment industry. The societal consequences of this constant marketing of sex is completely ignored by the liberal lobby, consequently there is no major outcry over the 13 or so women who fall victim to a rapist every single day in Britain (Home Office figures).

These are some of the many contradictions one finds in the value systems of capitalist societies. What should be clear is that these contradictions are a natural outcome of an ideology, which holds that human beings can decide right and wrong, as well as what values a society should contain. Humans by their nature are biased, easily influenced by our environment, and liable to change their minds. This therefore leads to situation where what is right and wrong is temporary and relative. So an action, which may be unlawful today, can become lawful tomorrow. Many years ago adultery was actually frowned upon, now it is actually the norm and magazines found in our local newsagents even offer advice on the best way to cheat on our partners. Today, groups such as The North American Man\Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) call for the legalisation of sexual relations between adults and children. So in the future who can guarantee that the sexual molestation of children may one day not become a reality.

Leaving humans to decide what is right and wrong is a recipe for the contradictory values and the societal degeneration one witnesses in capitalist societies. Islam as an ideology maintains that such decisions of right and wrong should be left to the Creator of humans, an independent and unbiased source that has full awareness of the human condition. Islamic values and morals are unchanging and lead to a constant safeguarding of society, for the present and future generations. Within this context Muslims should engage in a debate with the wider society on the fundamental failures of capitalism and in our view the only viable alternative ideology; Islam.

22 August 2002
Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain
  (posted on www.khilafah.com . Sent by Taji Mustafa Fombo [London])