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])