Nigerian woman sentenced to be stoned for adultery
This story has me wondering just how often this happens. I REALLY want to know how there can be adultery when 1/2 of the couple was believed when he said he wasn’t involved. 
I want to add to the question. Can noone stop this from happening? It’s just not right. 
Because she, um, had a baby, which generally requires intercourse at some point. Without DNA testing, there’s no way to prove the paternity of the accused father, but that’s not really an issue for proving motherhood.
I’m presuming that DNA tests are too expensive or simply not available in Nigeria.
Ashkicker, read up on cultural relativism. You can’t just decree what is and isn’t right for another people based on your own morality. Doing so opens up a huge can of worms. You think it’s okay for other countries to just walk in and change things in your home to match their beliefs? You think that Hindu nations should be allowed to prohibit you, personally, from eating beef? Or that Iran should be able to decree that your wife wear a veil and walk behind you? Then why on earth would you want to go storming around the globe imposing your morality on others?
Snopes has a very good artical on Amina Lawal and Sharia law in Nigeria.
I just heard on the radio that the sentence has been changed so she will not get stoned after all.
I hope she avails herself of the asylum Brazil has offered her.
Some may think this to be a slight nitpick, but I disagree: She won’t be stoned. She can still get stoned. 
Is this the same woman who was sentenced to death by stoning a year or so ago? Or is she another?
There was one other case, Safiya Hussaini, a couple of years ago. Snopes has covered her case too.
I realised ghe moment I had submitted that the wording could have been better. :smack:
Shame on you! You’re not being sufficiently culturally relativist! How horribly ethnocentric to criticize the customs of another culture!
You’ll be expressing distaste at slavery still being practiced in Africa, next.
She’s free.
As to the slavery comment, cultural relativism still applies. I’m not gonna argue this one in GQ - cultural relativism is certainly a matter of opinion. Assume I’m not in favor of imposing societal values on other cultures, whether those values involve religion, politics, or even human rights.
I for one am happy she isn’t going to be stoned.
Quothz, I wasn’t suggesting a commando raid to take her out of the situation she was in. I was just hoping that it could be worked out diplomatically or something.
Having showered and thought about it, I’m gonna backpedal a lil’ bit. (My brain flamed me - “Oh, yeah, smart guy? What about Hitler?”) Cultural relativism isn’t an excuse to sit around and watch horrible things happen. Strictly IMO, we have to evaluate whether such abuses occur as a cultural phenomenon (such as the case with captured invaders becoming slave-POWs, or domestic prisoners being forced into indentured slavery).
The U.S. would not have been thrilled if the U.K. had come over a couple centuries ago to free the slaves. We had to do it ourselves, and even then it took us a long time to get to the point where it’s broadly accepted.
In other cases, such as an aggressive nation or extranational force taking captives to use/sell as slaves, I think intervention is a good bet, especially if the victim nations ask us to help.
Seriously, though, if you wanna debate the concept, we ought’a take it to Great Debates.
(Honestly, I’m happy about it, too.)
However… what’re we gonna say? “We know that you believe God told you to execute adulterers, but we, as Americans, are enlightened and know better, so don’t do that, please.”
STOP PRESS: she’s been spared. But for the wrong reasons, IMO.
STOP PRESS: jjimm didn’t read the rest of this thread. And is a numbskull.
I’m a little confused. Maybe more coffee and better reading comprehension would help.
The child was born two years after the divorce? Er… how is it adultery? I’m missing something crucial here.
(Or is there an important comma missing? That is, was the March 2002 conviction two years after the divorce?)
The baby was not with her husband, it was with her boyfriend, and was therefore born out of wedlock.
But the child was born two years after the divorce. She wasn’t married to anyone when she conceived.
Hypothetical Timeline:
Sept 2000 Child born
Dec 1999 Child conceived
Sept 1998 Divorce
I don’t think the word “adultery” is 100% correct. Either that, or by that form of Sharia law, sex without marriage = adultery.