Stone Cold Punishment
Submitted by Karen on Wed, 12/02/2009 - 12:30
On November 24th, a 20-year old divorcee was stoned to death in front of large crowd in Wajid, Somalia. The woman was accused of having an affair with her 29-year old boyfriend after giving birth to a still-born. The punishment came via Sharia Law, which, according to Wikipedia, refers to flexible principles in Islamic Law.
The al-Shabab, an Islamic militant group, imposed a strict version of Sharia on large areas of southern Somalia which they control. According to their interpretation, “anyone who has ever been married [or divorced] who has an affair is liable to be found guilty of adultery,” an act “punishable by stoning to death.”
The use of stoning as a form of punishment seems almost unheard of in this day and age, but this article made me realize that this act did not die during biblical times. This shows how my sheltered, safe suburban life in northern California is worlds apart from the life of an unfortunate Somali woman who was accused of committing adultery despite her “divorced” status. The BBC article mentions the lawlessness rampant throughout the entire country of Somalia. Even amidst (failed) attempts to keep some sort of government afloat, it is unfortunate that unofficial militant law not only infringed on this woman’s right to pursue a life after her failed marriage, but on the more general and humane right for her to live. To me, stoning is an act of extreme barbarianism, and should be reserved for the most cruel and unusual of crimes.
What’s even more appalling than all this is that it is not an isolated incident. This case is one of four known incidences in which people (not just women) were stoned for something many people elsewhere are free to do. Let’s not forget that her 29 year-old boyfriend only got 100 lashes for the part he played in this whole ordeal—a complete “slap on the wrist” in comparison to the divorcee’s punishment. If they’re going to assign stoning as the form of punishment for committing adultery, why not include both parties, like they did in one case that took place earlier last month just south of Mogadishu? The man was stoned to death, while the girl was temporarily spared until she gives birth. That seems more consistent and in some weird, crazy way, it’s fair.
I apologize for ranting a little bit, but it’s how I feel about such a stone cold act.
-Karen is a blogger for The Daily Vine. Check out her bio to see where her view comes from.
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Comments
The world's most failed nation state.
You're pointing out one of the many injustices in Somalia's failed state... It's unfortunate that things like this go on in the world and even more so that countries simply don't care enough to stop it.
There was a segment on NPR the other day about how Somalis are happy with the attention they're getting from the West now that it is sought after by Al Queda for their strategic geographic location. It's sad that their hopelessness has led them to such a backwards, albeit logical, perspective.
And as terrible the lives of Somalis are, I still won't do anything to help them. That's the kicker. Like you, Karen, I live in Northern California and won't donate anything to their cause. I won't even donate a quarter a day to feed one of them African kids on TV! So as much as I hate that no nation will fight for the rights of Somalis and other populations in undernourished, developing worlds, I can understand why. :(
Stone cold punishment
The Somalis appear to be jack-Muslims. In Wahabi Saudi Arabia the woman would have been stoned, but the man would have been beheaded with one of those snappy Saudi swords. There's some question as to whether the millions in the backwaters of the Islamic world will ever be able to bridge the 12 centuries of human progress and development they sat out. Nicely written, Miss Ang!