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Saturday, May 3, 2003 |
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Success To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded! -attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson [thanks Kyle] 11:52:02 PM comment []  |
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A call to stop international Amina Lawal protest letter campaigns I just got an lengthy email forward about Amina Lawal, the Nigerian woman sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery. Very interesting--asking people to call off the international petitions and letter writing campaigns. Many of these are inaccurate and ineffective and may even be damaging to her case and those of others in similar situations. BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights, which is responsible for initiating and continuing to support the defences of cases like Ms.Lawal's, thanks the world for its support and concern.The email details the impact of international groups pushing for an agenda that may not be sensitive to local dynamics. Dominant colonialist discourses and the mainstream international media have presented Islam (and Africa) as the barbaric and savage Other. Please do not buy into this. Accepting stereotypes that present Islam as incompatible with human rights not only perpetuates racism but also confirms the claims of right-wing politico-religious extremists in all of our contexts... When protest letters re-present negative stereotypes of Islam and Muslims, they inflame sentiments rather than encouraging reflection and strengthening local progressive movements. They may result in behaviour such as that of the Zamfara State governor over Bariya Magazu, or even more threatening, hostile and violent behaviour by vigilantes (in extra-legal acts by non-state actors like the hordes of young unemployed men who are the bulk of the vigilantes).There's a lot more, and unfortunately, there's no posting on the web to refer to. But essentially, writer, Ayesha Imam of BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights, talks about local community determination of course of action and how donating money for legal defense and victim is more useful. The date of this email is May 2nd. Amnesty International--in a petition updated on May 1st--is still coordinating a campaign. The Amnesty International site is a good place to find out more background info on the case. Interesting discussion, one that I hadn't heard in such concrete terms, goes beyond Lawal's case, and am curious to see if Amnesty International changes its stance. Or what its response is to this email. But both groups had issued a joint statement in March 2002 decrying the stoning law--so they were working together at some point. [thanks, yele!] 11:06:13 PM comment [] |
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