Hussein saw it as a chance to report on prison conditions; that undoubtedly made some people in Khartoum nervous. And the case is so high-profile that they couldn't just make her disappear. An update on this story. "Pants-Wearing Woman Freed in Sudan," by Jeffrey Gettleman for the New York Times, September 8:
NAIROBI, Kenya -- The Sudanese female journalist who was convicted of violating her country's decency laws for wearing a pair of green slacks in public was released from jail on Tuesday, though she's not exactly sure why.
Lubna Hussein, the journalist, was jailed on Monday after refusing to pay a fine. Under Islamic law, she had faced up to 40 lashings, which instantly turned her case into something of an international sensation. Mrs. Hussein said that she did not pay the fine -- approximately $200 -- though a Sudanese journalist organization may have.
Sudan is partially ruled by Islamic law which calls for women to dress modestly. On Tuesday, Mrs. Hussein said, "I will keep wearing the trousers. I won't be affected by the court. This is my normal life."
She vowed to appeal the sentence and on Monday, she walked into the courtroom for her hearing in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, wearing the same pair of loose-fitting green slacks that she had been arrested in.
Manal Awad Khogali, one of her lawyers, said the judge hearing the case had called only police witnesses to testify and refused to allow Mrs. Hussein -- who had pledged to use her trial to bring attention to women's rights in Sudan -- to defend herself.
"He didn't give us a chance," Mrs. Manal said.
After the trial was over, Mrs. Hussein, a 34-year-old widow, seemed defiant as ever. "I will not pay a penny," she told The Associated Press.
The judge had threatened to jail her for one month if she did not pay the fine. But according to The A.P., Mrs. Hussein said flatly: "I would spend a month in jail. It is a chance to explore the conditions in jail."
On Monday night, after refusing her lawyers' advice to pay, Mrs. Hussein had been whisked off to prison, though her lawyers said that in the coming days a committee formed for her defense might pay the fine and free her.
But another organization seems to have beat them to it. Mohieddin Titawi, chairman of the journalists' union, said his group had paid the fine because it had a responsibility to "protect journalists when they are in prison," Reuters reported. His organization is seen by many journalists as having links to the government, the news agency said.
Sudan is partly governed by Islamic law, which calls for women to dress modestly. But the law is vague. According to Article 152 of Sudan's penal code, anyone "who commits an indecent act which violates public morality or wears indecent clothing" can be fined and lashed up to 40 times.
It is to the government's advantage to keep it vague. They have wide latitude to bring charges and impose punishments, but plausible deniability when defending the letter of the law to outsiders.
"...she walked into the courtroom...wearing the same pair of loose-fitting green slacks that she had been arrested in."
I've seen a photo of those green slacks, and it's the fashion police that need to be notified.
Arrest those girls:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFrTJL1NeKY
Clear evidence that islam fears Truth.
islam is a lie and
Truth is killing it.
Marisol: "...the case is so high-profile, they couldn't just make her disappear."
As is the case with so many high-profile victims of Islamic intolerance, the "justice" that an intimidated court system refused to apply could very easily find expression at the hands of a mob...(or a lone, pious Muslim doing "God's will").
Remix on an old joke.
Harold came from rural town in Eastern Washington, and was transferred by his engineering firm to Minneapolis. Due to the economy, he could only afford to move into a Muslim neighborhood.
The first weekend in his new home, Harold decided to have a barbecue to celebrate, and served pork back ribs to some co workers he invited to his house warming in order to make some friends. His neighbors, looking over the back fence, were not pleased to see he had prepared a pork feast, and had polluted the neighborhood with pork smoke. Further, that night some dogs got in the trash and spread rib bones all over the neighborhood.
There was a meeting and the clerical council and the Imam came to Harold's house. This was a nice Muslim neighborhood, Harold was told, and they wanted to keep it that way. They were very upset and warned Harold what he had done was unacceptable, as they would need to cleanse the neighborhood. To that end they would issue a Fatwa on his family, and the mosque would stage rallies outside his home if he did not list his house, sell, and move out.
Harold did not want to move and lose his money he put in the house, so he offered to convert to Islam. The council was happy and Harold was welcomed to the neighborhood properly. At the Mosque, the lights were dimmed, as Harold and his family stood in the soft glow of a small spotlight, in front of the congregation. The Imam raised his blessed scepter and tapped Harold's right shoulder "you were born a Catholic" tapped his left shoulder "your were raised a Catholic" and tapped his head, "but now you are Muslim!"
There was a great outpouring of joy, slaps on the back and Allah Akbar's all around!!
So for many weeks Harold and his family attended Mosque and the Barbecue was unused. Unfortunately for Harold, he was addicted, addicted to baby back ribs with his grandfather's secret recipe barbecue sauce. It seemed everywhere that Harold went, he saw ribs! Ribs on TV, Ribs in the store, Ribs in restaurants, RIBS, RIBS, RIBS!
He went to the Imam, and confessed his addiction and asked for help. The Imam said that unfortunately, eating pork was a sin against God, and there would be severe consequences for eating even one rib. To do so would show that Harold and his family had converted back to Catholicism, and would be apostates.
But Harold's Rib Mania knew no bounds, and one night the neighbors saw Harold fire up his Barbecue. Calls went out around the neighborhood and the Mosque Council and the Imam arrived just in time to see Harold put several slabs of his beloved baby back ribs on the fire..
They watched, as Harold, lit by the soft ember glow, raised his blessed barbecue fork, and tapped one side of the racks, "You were born a pig" tapped the other side of the racks, "You were raised as a pig", and tapped the middle rack, "but now you are beef!"
Unfortunately for Harold, the Imam didn't buy it, and a violent mob jumped the fence and killed Harold and his family.
Maybe Lubna should have tried to say you were born pant, raised pants, and now you are a burtkah.
From post above: (or a lone, pious Muslim doing "God's will").
A strong possibility, the gov won't kill her, but some Islamoenthusiast might...It only takes one to even the score for Allah...
Sponge Bob Square Pants - So Last Millennium.
Lubna's Green Pants - a new color in the making?
Customer to Clerk: Yes, I was looking for a shirt, something like a Lubna's Green.
It is written
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxfLxP3Dydw
did they also release the 40 or so people who were arrested for supporting her?...
Mrs Hussein is very brave, I wish her the best of luck in the coming months.
So what now? Will she wear them again? And what will they do about it?
l give more credence to this lady who wants to keep her freedom than any of these so called converts to islam. She is more brave to face those sharia loving cowards than Abdulalh bubba mikhail living in the WEst and bleeping about poor old muslims being picked on by the likes of Robert and company.
pulsar182 wrote:
did they also release the 40 or so people who were arrested for supporting her?...
.................
Good question, Pulsar. And what about the poor women, the illiterate women, the obscure rural village women, who run afoul of Shari'ah in Sudan?
Don't get me wrong--I am *very* glad that Lubna Hussein is free, and very glad that international pressure had an impact in this case.
But I imagine very little of substance will change for the women of Sudan.
And isn't it odd that Sudan caves to international pressure over the (comparatively) minor issue of women wearing pants, and yet bad press from all over the world has done nothing to change Khartoun's genocidal policies in Darfur, nor even led them to suppress the continued practice of slavery?
It is so telling that the savages will adjust sharia to suit a particular agenda or situation. Even the most devout among them know that their culture and legal system are antiquated abominations unfit for modern times. Human rights activists and the international community can bring tremendous pressure to bear on sharia courts, which they should be relentless in doing. Islamic law is a cruel farce.
gravenimage: World opinion, and the ICC, have had a big influence in the Sudan. Why, there are pictures of al-Bashir everywhere, and a vigorous propaganda campaign, and people who did not care for the government previously now do. Amazing!
And things are changing for the (Muslim) women of Sudan. Slowly, maybe not as well as we would like, and maybe not to the joy of Sudanese men, but they are changing - I wish I could be as optimistic for the non-Muslim women there.
"Mrs Hussein is very brave, I wish her the best of luck in the coming months."
She's a brave idiot. She herself said this has nothing to do with Islam. Sheer idiocy. We should have higher standards than that. She is enabling our PC MC Fifth-Column enemies.