I got this in email, (sorry about the >>'s).

Please take the time to sign the petition.


>> > Hearing on AMINA LAWAL SET TO BE STONED ON 27 AUGUST
>> > 2003
>> >
>> > The Nigerian Supreme Court has upheld the death
>> > sentence for Amina Lawal, condemned for the crime of
>> > adultery on August 19th 2002, to be buried up to her
>> > neck and stoned to death. Her death was postponed so
>> > that she could continue to nurse her baby.
>> >
>> > Hearing on her Execution is now set for 27 AUGUST
>> > 2003.
>> > If you haven't been following this case, you might
>> > like to know that Amina's baby is regarded as the
>> > 'evidence' of her adultery. Amina's case is being
>> > handled by the Spanish branch of Amnesty
>> > International, which is attempting to put together
>> > enough signatures to make the Nigerian government
>> > rescind the death sentence. A similar campaign saved
>> > another
>> > Nigerian woman, Safiya, condemned in similar
>> > circumstances. By March 4th the petition had amassed
>> > over 2,600,000 signatures. It will only take you a few
>> > seconds to sign Amnesty's online petition. Please sign
>> > the petition now, then copy this message into a new
>> > email and send it to everyone in your address book.
>> >
>> > Go to the web page
>> > http://www.amnesty.org.au/e-card/petition.asp

IMO it won't make much difference. It is up to the government of Nigeria to punish their people according to their own law. Unless you are going to start a coup and overthrow their government, this petition will not change anything.

Each country have its very own customs and laws. Although some of them may appear to be "barbaric" by western standards, it is not our affair to meddle with theirs.

[ 08-14-2003, 06:08 AM: Message edited by: Paladin2000 ]

Whatever you say Paladin, I still say that's freaking harsh for anyone to go through, especially when you can just deliberate it in the courts with a few months instead of being stoned to death. You'd think in this day and age, people would think of more civilized punishments instead of still throwing rocks [img]graemlins/uhoh1.gif[/img]

I don't mean to seem harsch or anything, but don't you think that maybe because we see nations as being "underdeveloped" and "uncivilized" maybe it's really the fact that they're just too lazy to build a court room, appoint a judge, develop a pay system for the judge, hire people from a jury and develop a fair system of pay for them, also, have to cover the costs of the trial, develop a new punnishment system, etc. The way I see it, they've probably looked at this "simple" punnishment as having been done for thousands of years and not worthy of change. If you want a nation to become more like your own, they first need to get a work force that never sleeps, breathes money, and spends its off time investing in new technology so we can sit and grow fat in front of it like all of our "civilized" cultures do. no i'm not defending these things, I'm just offering an opinion on how we, instead of pointing fingers and saving people one at a time, could inevitably save every third world country on Earth.

Laws like that may seem harsh and barbaric, but who are we to judge a system that has been around for thousands of years and is approved by the nigerian people. I agree with paladin, It may seem "wrong" but IMHO we dont have the right to meddle.

Also , should we really be putting our time and effort into saving one woman from the law of her own country when there are thousands dying in these places every day from illness, lack of food, war, etc. You make your mind up.

[ 08-14-2003, 08:40 AM: Message edited by: robo donkey ]

Guys, if does not matter if you agree with me or not, Signing the petition will not help. If every goverment would listen to petitions from the internet, we might have as well have a united world government run by net users from around the world.

Don't you hate it when people are telling you how to do your job? The same goes to the people who ran the government in question.

By all means, go ahead and sign the petition, but I don't think it would make much different....well, unless you are GWB or someone important.

[ 08-14-2003, 09:10 AM: Message edited by: Paladin2000 ]

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/amina.asp

</font>[/QUOTE]While the information is appreciated, don't forget that snopes's self-appointed mission is to disprove everything. ;) I'm not saying they don't make a point, I'm just saying beware biased sources.

I dont agree with the punishment either but if this law has been in effect for as long as ppl say .....well....she knew the law and broke it.

I guess your not getting my point Paladin. I'm not "meddling", I'm not telling them or any other country how things should be done, I'm not comparing countries to America's standard, I'm not. What I'm mearly saying is that in this day and age, you'd figure a country would change the way it would punish someone, or at least do it in a more civilized fashion.

But understand this, wiether it be their job, their way of life or not, it doesn't make it right stoning a person to death.