The Southern University community is rallying together to petition the government of Nigeria to repeal stoning laws after a Nigerian woman was sentenced to death for having a child outside of wedlock.
From Wednesday, October 22 through Friday, October 24, the Martin Luther King Catholic Student Center will collect signatures which will be sent to the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
“The world is one human family. The influence one nation has on another goes beyond national boundaries,” said Father Jack Vessels, chaplain of the Catholic Student Center. “When an unjust law is enforced, human rights are violated. Human beings should react in favor of their brothers and sisters, with as much political and economic force as possible.”
Amina Lawal’s case had become the focus of human rights groups around the world who were outraged at the sentence that Lawal should be buried up to her neck and then have stones thrown at her head until she was dead.
The stoning punishment is practiced in 12 out of 36 Nigerian states and is based on Sharia law.
This set of religious laws are based on the teachings in the Quran, Islam’s holy book, and is practiced in the northern regions of Nigeria. However, all Islamic countries do not carry out this type of capital punishment. “I don’t think the crime is worth taking a life,” said Willie Birdlong, a senior accounting major from Cheneyville.
Students with questions can contact Father Vessels at the Catholic Center at 775-8691 or email Necole Williams at [email protected].
