MICHAEL O'SULLIVAN, SJ,
Sir, - On December 21st you published my letter about the plight of Safiya Husseini Tungar-Tudu, which broke the story in Ireland. Safiya had been condemned to death by stoning by a Sharia Islamic law court in northern Nigeria for alleged adultery.
Readers will be interested to know that the letter, which was also published by Independent Newspapers in the days following, has led to a huge response from the Irish public. This is typical of what has been happening in other parts of the world also, especially in Europe.
The many readers of The Irish Times who have contacted the Nigerian Embassy in Dublin, their national political representatives, Irish parliamentarians in Europe, the President of Ireland, the Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations, newspapers, RTÉ, clergy, religious congregations and overseas contacts will be glad to know that, after her appeal against her sentence was adjourned last Monday until March 18th, Safiya said: "I am grateful and appreciative of all the support I am getting all over the world. I know the support I have."
Her life is still in great danger - and sadly, another young woman is now facing the same fate. On January 21st the Sharia court will rule on the fate of Hafsatu Abubakar, who has also been charged with adultery. As with Safiya, the fact she has a baby will be used to try to have her stoned to death.
All Islamic women in the northern states of Nigeria who are pregnant outside marriage and where Sharia law prevails are now a target for death by stoning. How they became pregnant, whether by physical rape, psychological rape as a result of their conditioning to be subservient to men, or by full and free consent is not given due weight. The standards of legal evidence in such cases discriminate against women.
Safiya, who was not represented by a lawyer at her trial in October, but had one at the appeal, is now arguing that she did not understand what was happening at the trial and that her divorced husband is the father of her child. Under Sharia law a woman is allowed to have a child by a divorced husband for up to seven years after the end of the marriage, and not be stoned to death in public for it. DNA evidence is not admissible. - Yours etc.,
MICHAEL O'SULLIVAN, SJ,
North Circular Road,
Dublin 7.