Islamic Court in Nigeria Frees Woman

By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: September 27, 2003

From VOA Special English, this is Steve Ember with In the News.
This week an Islamic court in northern Nigeria freed a woman who was sentenced to death by stoning for illegal sexual¹ relations. Four of the five judges voted to cancel the sentence against Amina Lawal. They said there were problems with her trial.
The Shariah Court of Appeals in the town of Katsina announced the final judgment² in the case on Thursday.
Amina Lawal is thirty-one years old. She gave birth to a girl two years after she ended her marriage. She was charged with having sex with a man other than her husband. 1)Adultery is punishable by death under Islamic law known as 2)Sharia. Mizz Lawal would have been buried up to her neck in sand and executed by stoning.
Sharia is observed in twelve of Nigeria's thirty-six states. It is based on the teachings of the Koran, the Islamic holy book.
An Islamic court found Amina Lawal guilty in March of two-thousand-two. International human rights groups condemned³ the ruling. So did women's groups in Nigeria. President Olusegun Obasanjo called for mercy. Last week, Brazil offered Mizz Lawal 3)asylum⁴.
Judges rejected her first appeal in August of two-thousand-two. On Thursday, however, the Sharia appeals court supported her. The court said she did not understand the charges against her and did not have enough chance to defend herself. The court also said rules for trying such cases had not been followed.
Mizz Lawal said the man she identified as her sexual partner had promised to marry her. Yahaya Mohammed said he was innocent. He was not charged, but could also have faced death by stoning.
Mizz Lawal was the second Nigerian woman condemned to death for adultery under Islamic law. The first also had her sentence overturned⁵ on appeal.
Twelve states approved Sharia in northern Nigeria when the country returned from military to civilian⁶ rule in nineteen-ninety-nine. The law is not used in cases involving Christians⁸. But the practice of Islamic law in those states has led to violence between Christians and Muslims. The 4)clashes have killed more than three-thousand people.
Many countries use Shariah in family cases. But only a few, like Saudi Arabia and Iran, use it in criminal cases. Afghanistan used it under Taliban rule.
Many Muslims in northern Nigeria have welcomed Sharia. They say it is an important part of their religion and helps prevent crime. But human rights groups and other critics call the system severe and unfair. They say it is out of place in a democratic republic. Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, one-hundred-twenty million.
Some groups have urged President Obasanjo to help end the practice of Sharia. So far Mister Obasanjo, a Christian⁷, has not taken action against Sharia courts. But he has promised that no stoning will be carried out in Nigeria.
In the News, from VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Steve Ember.

注释：
1) adultery [E5dQltEri] n.通奸，通奸罪
2) Sharia [FE5ri:E] n.伊斯兰教教法
3) asylum [E5sailEm] n.避难所，庇护所
4) clash⁹ [klAF] n. 冲突，抵触

1 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。

2 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

3 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

4 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

5 overturned   

adj. 倒转的 动词overturn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The car skidded and overturned. 汽车打滑翻倒了。
• When a bird's nest is overturned, no egg can remain intact. 覆巢之下无完卵。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

9 clash   

vi.冲突，不协调，砰地相撞；n.冲突，不协调

参考例句：

• There is a clash between two classes at 2 p.m. on Thursday.星期四下午两点有两堂课是冲突的。
• The pot came down on the stone floor with a clash.锅“当”地一声掉到石地上。