Abuja, Nigeria
Several nations have withdrawn their contestants from the Miss World competition to protest a Nigerian court’s death sentence for a woman found guilty of adultery. A state court in the Islamic north of the country, operating under the Koran’s sharia law, sentenced Amina Lawal to be stoned to death. She is to be killed once she weans her illegitimate baby. The Nigerian federal government, which does not follow sharia law, said the sentence is likely to be overturned when the case reaches federal appeals courts. “No woman has ever been punished in such a dastardly manner,” said Foreign Minister Dubem Onyia, “and this will not be an exception.” But some countries are insisting that Lawal be freed before they participate in the pageant. France, Belgium, Norway, Kenya, and Switzerland have already withdrawn their contestants.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
