-Caveat Lector-
Thursday, January 4 2:04 AM SGT
Crowd crams Nigerian court to watch boozers being flogged
KANO, Nigeria, Jan 3 (AFP) -
A large crowd packed into an Islamic court in northern Nigeria
Wednesday to watch as two men found
guilty of drinking alcohol were given 80 lashes each.
The crowd burst into chants of "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Great") as the
men, 22-year-old Nugu Abdullahi
and 63-year-old Sa'adu Aminu, were given their punishment by Islamic
court officials in Kano, the
capital of the state bearing the same name.
The sentence is the first handed out by Islamic officials in Kano
State since it introduced strict Islamic
Sharia law on November 26.
Proscecutors said the men were both Muslims and had been found in
possession of half-drunk bottles
of alcohol.
They were caught and handed over to police by members of Hizbah, a
vigilante group which monitors
adherence to the Islamic code.
On Tuesday, a Christian trader in Kano claimed he had been beaten by
Islamic vigilantes after being
found in possession of a bottle of gin.
The state government has made it clear, however, that Sharia law does
not apply to Christians and has
appeared embarrassed by the beating of the man, Obi Livinus, 50.
The law bans gambling, prostitution, the consumption of alcohol and
other activities considered vices
by Muslims, and also sets out a list of Islamic duties which Muslims
must fulfill.
Zamfara State was the first to introduce Sharia law, in January last
year.
Since then, eight other northern states have either introduced the law
or declared plans to do so, despite
opposition from President Olusegun Obasanjo, Christians and human
rights bodies.
Already one man has had his hand amputated, several people have been
flogged and in a contentious
case in Zamfara State, a court has sentenced a 17-year-old girl to 180
lashes after she was found to be
pregnant while unmarried.
She gave birth last week and is now awaiting her punishment, which
human rights activists have
warned could kill her.
Authorities in several states have also started introducing
restrictions on the dress and behaviour of
women in public.
Authorities in Kebbi State, which introduced Sharia law on December 1,
on Wednesday warned women
to dress "decently" or face the "wrath of the law".
They also ordered all motorcycle taxi operators to stop carrying women
passengers who refuse to wear
"hijab", the Islamic legal dress for women.
Non-Muslim women are also warned to dress "decently ... as no religion
encourages nudity."
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