On this day, August 19th, in 2002, an Islamic sharia court in Nigeria rejected an appeal by Amina Lawal, after she was sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery.  The Qur’an and the ahadith give careful instructions for how adulteresses are to be killed:  they are to be buried up to their necks in the sand, their heads are to be covered by cloth, and stones that are not so big as to cause a quick death nor so small so as to be unable to cause death, are to be used.  It is never a problem to gather up a willing crowd to participate in stonings in peaceful Dar al-Islam. 

In an example of Islamic compassion, if the woman is pregnant she is to be given clemency, just until the baby is weaned, at which point the mother can be killed.  A woman being pregnant out of wedlock is taken as prima facie evidence of her guilt, whereas for a man to be convicted of having extramarital sex, it is required that four male witnesses testify that they witnessed the act firsthand.  Unless four peeping-toms independently see it and voluntarily come forward, this standard is rarely met.  So, while Ms. Lawal was sentenced to death, the father of her unborn child was set free for lack of evidence.

Eventually, in 2004, Ms. Lawal was freed after an Islamic sharia court ruled that, since according to Islam, the interval between conception and birth can be up to 5 years, and since Ms. Lawal had not been divorced 5 years earlier, the baby could have been conceived with her ex-husband while still married.  Once again, the wisdom and knowledge of the holy, holy Qur’an acted as a shining beacon to guide the faithful.  Or at least some of them;  one spectator at the latter trial was quoted as saying, "I would have preferred Amina to be stoned to death. She deserves it."

Previous Days in the "Religion of Peace™":

Aug 18: Iranian Jihad Against Kurds
Aug 17: Mass Murder in Lahore
Aug 16: Taliban Bans Bakeries
Aug 9: Pseudo Coup in Mauritania
Aug 8: Fall of Mazar-i Sharif