Posts by Funchback

The Shariah Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday that Amina Lawal's conviction was invalid because she was already pregnant when harsh Islamic Shariah law was implemented in her home province.

The 31-year-old, who was in court with her baby, Wassila, has been appealing the death sentence for two years.

"It is the view of this court that the judgment of the Upper Shariah Court, Funtua, was very wrong and the appeal of Amina Lawal is hereby discharged and acquitted," judge Ibrahim Maiangwa said.

Shariah law, based on the teachings in the Quran, Islam's holy book, is practiced in 12 of Nigeria's 36 states.

Lawal's case had become the focus of human rights groups around the world who were outraged at the sentence that Lawal should be buried up to her neck and then have stones thrown at her head until she was dead.

Had the court not overturned the verdict, Lawal would still have had two appeals left, one to a Nigerian federal court and a final appeal to Nigeria's Supreme Court. Neither of those courts is governed by Shariah law.

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo had said if Lawal's case reached the Supreme Court, he would make sure it was overturned.

Lawal was convicted and sentenced in March 2002 after giving birth to a baby girl more than nine months after divorcing. Under the strict Shariah law, pregnancy outside marriage constitutes sufficient evidence for a woman to be convicted of adultery.

A court stayed her execution for two years to allow her to care for her baby.

"This is all I have to live for right now," Lawal said before the hearing. "My child means everything to me."

Lawal lives with her father, his two wives and their numerous children in the tiny village of Kurami, deep in Nigeria's Islamic north. The village is so small that it does not appear on a map.

She insists she did nothing wrong and that the man who fathered her child made a promise to marry her. He did not, leaving her pregnant and with no support.

The man said he was not the father, and three male witnesses testified he did not have a sexual relationship with Lawal. The witnesses constituted adequate corroboration of his story under Shariah law, and he was freed.

Lawal is the second woman to be sentenced to death after bearing a child out of marriage since 2000, when more than a dozen states in the predominantly Islamic northern Nigeria adopted strict Islamic Shariah law.

In March 2002, an appeals court reversed a similar sentence on Safiya Hussaini Tungar-Tudu after worldwide pleas for clemency and a warning from Obasanjo that Nigeria faced international isolation over the case.

The adoption of Shariah, which includes amputation as a possible punishment for convicted thieves, has stoked violence between Muslims and Christians in Africa's most populous state. More than 3,000 people have been killed.

22

Hello JW spy's !!

by Singing Man in

jw
friends

hello jehovah's witness spys who like to see who is posting and speaking their own ideas about what they have learned for most of their life.

and that most of it is caca.

in all seriousness i do think there is spys who do snoop around in this site as well as other ones, and tell the rest of the elders who is being naughty or nice.

Funchback

Singing Man-

I've posted my REAL name and my real name is in my Profile AND I was very recently an ACTIVE Publisher. I have yet to be called on the carpet. So, I don't think they monitor a site like this just to gather names.

15

UPDATE: Nigerian Woman May Get Stoned to Death??? Not Anymore!!!

by Funchback in

and to think that the bible condoned stoning on grounds of adultery.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-woston0925,0,4884414.story?coll=ny-worldnews-headlines.

nigerian lawyers hopeful in stoning case.

Funchback

Nickey...It's nice to meet you. I don't recall ever seeing your name but, obviously, you've been around because you have almost 300 posts!

First of all, it's just inhumane. Second of all, a man HAD to be involved. Third of all, they need to re-think their Muslim rules.

15

UPDATE: Nigerian Woman May Get Stoned to Death??? Not Anymore!!!

by Funchback in

and to think that the bible condoned stoning on grounds of adultery.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-woston0925,0,4884414.story?coll=ny-worldnews-headlines.

nigerian lawyers hopeful in stoning case.

Funchback

And to think that the Bible condoned stoning on grounds of adultery.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-woston0925,0,4884414.story?coll=ny-worldnews-headlines

Nigerian Lawyers Hopeful in Stoning Case

Katsina, Nigeria -- Lawyers for a woman ordered stoned to death for having sex out of wedlock were confident Wednesday that a five-judge panel would spare her.

A decision on the appeal of Amina Lawal, a 32-year-old mother, is expected Thursday in a case that has dragged on for more than a year and sparked international outcry.

If the sentence stands, Lawal could be the first woman stoned to death since states in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north adopted strict Islamic law, or Shariah, in 1999.

Yet few believe the brutal punishment -- in which Lawal would be buried up to her neck in sand and then stoned to death -- will ever be carried out.

An Islamic court convicted her in March 2002 of having sex outside marriage after her daughter, Wasila, was born two years after Lawal had divorced her husband. The child is now nearly 2.

"We have very strong grounds for appeal," lead lawyer Aliyu Musa Yawuri told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

An earlier appeal filed by her team of volunteer lawyers was rejected by another court in August 2002. If her sentence is upheld Thursday, the case will go to an appeals court in the north-central city of Kaduna, and then possibly to Nigeria's Supreme Court, Yawuri said.

Yawuri has argued Lawal's case should be dropped because no lawyers were present when she first testified she had slept with another man after her divorce. Yawuri said Lawal -- a poor, uneducated woman from a rural family -- also didn't understand the charges against her at the time.

Lawal identified her sexual partner, Yahaya Mohammed, and said he promised to marry her. Mohammed, who would also have faced a stoning sentence, has denied any impropriety and was acquitted for lack of evidence. (Haven't they heard of DNA testing?!?)
Lawal's case has drawn sharp criticism from international human rights groups. Ministers in President Olusegun Obasanjo's government and world leaders have called for Lawal to be spared. Last week, Brazil offered her asylum.

She remains free pending a final decision. Judges have said she would not be executed until she finishes breast-feeding her baby in January.

Four other people have been sentenced to stoning deaths. Two were acquitted, and two others -- a pair of lovers -- await a decision on their fate.

Introduction of Islamic law has heightened Muslim-Christian tensions in Nigeria, Africa's most-populous nation. Religious, ethnic and political violence has claimed at least 10,000 lives since Obasanjo's 1999 election ended 15 years of repressive military juntas.

19

The Teenage Years - Brian is Gettin' Out of Dubdom! Part FOUR

by Funchback in

part i:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/58849/1.ashx .

part ii: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/58890/1.ashx.

Funchback

Thanks you all!

19

The Teenage Years - Brian is Gettin' Out of Dubdom! Part FOUR

by Funchback in

part i:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/58849/1.ashx .

part ii: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/58890/1.ashx.

Funchback

Boy! 31 reads and only one response. I guess there really ARE lurkers out there!

Nikita... Thanks for the clarification. I can't wait until you post YOUR story!

14

Sometimes they do something caring...

by jws in

jw
friends

i was talking to my dad this weekend and he mentioned that the jws in his congregation and others were planning to rent out a park pavilion and throw a party for a guy to cheer him up because he's been pretty sad after his wife died a few months ago.. first thought was, after hearing all the stories about how cold and heartless the jws can be, here was one example of them seeming to show some genuine concern.. of course, not to let them off the hook entirely, this guy was pretty well known.

i've been away from it for a while and he wasn't part of our hall so i don't remember his resume all that well, but i'm certain he was an elder and i think has at least a couple of sons who are elders and i think he played a big role in helping run conventions.

your average non-ms, non-elder, isn't very likely to get a pavilion full of friends.. i give them credit for showing concern, but there are a lot of people who also need help and fall through the cracks.

Funchback

Wake me when they do this very same thing to a man in the same exact situation EXCEPT that he's disfellowshipped.

I suppose I might as well change my name to Rip Van Winkle.

19

The Teenage Years - Brian is Gettin' Out of Dubdom! Part FOUR

by Funchback in

part i:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/58849/1.ashx .

part ii: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/58890/1.ashx.

Funchback

Part I: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/58849/1.ashx

Part II: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/58890/1.ashx

Part III: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/58975/1.ashx

Hi, all. Thanks for keeping up, and having patience with, my experience. This was originally posted on 3/27/2002.

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For my first 9 years of life, I never experienced the death of a loved one. I also never experienced the birth of a sibling. However, both would come within days of each other. (I must say that my mom's dad died during my very early years but I don't recall the details).

My grandfather (my dad's dad) was dying from Prostate cancer and my mother was about to give birth. My baby brother was born on January 26, 1980 and my grandfather died within a couple of days after Baby Bro's birth. As much as I adored my grandfather, I never shed a tear for him. I don't know why. That's just the way it is.

One year later, my aunt died of Ovarian cancer at the young age of 34. Her memorial was held in a 4-H Club building. An elder from my first Congregation gave the talk even though my aunt was not a JW and she wasn't even studying. My mom asked him to give the talk. I guess this shows how much my mom was progressing as a JW. I wish I could give you the details of his outline but I don't remember them.

Is That a Hair On My Chin?

Here is a summation of my life up until I hit puberty: I had...Big, curly hair. Wide open green eyes. Lots of schoolyard fights. Older sister, older brother, younger brother. Intimidating dad. Loving mom. JW friends. Non-JW friends. I never had a girlfriend. I never even kissed a girl. I got hit on by a JW boy named Chris. Go figure...

Then, the Summer of 1983 arrived. I graduated from the 8th grade. The Sixers won the NBA Championship. I grew a hair on my chin. And I had my first kiss. There was a girl who lived across the street from me. I had known her all my life. It was a beautiful Summer evening and the sun was setting. We were hiding behind a big tree in front of my house and we kissed. She was no prize in the 'looks' department, but neither was I. It felt like it lasted 5 minutes when it probably only lasted 10 seconds. I was becoming a man.

I'm a JW. No, I'm Not. Yes, I Am...

Here I am, a teenager. I will begin going to high school in the Fall of 1983. Girls are beginning to notice me. I have so many so-called worldly friends. Now isn't the time to get baptized. Or is it? See, the JW's used to preach that you must be baptized in order to survive Armageddon. This Great War was supposed to be coming any day now. Crap! I don't wanna die! I better think seriously about getting baptized.

In 1982, my sister (known on this board as 'Nikita') was baptized (I think that is the year she got baptized. Maybe it was 1983). In 1983, my mom was baptized (I clearly remember because she had a big towel that had the word 'DISCO' on it. Up close, the towel just looked like it had a design on it. However, from the stadium seats, that towel said, 'DISCO'!!! We were laughing at my mom as she was walking to the pool! LOL!)

Anyway, now my mom and sister are baptized and I've already studied My Book of Bible Stories and the Youth book. Should I also get baptized? My older brother was in college in another state. The 'truth' hadn't yet set in his heart. Then, I found out that badwillie and two other guys from my congregation were going to get baptized at the District Convention in 1984. That was what made up my mind. I got baptized, not because I felt like I wanted to dedicate my life to Jehovah, but rather because I didn't want to die at Armageddon AND my friends were getting baptized. Fear and pressure were the only factors involved in this major decision.

1984

I did it. I got baptized. It poured rain that day AND the convention was being held in an outdoor horse racetrack! Sigh...
Now, I could rest easy. Jehovah won't destroy me at Armageddon now...as long as I don't sin. Crap! I'm going through puberty and my hormones are raging. I'm becoming quite handsome (so I was told...hahahahaha!) and I loved girls. I am now in high school and I have a 'worldly' girlfriend and I'm baptized. Talk about dilema's! What's a boy to do?

No, I'm NOT a JW...

1984/1985, my mom and my sister drift away from being JW's. I reasoned, 'If they're not going to go, I'm not going to , either!'. By the time the Summer of 1985 comes, we had all stopped going. My pioneer sister is now an inactive JW young adult dating young, 'worldly' men. My mom is participating in holiday celebrations. All of these changes within three years of all of us getting baptized. How? Why? It's just the way it is.

Let The Partying Begin!

My teenage life revolved around girls, partying, hanging out, and having fun! I even hung out with Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff. They used to MC and DJ all the parties that were held at Central High School in Philly. I would meet a girl at a party and we would be kissing right there in the middle of the dance floor. Two strangers who were bold. This happened quite frequently. (Now, the women would probably run away!!!)

I would have a steady girlfriend usually all the time. Even though this was the case, I had a female friend who was one of my best friends. Strangely, even though this friend had a boyfriend and I had a girlfriend, we would get together nearly every weekend and 'make out'. No guilt was involved. We had that kind of relationship. I'm still in contact with her to this very day (although we have our emotions under control, now!). There is a reason why I'm sharing all of this with you. LURKERS, take note...

My Second Negative JW Experience...

Coming very SOON!