Lubna Hussain, a Sudanese woman, was arrested recently for wearing 'un-Islamic" clothing in public. The immoral clothing in question was a pair of trousers.
Sudan sanctions a sever public dress code for females. However, those laws are only applicable for Muslims. Thus that law does not apply on Christians like Lubna Hussain.
In a recent interview with Al-Jazeera, Lubna Hussain vehemently challenged the moral grounds upon which her arrest took place. She questioned why Sudanese female police and government officials are allowed to wear trousers as part of their uniform; but a civilian like herself cannot.
She said before the hearing: 'Thousands of women are punished with lashes in Sudan but they stay silent. The law is being used to harass women and I want to expose this.'
If convicted, Lubna Hussain will face up to 40 lashes in public. However, she is determined to fight the law in court. She has used her arrest to highlight the unfair legal practices in her country. Even the circumstances of her arrest come into scrutiny, as an UN employee, Lubna enjoys legal immunity. However, she has agreed to resign from her UN post to ensure her case received a fair hearing in court.
This mere arrest over wearing trousers in public could very well lead to an epic battle in legal courts on the power of absurd laws based on ambivalent sense of immorality. Moreover, it could also showcase the disparities between the laws that are forced upon Muslim females and Christian females. Even if Lubna manages to lose the battle and endure 40 lashes, she will at least have voiced her concerns over the absurdity of laws in Sudan. Perhaps her arrest will lead to Sudanese women to unite and fight against discriminatory laws against them in their country.
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