CPA Debate: Flogging in Sudan; Upholding Sharia tradition or backwardness?

(CP-Africa) - Hello CP-Africans. There’s a video spreading around the internet of a woman being flogged in Sudan. According to the Sudanese authorities the woman is being punished  under Articles 154 and 155 of the 1991 Sudanese penal code. Article 154 and 155 of the Sudanese penal code mandates flogging up to 100 lashes as a punishment for adultery or running a brothel, as well as up to five years in prison. Flogging is relatively common in northern Sudan, where sharia law is often heavily enforced.

This video brings up a subject we have discussed over and over again in the past. Where do Africans draw the line between tradition and conventional notions of human rights? What makes this video all the more appalling is that it is a woman being flogged adding yet another layer to the debate –  the plight of women in contemporary Africa. The video shows the woman screaming and pleading with blue uniformed policemen who take turns at whipping her across the head and feet. We want to hear from you about whether or not Sharia law should be allowed to be practiced in its current form. Should it be amended? Who should amend it? To push the envelope even further, should it be outrightly abolished? Such inhumane acts as the one currently being discussed certainly makes such arguments credible.  Please share your thoughts either on the site or on our Facebook page. We especially want to hear from our Muslim readers/members. – CPA

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