Sudan’s post-election parliament

I just got back from Sudan and have 11 days to finish the next review stage on my book. So I made a deal with myself not to blog until that was done (you can check out reporting from my trip, which is all being posted at the Pulitzer Center – and there is plenty more to come). But the “democratically elected” Sudanese parliament’s latest initiative makes it hard to concentrate on copyediting, especially when coupled with the panicky emails I’ve started to receive from women’s rights activists in Sudan.

Apparently the parliament is considering introducing stoning for zina offenses. I’ll let the voices of Sudanese activists speak for themselves (statement posted below) on the issue. But I just wanted to connect it to a broader theme that I was hearing a lot this trip. Namely, a huge sense of abandonment and resentment among northern civil society and opposition groups with respect to the April elections.

The elections were neither free nor fair and everyone knows it. In fact everyone knew it before it happened. But what it seems ordinary Sudanese didn’t expect was for the world (and in particular the U.S., which continues to be idealized by many as the champion of democracy) to accept it.

For reasons that, at least from a short-term (emphasis on the short) U.S. interests perspective have merit (stick with the devil-you-know who has promised to allow the referendum to go ahead for fear that doing otherwise increases the probability of the resumption of war and destabilization of the region) the U.S. chose not to fight for the democratic ideal. Now Sudan has a parliament that Sudanese human rights lawyer Salih Mahmoud Osman describes as “an institution of the NCP.” And if the south breaks away in the January referendum, as it is widely expected to do, then any hope of a southern opposition voice to moderate the NCP in the future is lost.

There is much focus on what a newly independent southern state will look like. But what about a new northern state? Is the stoning of women just the start of what is in store . . .

STATEMENT FROM SUDANESE ACTIVISTS (UN-NAMED FOR SECURITY REASONS)

Sudanese Activists, men and women denounce Violence against Women being legalised in Sudan and call upon the Sudan Parliament to rise to the expectations of the Sudanese Society

We call upon the Sudan government, UN agencies, the African Union countries, Human Rights organizations, the International community and men and women of faith across the world to join hands and stop the Sudan Parliament whose majority represents the current Sudan ruling party. The parliament continues to legalise acts of violence against women and girls, by enforcing laws that directly escalate the prevalence of violence against women and girls in our society.

The Sudan pubic order regime is a set of discriminatory laws injected into the Sudan criminal code and institutes grounds to violate the rights to existence and well being for the women and girls in Sudan.

It is a shame to the Sudan citizens that last Sunday (1st August 2010), the Sudanese parliament called for the enforcement of the Zina punishment and the promotion of early marriages and polygamy. At the same time, the parliament appealed for the removal of HIV/AIDS education from Sudan educational school curriculums.

Zina punishment is the stoning of women who are accused of adultery or accused of having extra marital affairs. This punishment was evidently restricted by the Prophet Mohamed (Sallallaahu Alaehe Wa Sallam) and severely blocked by the enlightened Islamic scholars and Olama. This type of practice and attitude towards women does not only jeopardise their safety and security but it also perpetuates violence, conflicts and hatred in our society.

Removal of HIV/ AIDS education and awareness from the school curriculums shows poor judgment and lack of awareness of the implications of the health risks. It is also an incorrect reflection of the Sudan heritage of culture and religion because we as Sudanese have always supported the education of our children (boys and girls) which will help them understand the consequences and risks of their behaviour.

Sex education has advantages that cannot be ignored because students can be taught about the reproductive system, protection of themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and methods of contraception which would apply to their future family lives. Early inclusion of sexual education classes has proven to help students remain abstinent and responsible and appropriate sexual education can prevent sexual problems in adulthood. Stopping sex education will be giving room to ignorance and thus the flourishing of HIV/AIDS and sexual transmitted diseases in Sudan.

Promotion of polygamy is one of the major causes of the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in our society and has major implications on the lives of children, families and on the stability of our societies. This was said and proven by the Islamic enlightened Olama and scholars across history. Furthermore there are several Islamic societies and countries which forbid the practise of polygamy, such as Turkey and Tunisia. Other countries like Egypt and Morocco have to a great extent put restrictions on it. There are also some countries that are currently discussing their family laws and restricting polygamous practices by enforcing consent of the first wife.

For the Sudan parliament to promote polygamy not only challenges one’s right to respect and dignity but also proves that the Parliament is in breach of the Protocol to the African Charter on human and people’s rights on the rights of women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) to which Sudan is a signatory. Article 6 articulates that “States Parties shall enact appropriate national legislative measures to guarantee that monogamy is encouraged as the preferred form of marriage.”

Encouragement of early marriages violates Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Sudan is a signatory and which states that “No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” In addition to that, a girl child faces problems when she gets married before her body has matured and the oppression takes different forms. There is lack of seriousness in a country whose parliament supports the death of its citizens during child birth or them becoming permanently disabled due to a law that was passed with such knowledge.

As Sudanese men and Women we are obliged to bring these issues to light in order to show the damaging consequences of ill treatment of women and its implications on our societies. We are calling upon the Sudan parliament to weigh the responsibility on their hands and to abolish all acts of discriminatory laws against women and girls in Sudan as well as to include the interests and the development of Sudanese people on their agenda.