SOURCE: The Oprah Winfrey Show, 10/4/02
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Amina Lawal, a 31-year-old Muslim woman, was sentenced to death by stoning by a Shari'ah [Islamic] court at Bakori in Katsina State in northern Nigeria. Amina allegedly confessed to having had a child while divorced. Pregnancy outside of marriage is sufficient evidence for a woman to be convicted of adultery according to this new law for Muslims, introduced in the northern states of Nigeria.

Amnesty International says the most effective way to put a stop to Amina's horrifying sentence is to e-mail the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States. Oprah urges you personally to join this e-mail campaign.

An Update on Amina's Story
We asked for at least one million e-mails to help save Amina's life, and the response was amazing. Over 1.2 million of you logged on to help! And you made a difference—while the law has not officially changed, the Nigerian government has publicly announced that they will not enforce any stoning sentences handed down by the religious court.

While there is no written guarantee, the government has made several assurances that they will not be carrying out Amina's sentence. However, there is concern that vigilantes might take the stoning into their own hands, which means that Amina and others sentenced to stoning remain vulnerable without full protection of the law.

Why Is This Happening?
Akbar Ahmed is the Chair of Islamic Studies at American University, and served as the Pakistani Ambassador to Great Britain. He sheds light on why this is happening to Amina and other women.

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