Who Am I?

Amina Lawal

I'm Amina Lawal, a Nigerian woman who has been condemned to death by stoning for committing adultery. Until just a couple of days ago, I was the big back story at the upcoming Miss World beauty pageant, which will be held in Lagos on December 7.

A number of contestants said they wouldn't participate unless my sentence, stemming from the region's religious Sharia law, was overturned, even after I told reporters, "I heard of the boycott threat, but I just think [the contestants] should come because nothing happens without God's permission."

If that wasn't enough of a controversy, more recently a newspaper in the Muslim-majority city of Kaduna ran an article saying that, contrary to outspoken Islamist critics, not only would the Prophet Mohammed have OK'd the contest, he would have likely picked one of his wives from among the contestants! (By the way, for the first time ever, you can pick this year's winner at the Miss World site.)

Even though the offending publication apologized profusely (look here and here), there was widespread rioting and violence, with the death toll already climbing to over 100 and bombings in Lagos.

This is plainly an appalling story, and one that will only get worse as it drags through to its finish. Perhaps the only tiny benefit to come out of it is to make the outburst by Federal Communications Commission commissioner Michael Copps about CBS's recent Victoria's Secret Fashion Show seem as priggish and pathetic as it really was.