Sudanese Police Beat Women Protesting Pants Ban

Sudanese police beat women protesting outside a Sudanese court Tuesday during the trial of Lubna Hussein, a former U.N. worker and journalist, who is facing flogging for wearing pants in violation of Islamic laws. We previously discussed the story, here. The police fired tear gas into a group of 50 or so women and beat them with batons for protesting against the Sharia court proceeding. Hussein’s lawyer was also beaten.

Some of the women notably wore pants.

Hussein was among 13 women arrested July 3 in a raid on a cafe in Khartoum. Ten of the women have already been flogged at a police station and fined 250 Sudanese pounds, or about $120. Those women appeared to have pleaded guilty while Hussein and two other women fought the charges.

In court, Hussein was required to wear the same clothes so the court could see the outfit — though she says she has been wearing the clothes in protest since her arrest.

The protest of these women (like the protests in Iran) show that women in Islamic countries are standing up for basic human rights denied under these Islamic regimes. Hussein’s protests in particular bring to mind Rosa Parks in the United States — a simple act of defiance leading to a broader awareness of citizens of the injustices of her society.

For the full story, click here.