Man lashed 20 times for sodomy in Nigerian court
 

It is the first conviction of a gay man in Nigeria since President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill that criminalizes homosexuality.

BAUCHI, Nigeria — A young man convicted of sodomy was whipped 20 times Thursday in a northern Nigerian Shariah court.

Though Mubarak Ibrahim was found guilty under Shariah law, it is the first conviction of a gay man in Nigeria since President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill that further criminalizes homosexuality under the West African nation's Western-style penal code.

Activists believe the new law has whipped up homophobia and endangers gay people in a country where lynchings and mob justice are common.

But the Muslim Rights Concern group on Thursday said it was "the other way round as the practice of homosexualism and lesbianism is most capable of instigating widespread hatred and turning society upside down."

It praised Jonathan for resisting pressures from Western powers that have condemned the law and urged them to stop what it called meddling in Nigerian internal affairs. "Most reprehensible is the attempt by foreign powers to intimidate and coerce Nigeria into absorbing their despicable culture by threatening to withhold foreign aid," it said.

Related: New law in Nigeria bans gay meetings

In the city of Bauchi, 28-year-old Ibrahim, an unemployed artisan, pleaded guilty to committing one act of sodomy seven years ago. He said he was misled into the act by the principal of the high school he was attending and has not committed a homosexual act since.

Judge Nuhu Mohammed said he would spare Ibrahim the sentence of death by stoning because the crime occurred so many years ago and because the young man had shown "great remorse."

The 20 lashes were administered in the public court. Ibrahim also was ordered to pay a fine of 5,000 naira ($30). It was not immediately clear if he had been able to pay and go free.

He was among 12 men — 11 Muslims and one Christian — who have been arrested by police since Christmas for belonging to a gay club.

Dorothy Aken'Ova, a human rights activist whose organization is helping with lawyers, said police had lured four of the men, then tortured them into providing a list of 168 wanted gay men.

Related: Dozens arrested for being gay in north Nigeria

Shariah Commission chairman Mustapha Baba Ilela has denied any of those arrested were tortured. He told The Associated Press that police were hunting for other members of a gay club, but would not say how many.

The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act that Jonathan signed on Jan. 7 brought widespread condemnation from abroad — including the United States, Britain, Canada, the European Union and the United Nations.

The UNAIDS agency says the law could criminalize people in programs to fight HIV-AIDS. The U.S. says it violates the rights of all Nigerians to free speech and association.

http://news.msn.com/world/man-lashed...nigerian-court

sick, sick, sick, sick, just goes to prove that man is still an animal, ugggg

he was molested, as obvious as a teenager and he's being punished for it

And we're supposed to be a civilized society? :confused::mad::mad::shocked::eek:

Nope, never have been and never will be. Take a look at all the murders and such that occur around us every day. We are basically just animals in suits.

Please. Most reprehensible is the threat of withdrawing foreign aid? Whatever. No one asked me if I wanted to give money to these sick fuc*ers. Frankly, I'll be writing my Senator and requesting that all foreign aid to this barbaric country and their dispicable people be withdrawn. If they want to stand on their own feet with their own laws and their own human rights abuses, then they should, you know, stand on their own feet with their own money.

If you want to ever contact your state Senators or Representatives, but are too lazy to actually write or call, here is a great website that has links to their online contact forms.

http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

Sending aid? Should be sending jars of anthrax.

These are more or less my feelings on the matter. You guys are a lot more succinct than I'd be. Kudos!

I was talking to a kind man I know yesterday. He's from India. He was telling me about the arranged marriage for his 17 year old son, when he turns 18. I asked why he could not find his own girl and the man said the boy could, but the girl and her family would then have to go through an extensive background check for their approval. I asked, "if the boy was Gay would you still arrange a marriage for him?" The man told me, "they hardly have any of those types of people in India so it wouldn't be thought of."

A Billion people live in India. How many are Gay? Just a few.:lol:

This guy lives in a bubble.

well there's Prince Manvendra Kumar Singh Gohil ... He is the only known person of royal lineage in modern India to have publicly revealed he is gay., I don't any gay men from India , but their culture could be similar to Japans ... as long as you marry and have a child ,what ever you do is fine as long as you are private and discrete about it