Lubna Hussein, Standing Up to Sudanese Law on Who Wears the Pants

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has made abundantly clear his views on head scarves and burqas, but if you thought we were through the contentious collision of Islamic law and modern fashion, we're not. On Tuesday, a Sudanese court heard the case against U.N. worker Lubna Hussein, who was taken into police custody with 10 other women, all accused of violating Article 152 of Sudanese law, which prohibits women from wearing pants in public.

Islamic law governs much of Sudan, and if found in violation of Article 152, Hussein faces up to 40 lashes.
On Wednesday, the court gave Hussein the option of accepting immunity as a U.N. worker or waiving it and standing trial. Hussein works for the media department of the U.N. and is also a journalist for the left-leaning Al Sahafa newspaper. The soapbox at her disposal has not been lost on her: In response to the court's offer, Hussein waived her immunity, saying, "I wish to resign from the U.N. I wish this court case to continue."

Later she added, "I wish to change this law."

Hussein's courage to challenge an article she finds in violation of the fundamental tenets of Sharia law is impressive (and braving a lashing is no small act of heroism, either). While the other women arrested with Hussein have already received their punishment, her case has drawn international attention, presumably because of Hussein's status as a U.N. worker and her outspoken criticism. While Khartoum is governed by Islamic law, Sudan-watchers say that police often look the other way regarding internationals, the ruling elite, and aid workers. What this case points to, perhaps, is a more subtle play by the government to curry favor with its fundamentalist audience -- a move in accordance with recent behavior by President Omar Al Bashir.

Bashir presently has an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, which he has continued to flout, asserting that the ICC is another example of the West's attempts to undermine African stability. Bashir has in turn stoked an us-against-them mindset among regional bodies, especially the African Union, which recently declared it would not cooperate with the ICC warrant, presumably allowing Bashir to travel freely within its member states. Sudan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson suggested as much, saying: "We think that Africa is now one front against the ICC. . . . Most Africans believe it is a court that has been set up against Africa and the third world. [The African Union decision] makes us feel that we are not alone, that people are supporting us."

A crackdown on Western elements (such as trousers) in Khartoum seems a natural extension of a policy designed to estrange Sudan from anything international, including the ICC. What's most disturbing is that in Bashir's Sudan, his version of "Africa for Africans" is becoming synonymous with obstruction of justice and state-sanctioned violence against women.