August 22, 2002

• Most likely, the name Amina Lawal will, I am sure, mean nothing to you.
  
  She is a 30 year old Nigerian woman with an 8 month old baby. Nothing so special about that.
  
  What is special about her though, is that her baby, Wasila, was born out of wedlock and a court in the Islamic state of Katsina, where she lives, have decreed that she must pay for her 'crime' by being stoned to death.
  
  She gave birth in January and, when charged with 'adultery', told the authorities the father was Yahaya Mahmud, her boyfriend of 11 months. She said he seduced her with an offer of marriage. This fellow has denied being the father, even though he does admit to being her boyfriend.
  
  Under Sharia, the Islamic Law, four witnesses are required to convict a man of adultery while an unmarried woman may be condemned simply for becoming pregnant. The court have ruled that the sentence shall be carried out when she weans her child, probably in about 2 years' time....
  
  Being tolerant of other cultures is a Good Thing. We cannot and should not condemn other cultures because our own perspective on life differs from theirs. Likewise, tolerance of others' religious beliefs is to be encouraged. We do things one way and they do things another way. So be it.
  
  And yet.....
  
  However tolerant I believe myself to be, I am sickened and saddened by this news. Human rights groups internationally are doing what they can but how successful their efforts will be remains to be seen.
  
  Now I'm not a religious person myself, certainly not in the Christian sense, although I was brought up to believe. I don't go to church and I don't pray. Normally. But I'm praying now. I'm praying that somehow sense will prevail and that this unfortunate woman will be allowed to live. Her name is Amina Lawal. Spare a thought for her, please.....
  
  
  And while we're thinking about cultural differences....
  
  There are times when I wonder whether bringing up my children in Japan is a good idea. Generally, Japanese society caters well to children and certainly it's a safe place for little ones. Children walk to school alone (or with friends) from the first year of elementary school; I've become quite accustomed to seeing 6 year olds walking home alone along busy roads...
  There are plenty of family restaurants and parks and a host of places which cater to kids and generally speaking, Japanese people dote on kids.
  
  My concern comes from the less obvious, the parts of the Japanese psyche which I am not altogether sure about and which my own kids are exposed to. Specifically, today I'm in a bit of a lather about the Japanese obsession with poo....
  
  Now poo of course, is an important part of a small child's life. Toilet training and the freedom that success in that field brings is an important step in a child's development. Different people, even within the same culture, will have different opinions about how this should be achieved and all that is fine and good. What I'm not so sure about is the need for the glorification of poo.
  
  In my early years in Japan, I was constantly amazed by how often kids here draw pictures of poop. Always a little steaming pile, drawn in their notebooks, on the whiteboard, in my notebook...wherever. They were at it constantly. Kids don't do that in England and as far as I'm aware, North American children too seem to find other things to draw. Often that little steaming pile will have a face too; they anthropomorphize their fecal matter...
  
  Now, all of this might be considered to be but a childish phase, something they will soon grow out of and no cause for concern. Maybe so, but I wonder....
  
  Pause for thought : why is scatological porn so popular in Japan? Why do children's comics contain such a high proportion of poop and are the two connected?
  
  This morning I took my elder daughter, Hannah, to see a kids' drama at the local community center. I didn't know what the play was going to be, just that going seemed like a good idea and something she might enjoy.
  
  When we got there I discovered that I had brought my daughter to see
  
  "Who Pooped on Mr Mole?"
  
  This charming piece centered on the unfortunate Mr Mole, who, popping his head above ground one day, found himself being dumped upon by person or persons unknown. Having washed himself off, he set out on a journey to discover the identity of the phantom crapper, his quest taking him around the garden in search of the culprit. The set was tastefully decorated with pictures of poop, just in case any of us in the audience had missed the point.
  
  Now, OK, I have to admit, I actually quite enjoyed the play and Hannah too. But I was left wondering whether the same story might not have been told with a different emphasis had it been in a Western culture. "Who Sat on Mr Mole?" or "Who Stole Mr Mole's Sunglasses?", something along those lines...
  
  Now don't get me wrong; I'm all in favour of promoting a healthy interest in the human body and its various functions. The question is where to draw the line; when does a healthy interest become an unhealthy obsession?
  
  I don't know about you guys, but I'm off to have a dump and think about it....
  

  • 8:22 am
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