If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her!

When I first read this article on BBC Africa this verse from John 8:7 came to mind.

In southern Somalia, 33 year old Abas Hussein Abdirahman, was stoned to death in front of a crowd of about 300 people in the port town of Merka. One of the onlooker said that "He was screaming and blood was pouring from his head during the stoning. After seven minutes he stopped moving." Why do you ask did he deserve such a fate? For committing adultery with his girlfriend! His pregnant girlfriend was spared, for now. An official from the al-Shabab group said that she will also be stoned after the baby is born. The baby will then be given to the girlfriend’s relatives to be raised.

Islamic groups run most of southern Somalia. This is the third death by stoning in the past year. Last year two men in town were stoned to death after being accused of spying. Also a 13 year old girl was stoned to death for adultery when in fact she was raped.

Somalia has not had a functioning government for 18 years now. New president,Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a former rebel leader, was sworn in after UN- brokered peace talks in January. He says that al-Shabab is “spoiling the image of Islam by killing people and harassing women.” The new president wants to implement new Sharia law, but al-Shabab says it is too lenient.

How lucky we are to live in a country that gives us such freedom! I am not justifying adultery, but is the death of both parties going to make it all right? How about the baby? How is making him or her an orphan going to help? In the Bible, when Jesus said, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her! “ he meant, Who are you to judge this woman? Are the 300 who stoned this poor man completely pure and without any sin in their lives?