Journo Fights Pants Ruling

A female journalist has decided to challenge the ruling of a Sudanese court over the punishment of 40 lashings for wearing pants in public, a violation of the strict Islamic law enforced by Sudan's regime. Lubna Hussein, a United Nations worker in Khartoum, was one of 13 women to be arrested on the charge earlier this month. "This is not a case about me wearing pants," Hussein said. "This is my battle." Sharia, or Islamic law has ruled Sudan since Omar al-Bashir took over the country in 1989 with an army coup. Most women in the Sudanese capital wear traditional outfits that cover their heads and shoulders. According to The Guardian, the raid on a cafe popular with journalists and foreigners, which resulted in Hussein's arrest, was unusual.