Letter one!

After joining forces with my mother and scouring the Evening Standard (NOW FREE in London...sometimes, not always) (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23777607-thank-you-london-says-sudanese-woman-jailed-for-wearing-trousers-london.do) I decided to write to Lubna Hussein, the Sudanese woman jailed for wearing trousers in Sudan. To be fair, it is illegal in Sudan for women to dress 'indecently' under article 152 of the criminal law (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/02/sudan-women-dress-code), so she was arrested for a crime (of sorts) rather than just the simple act of wearing trousers. However she did so to make a point, that point being that the aforesaid 'simple act of wearing trousers' should not be against the law and furthermore to highlight the way that women are treated under Sudanese Law.

Dear Ms. Hussein,

I'm writing to you to congratulate you on your bravery and courage in your fight against the Sudanese law you so disagree with. Although I have researched your situation I can't pretend to truly understand the situation inside and out, or to have a working knowledge of Sudanese Law and precisely how it affects women.

However, as you have been quoted in the Evening Standard as thanking Londoners for their support in your fight I feel that, as a Londoner, I'm in some way now part of a dynamic linking London to you and your struggle. Due to this position I suddenly find myself in, I've decided I have three options:

1.) To ignore you and your situation altogether
2.) To reject your beliefs
3.) To support your beliefs

The first would just be churlish considering the amount of effort you've put into this case and the risk you've put yourself at. The least I can do is consider your argument. Having done so, despite questioning certain aspects of your case (e.g. why is it so important to wear trousers, shorter skirts etc. for women in Sudan? Or is this just a very small act of defiance to highlight a much larger problem?), I find it impossible to reject the passionate beliefs that you must hold in order to lead what seems to me to be a genuine and dangerous fight for womens rights.

So I've decided that I'm impressed, shocked and awed by your situation, your actions and your insistence on making a difference. I know some people are accusing you of exaggerating the situation for women in Sudan in order to make yourself a public figure. I can't of course prove that this isn't the case but, as far as I can see, a women who gives up her immunity offered by a job in the UN and willingly submits to the possibility of whipping in order to make her voice heard probably has higher things on her mind than getting her photo into the paper for the sake of celebrity.

I read that you were planning to write to show your support to the family of the 16 year old girl recently lashed in Sudan for wearing a knee-length skirt. I am therefore writing this letter to show my support to you. To say well done for your actions, your strength and your courage. You've shown yourself to be a strong lady and I hope you achieve all you intend to. Also...thank you for your flattery of us Londoners!

Lucy