A group of 18 men in Northern Nigeria are facing a possible death sentence for taking part in a gay wedding. The men were dressed as women, and were promptly arrested for alleged sodomy. Unfortunately for them, the town of Bauchi is under Sharia law, and so the men face the possibility of being stoned to death.

For those of you unaware of what Sharia law is, in Arabic it translates directly to the way. It is the legal system bound by Islamic dogma. Their obvious and violent aversion to homosexuality makes it a crime punishable by death, and failing that, there is a real possibility they could face torture or even amputation for their alleged crime.

It seems almost impossible that in this day and age, the biblical traditions of the 1st century are still being practiced, and yet, in Nigeria, it’s not uncommon for people to be flogged for drinking, or have their hands cut off for adultery. Most of the citizens there support this. In fact, they’re down right confused about why we make such a big deal out of it. They mistakenly assume our morality must somehow be inferior to theirs, since they derive their laws from sacred texts, while we foolishly base it on precedence, and habeas corpus.

Obviously, there are some people in the US who actually support similar laws like the Sharia edicts. It’s not surprising these same individuals are highly religious. At the same time, many of us in the West feel it is important to respect other cultures, and their way of doing things. I, on the other hand, feel that it’s necessary to remind people that simply because it is culturally acceptable to do something, does not make it right. There are many different ways to live a good life; but there isn’t an infinite amount. If your laws and morality reflect the habits and mores of the Bronze Age, the level of sophistication of your moral development will reflect this fact. As the world becomes smaller, we can no longer take the attitude of live and let live, particularly when it comes to violent offences against our fellow human beings. We should take these kinds of issues very seriously, and not allow relativism to confuse the important issue of human rights.