Ceremonial public sacrifices of beautiful young women have been well documented in history books. Many primitive societies regularly held elaborate religious celebrations which centered around the brutal torture and gang murder of a beautiful, innocent young woman.

The fact that these barbaric practices are all in the past makes us think that they will stay there. Most people think of them as a vestige of mankind's shameful beginnings, as the primitive, misguided, superstitious acts of uncivilized societies - sincere but futile attempts by savages to control the incomprehensible world around them. But were they? We find it hard to understand what was going on in their heads. Were they the victims of mass hysteria, religious ecstasy, or ignorant good intentions? Or was it something else?

For some people, it's hard to imagine that sort of thing happening today. Not me. In fact, for some time now I've been meaning to do a webpage on how the return of public ceremonies of sacrifice of beautiful women is all but inevitable. I base this prediction on the fact that all examples of brutality against women are actually acts of brutality against female beauty and sexuality. This includes virgin sacrifices, witch hunts, religious purges, public stoning of prostitutes, wife beatings, serial killings, r4pe, etc. Today, we see more and more examples around the world of hatred of female beauty and sexuality: men murdering their ex's, forcibly burqua'd Muslimas - even more terrifying are the unforcibly burqua'd Muslimas - etc. Inevitably, we are moving closer and closer to the ultimate expression of hatred of female beauty and sexuality, which is: public sacrifice of beautiful, innocent, young women.

All the people required to make such atrocities possible in those societies are still around today in ours. The people who enthusiastically participated in historical ceremonies of public sacrifice, such as the Sеnеcа Indіаns of Niagara sending virgins over the Falls in canoes or ancient Mayan virgin sacrifices, were not any different than the beauty haters of today. Such people abound in any society, even ours, or any other in the modern world. Whenever and wherever they exist, they always have a ready excuse for their horrible brutality, some semi-plausible political or religious justification which distracts us from their real motivation and purpose. They would like us to believe that they are well-intentioned or at least misguided, and for the most part they succeed. In reality, though, they are motivated by nothing more noble than the inhuman desire to see beautiful young women die the most horrible, violent deaths imaginable. In any society, these people are always waiting for the day when the tide of public opinion towards female beauty and sexuality turns bloody once again.

I will do a page on exactly who these beauty haters are another day. It's important to identify them all specifically very carefully, and I will. But for now, let me point out generally that as much as our society loves to look at beautiful women, they are still frowned upon and hated by a huge percentage of the population. The percentages are even higher in other societies around the globe - perhaps as high as that in barbaric societies. High enough to bring back public celebrations of the torture and murder of innocent young women? I've always said that it is. And I was not wrong.

In fact, the next scheduled public slaying of an innocent young woman will take place on January 27, 2001.

In a few weeks a 17-year-old Nigerian girl, Bаrіyа Mаgаzυ, will be subjected to a violent, savage, life-threatening, public beating.

Convicted in an Islamic sharia court of having had premarital sex leading to pregnancy, Bаrіyа Mаgаzυ was sentenced to 180 lashes with a cane (far fewer can kill) to be administered publicly within 40 days of her baby's birth. Magazu's baby girl was born in December.

Magazu's pregnancy was discovered last September, in the northern Nigerian state of Zamfara. Officials demanded she name the father. She explained that her own father had forced her to have sex with three of his friends which led to her pregnancy. In court, Bariya was denied both witnesses and a lawyer and was summarily sentenced to 100 lashes for premarital sex, and 80 more for making "false" accusations against her father and his friends.

Amnеsty Intеrnаtіоnаl has inspired Canada and a few other countries to lodge official protests, but with little effect. Thе Nіgеrіаn government is growing more and more helpless as the country splits apart along religious lines. In spite of the fact that the imposition of Islamic or sharia law in one state is in violation of Nigeria's federal secular constitution, fundamenalist fanatics in Zamfara are trying to impose a totalitarian religious regime similar to the Taleban in Afghanistan. Highest on their agenda are public amputations, stonings, burnings, floggings and systematic oppression of women. They've already threatened women who don't cover themselves, even the large Christian minority. In Kаnо, a neighbouring Islamic state, Taxi drivers have been lashed for carrying female passengers and it has been declared that women who commit adultery will be stoned.

Like most of the victims of public ceremonies of sacrifice, Bаrіyа Mаgаzυ is still a child. Most modern countries prohibit this kind of treatment not only against children, but against anyone. Yet in response to international protests, the governor of the state where Magazu lives defiantly insisted last week that the flogging would be carried out. And more. In defiance of federal Nigerian authority, he declared the girl's sentence would be carried out on the first anniversary of the establishment of sharia in Zamfara, a day of elaborate public religious celebration, with, I suppose, Magazu's death as the main attraction.

This is why Body in Mind is dedicated to celebrating beautiful, sexy women. The only ultimate alternative is to literally celebrate their destruction.