Law reform

Indonesia: Female Parliamentarians - More Elected but Challenges for Power

When a record 101 women won seats in Indonesia's House of Representatives in the 2009 election, development groups said it was proof that the world's largest Muslim nation was ready to back female politicians and a gender quota system that the country had recently rejected wasn't in fact needed.

UPDATE: Indonesia: Women activists reject Indonesia's pornography law

Since the enactment of Indonesia's pornography law No. 44 year 2008, therefore we, from Women’s activists coalition of South Sulawesi rejected the bill and urged the government to withdraw the law. Our legal effort that we have done by doing a judicial review of this pornography act was rejected by the constitutional court. Update on Indonesia: Law’s definition of pornography open to multiple interpretations

Iran: Registration of "temporary marriages" voted down

The controversial Family Protection bill was dealt a blow at the Islamic parliament today as one of its articles outlining legal registration of "temporary marriages" was voted down. ILNA reports that Article 21 of the new bill failed to pass through the parliament with only 45 votes in favour of it. The article was one of the points women’s rights activists objected to in the so-called Family Protection bill.

Bangladesh: High Court bars enforced Islamic dress code

The High Court has ruled that no women can be forced to wear burqa at work and educational institutions. The bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Sheikh Mohammad Zakir Hossain also ruled that they cannot be barred from taking to culture and sports. The orders came in the wake of a public interest petition filed by Supreme Court lawyers Mahbub Shafi and A K M Hafizul Alam on Sunday.

Bahrain: Legal support for embattled wives

BAHRAINI women are losing battles in court due to a lack of awareness of their rights, according to a leading social worker. Their ignorance about Sharia law often allows cases to be ruled in favour of their husbands, said Bahrain Women Union (BWU) family counsellor Hanan Abdulla. "Due to them not knowing the laws and legislation regarding family matters, they become hopeless in front judges at Sharia Courts," she said. "This leads them to lose their cases, even though they could have easily won if they were more aware of their rights." Ms Abdulla is trying to turn the situation around working at the BWU's legal department to give women advice and counselling on domestic cases.

Syrie: Le gouvernement interdit le port du niqab à l'université

Les étudiantes syriennes n'auront plus le droit de porter de voile couvrant leur visage à l'université, a déclaré, dimanche 18 juillet, le ministre de l'enseignement supérieur syrien Ghiyath Barakat à l'agence de presse Syria News, rapporte Al-Aribya. Toute étudiante ne respectant pas cette décision sera exclue. Le ministre a justifié ce décret en expliquant que le port du niqab allait contre les valeurs et les traditions des universités du pays. Il aurait reçu de nombreuses plaintes de parents ne souhaitant pas que leurs enfants étudient dans un environnement où règne l'extrémisme religieux, ces craintes étant plus fortes dans les universités privées. Le nombre croissant de plaintes a conduit les recteurs d'université à rencontrer le ministre de l'éducation supérieure mercredi 14 juillet, afin d'évoquer l'interdiction du niqab.

France: La conductrice voilée se dit victime d'un "délit de sale gueule"

L'automobiliste verbalisée pour avoir conduit voilée début avril à Nantes a été victime d'un "délit de sale gueule" du policier qui l'a contrôlée, a dit son avocat lors de l'audience devant le tribunal de police. Sandrine Mouleres est l'une des quatre compagnes de Liès Hebbadj, ce commerçant musulman de Rezé (Loire-Atlantique) mis en examen le 9 juin pour "fraudes aux prestations sociales"", "escroqueries", "travail dissimulé" et "aide au séjour irrégulier d'étrangers".

Egypte: Interdiction du voile intégral pendant les examens

La justice égyptienne a annoncé le 3 janvier que les étudiantes portant le niqab seraient désormais interdites d’examen. Elle donne ainsi raison au ministère de l’Éducation supérieure qui, par cette mesure, déclare vouloir éviter les fraudes. Entre porter le niqab et passer des examens en Égypte, il faut désormais choisir. Le 3 janvier, un tribunal égyptien a décidé que les Égyptiennes revêtant le voile intégral, celui ne laissant entrevoir que les yeux, ne seraient plus autorisées à passer leurs épreuves.

Iraqi Kurdistan: Religious leaders meet this week to look at issuing fatwa on FGM

A committee of religious leaders in Iraqi Kurdistan will be meeting this week to look at the issue of female genital mutilation (FGM). Ahmed Shafee, member of the high commission for fatwas assured the media that the committee will hold a meeting to look at the phenomena of FGM in Kurdistan. The head of the media section of the committee, Mula Jaffar Kuani, complained about the report recently issued by Human Rights Watch, saying that “blaming religious leaders for the increase of FGM cases is not right; in addition those who published the report did not consult us during the editing of that report”.

لجنة فتاوى إقليم كردستان تفتي بشأن ختان الإناث في الأيام المقبلة

السليمانية19حزيران/يونيو(آكانيوز)- قال عضو في اللجنة العليا للفتاوى بإقليم كردستان، اليوم السبت، ان لجنته ستصدر فتوى خلال الأيام القليلة المقبلة، بشأن ختان الإناث. وأوضح أحمد الشافعي لوكالة كردستان للأنباء (آكانيوز) أن "اللجنة العليا للفتاوى بإقليم بكردستان ستعقد اجتماعا موسعا، لبحث هذا الموضوع وإصدار فتوى بشأن ختن الفتيات في الاقليم". وتابع قائلا "لا نريد الآن إصدار فتاوى انفرادية، واتفقنا على ألا يفتي الأئمة منفردا، إلى حين عقد الاجتماع وبحث المسألة ومن ثم إصدار فتوى موحدة". وأضاف الشافعي ان "اللجنة العليا للفتاوى بكردستان، كانت قد أصدرت فتوى بهذا الشأن، وقلنا ان لجمهور علماء الدين آراء مختلفة حول هذه المسألة وذكرنا جميع تلك الآراء مرفقا برأينا"، مبينا انه "سيتوضح الموضوع خلال الأيام القليلة المقبلة".