On May 15-16, the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) held a technical workshop to provide a forum in which Afghan legal professionals could discuss how Afghan criminal law is applied in cases involving women.
While a Presidential fiat grants bail to 1300 females facing trial for various offences, it is unlikely to permanently benefit those charged with adultery under Pakistan's notorious 'hudood' laws - long criticised by rights groups as being anti-women.
The government has decided to retain all Islamic punishments in the Hudood Ordinance, including stoning to death (rajam), lashing and amputation for various offences, but has proposed procedural amendments regarding their applicability.
The Law Commission of Bangladesh recently took the initiative of drafting a Bill on domestic violence. Ain-o-Salish Kendra (ASK), a well-known human rights and legal aid organization has welcomed the Law Commission's initiative.
Egyptian women are the first in the Middle East to have gained the right to unilateral divorce through a procedure called khul. This article in the ISIM Review explores how cartoons and films now depict khul in a negative way.
On 6 June, Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), along with Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Susan Davis (D-CA), and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), introduced legislation to help enhance the lives of Iraqi women.
Activists and experts working on women’s rights issues warned of the dangers of a general lack of information regarding urfi marriage, a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly common in Egypt.
Muslim men may wed non-Muslim women whereas Muslim women are, in theory, not allowed to marry non-Muslim men. Now Abdullahi An-Naim has published a book that takes a close look at Muslims and inter-religious marriages. Yogi Sikand has read it.
