YEARS
If this law is implemented then girls will be able to get married after 9 years. This new law of Iraq is being criticized all over the world. Also, women’s groups are calling it a violation of women’s rights and are expressing their displeasure. According to a report in The Telegraph, the ruling coalition says the move is in line with its strict interpretation of Islamic law and is aimed at protecting young girls from immoral relationships.
By law in Iraq, the minimum age for marriage in most cases is set at 18 years. But, Iraq’s parliament is considering controversial legal changes. A new law is proposed regarding the marriage of girls in Iraq. If this law is implemented then girls will be able to get married after 9 years. This new law of Iraq is being criticized all over the world. Also, women’s groups are calling it a violation of women’s rights and are expressing their displeasure. According to a report in The Telegraph, the ruling coalition says the move is in line with its strict interpretation of Islamic law and is aimed at protecting young girls from immoral relationships.
Pressure for the changes comes mainly from powerful Shia Muslim political factions backed by religious leaders, who have increasingly campaigned against the imposition of their cultural norms on Muslim-majority Iraq by the West. In April, parliament passed a harsh anti-LGBTQ+ law. The proposed amendment would allow Iraqis to turn to religious courts on family law issues, including marriage, which is currently the sole domain of civil courts. This would allow clerics to rule according to their interpretation of Sharia or Islamic law as opposed to national laws. Some clerics interpret Sharia to permit marriage of girls as young as 9 or in adolescence under the Ja’fari school of Islamic law adopted by many Shia religious authorities in Iraq.
Iraq’s Personal Status Law, passed in 1959, is largely considered a strong foundation protecting the rights of women and children. It sets the legal marriage age at 18, although it allows girls under 15 to marry with parental consent and medical proof that the girl has reached puberty and is menstruating. . Marriages outside the state courts were prohibited. Still, enforcement is lax. Individual judges sometimes approve marriages at a young age, whether due to corruption or because the marriage has already taken place informally. Iraq has started being criticized all over the world regarding its proposal. At the same time, concerns are also increasing regarding the legal security of women. Dr. Renad Mansour of the think tank Chatham House warned that the move was part of a broader political strategy to strengthen the religious right and tighten its grip on power.
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