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timespakistan · 4 years ago

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Arzoo declared a minor, sent back to shelter home

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday ordered that the Arzoo Fatima case is to be investigated in accordance with the child marriages restraint act after a medical board declared her a minor.

Arzoo had converted to Islam and married a man almost thrice her age. The SHC order came on her petition seeking a court injunction against her Christian family’s attempt to get an FIR registered at the Frere police station against her husband and in-laws.

The court had constituted a special medical board to determine her age, which according to her family was 13 years. The five-member board estimated it to be between 14 and 15 years and nearer to 14 years, based on her bone ossification and physical appearance.

The SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha asked Arzoo, who was brought in from the shelter home where she was being kept, if she was forced to convert to Islam.

She replied that she had converted to Islam of her own free will, and that she had not been kidnapped by anyone. She said she had married of her own free will as well. The court ordered the investigating officer to record the statement of the petitioner in accordance with Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code within three days.

The bench said that according to the record of the National Database & Registration Authority (Nadra), her date of birth is July 31, 2007, which shows her age to be 13 years. The court said that according to medical, Nadra and school records, Arzoo is under the age of 18, making it impossible for her to enter into a legally valid marriage with Ali Azhar under the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act, and so she cannot be allowed to go with him.

The bench asked her whether she wanted to go with her parents or back to the shelter home. She replied that she would rather go with her husband. The court said that considering her age, she is being sent back to the shelter home, with the order that her schooling, welfare and security should be ensured there.

The bench said that prima facie (according to the first impression), an offence has been committed under the child marriages restrain act, so the IO should include the relevant section of the law and conduct a full investigation of the case.

The court told the IO to also investigate the case under sections 4 and 5 of the act, so action can also be taken against all the persons involved in this underage marriage. Section 4 deals with punishment for those who facilitate child marriages, and Section 5 deals with punishment for parents or guardians who allow or fail to prevent these offences.

The bench said clues can be found in the comments filed by Arzoo’s father that are on court record and include the names of those involved in the marriage in contravention of the law. Arzoo’s counsel Mohammad Ramzan Tabasum, however, pointed out that the marriage was conducted in accordance with the federal law and so it could not be declared

invalid.

The court said that the issue can be taken up at another time at a more appropriate forum, where it can be decided if the federal law can prevail over the provincial law in view of the 18th amendment of the constitution.

The bench ordered the police to take Arzoo back to the shelter home, where she will be allowed to meet only those people who she wants to, except her husband.

The court ordered the IO and the chief of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell to inform the court about the development made in the investigation by November 23.

The SHC made it clear that no person should be protected in any way if they have violated the child marriages restraint act, and that after a proper investigation, action must be taken against those found to be in breach of the law.

The bench also warned the IO against harassing anyone during the course of the investigation, directing him to act strictly in accordance with the law. Arzoo had said in her petition that she converted to Islam of her own free will, adding that she asked her family to embrace Islam but they refused.

She said she married Azhar of her own free will and without any pressure, adding that she feared that her family was annoyed because of it and would register a kidnapping case against her husband and in-laws.

She also said she had already intimated the Frere SHO about her conversion and marriage after obtaining permission and affidavit of free will from the competent authority, but despite being duly received by the Frere police station official, her intimation was not acknowledged.

Her family, however, questioned the validity of her conversion and subsequent marriage because being 13 years old, she is not sui juris (of age), and produced her birth certificate to prove their point.

from Times Pakistan https://ift.tt/3naJjkl via Daily News

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rudabakharr-blog · 7 years ago

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According to the Christianity law of marriage in Pakistan as per the Christian Marriage Act of 1872 the age for Christian marriage in Lahore or Christian marriage in Pakistan is twenty one years and any one below this age is considered to be a minor and if someone of Christian religion below the age of twenty one year’s wishes to get marry then the permission of real father or Guardian or Mother is required To Know the appropriate and legal Procedure of christen court marriage in lahore visit our website http://www.lawyerinlahore.com/christian-court-marriage-in-lahore/ .Our law firm provide Best Court Marriage Lawyer in Lahore. Lawyer in Lahore Also provide services in following categories: Family Cases. Court marriage. Property cases. Business cases. Criminal cases

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bismaafaq-blog · 4 years ago

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Legal Path For Dissolution of Marriage in Pakistan By Expert Family Advocate

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iasshikshalove · 5 years ago

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Daily Current Affairs Dated On 18-Sep-2019

Daily Current Affairs Dated On 18-Sep-2019 GS-1 UN report on migrants Why in news? The International Migrant Stock 2019, a dataset released by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) on September 18, provides the latest estimates of the number of international migrants by age, sex and origin for all countries and areas of the world. Salient observation of the report:  The number of migrants globally reached an estimated 272 million  India was the leading country of origin of international migrants in 2019 with a 17.5 million strong diaspora, according to new estimates released by the United Nations, which said the number of migrants globally reached an estimated 272 million.  The estimates are based on official national statistics on the foreign-born or the foreign population obtained from population censuses, population registers or nationally representative surveys.  The report said that the top 10 countries of origin account for one-third of all international migrants. In 2019, with 17.5 million persons living abroad, India was the leading country of origin of international migrants.  Migrants from Mexico constituted the second largest diaspora (11.8 million), followed by China (10.7 million), Russia (10.5 million), Syria (8.2 million), Bangladesh (7.8 million), Pakistan (6.3 million), Ukraine (5.9 million), the Philippines (5.4 million) and Afghanistan (5.1 million). India's status  India hosted 5.1 million international migrants in 2019, less than the 5.2 million in 2015. International migrants as a share of total population in India was steady at 0.4% from 2010 to 2019.  The country hosted 207,000 refugees, the report said, adding that refugees as a share of international migrants in the country was four per cent.  Among the international migrants in the country, the female population was 48.8% and the median age of international migrants was 47.1 years.  In India, the highest number of international migrants came from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. Daily Current Affairs Dated On 18-Sep-2019 The report added that forced displacements across international borders continues to rise. GS-2 Uniform civil code Why in news? Last week, while hearing a matter relating to properties of a Goan, the Supreme Court described Goa as a “shining example” with a Uniform Civil Code, observed that the founders of the Constitution had “hoped and expected” a Uniform Civil Code for India but there has been no attempt at framing one. What is a Uniform Civil Code?  A Uniform Civil Code is one that would provide for one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.  Article 44 of the Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.  Article 44 is one of the directive principles.  These, as defined in Article 37, are not justiciable (not enforceable by any court) but the principles laid down therein are fundamental in governance.  Fundamental rights are enforceable in a court of law. While Article 44 uses the words “state shall endeavour”, other Articles in the ‘Directive Principles’ chapter use words such as “in particular strive”; “shall in particular direct its policy”; “shall be obligation of the state” etc.  Article 43 mentions “state shall endeavour by suitable legislation” while the phrase “by suitable legislation” is absent in Article 44. All this implies that the duty of the state is greater in other directive principles than in Article 44. What are more important — fundamental rights or directive principles?  There is no doubt that fundamental rights are more important.  The Supreme Court held in Minerva Mills (1980): “Indian Constitution is founded on the bedrock of the balance between Parts III (Fundamental Rights) and IV (Directive Principles). Daily Current Affairs Dated On 18-Sep-2019  To give absolute primacy to one over the other is to disturb the harmony of the Constitution”.  Article 31C inserted by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, however, lays down that if a law is made to implement any directive principle, it cannot be challenged on the ground of being violative of the fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 19. Does India not already have a uniform code in civil matters?  Indian laws do follow a uniform code in most civil matters - Indian Contract Act, Civil Procedure Code, Sale of Goods Act, Transfer of Property Act, Partnership Act, Evidence Act etc. States, however, have made hundreds of amendments and therefore in certain matters, there is diversity even under these secular civil laws.  Recently, several states refused to be governed by the uniform Motor Vehicles Act, 2019.  If the framers of the Constitution had intended to have a Uniform Civil Code, they would have given exclusive jurisdiction to Parliament in respect of personal laws, by including this subject in the Union List. But “personal laws” are mentioned in the Concurrent List.  Last year, the Law Commission concluded that a Uniform Civil Code is neither feasible nor desirable. Is there one common personal law for any religious community governing all its members?  All Hindus of the country are not governed by one law, nor are all Muslims or all Christians.  Not only British legal traditions, even those of the Portuguese and the French remain operative in some parts.  In Jammu and Kashmir until August 5, 2019, local Hindu law statutes differed from central enactments.  The Shariat Act of 1937 was extended to J&K a few years ago but has now been repealed. Muslims of Kashmir were thus governed by a customary law, which in many ways was at variance with Muslim Personal Law in the rest of the country and was, in fact, closer to Hindu law.  Even on registration of marriage among Muslims, laws differ from place to place. It was compulsory in J&K (1981 Act), and is optional in Bengal, Bihar (both under 1876 Act), Assam (1935 Act) and Odisha (1949 Act). Daily Current Affairs Dated On 18-Sep-2019  In the Northeast, there are more than 200 tribes with their own varied customary laws.  The Constitution itself protects local customs in Nagaland. Similar protections are enjoyed by Meghalaya and Mizoram. Even reformed Hindu law, in spite of codification, protects customary practices. How does the idea of a Uniform Civil Code relate to the fundamental right to religion?  Article 25 lays down an individual’s fundamental right to religion; Article 26(b) upholds the right of each religious denomination or any section thereof to “manage its own affairs in matters of religion”; Article 29 defines the right to conserve distinctive culture. An individual’s freedom of religion under Article 25 is subject to “public order, health, morality” and other provisions relating to fundamental rights, but a group’s freedom under Article 26 has not been subjected to other fundamental rights  In the Constituent Assembly, there was division on the issue of putting Uniform Civil Code in the fundamental rights chapter.  The matter was settled by a vote. By a 5:4 majority, the fundamental rights sub-committee headed by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel held that the provision was outside the scope of fundamental rights and therefore the Uniform Civil Code was made less important than freedom of religion. What was the view of Muslim members in the Constituent Assembly?  Some members sought to immunise Muslim Personal Law from state regulation.  Mohammed Ismail, who thrice tried unsuccessfully to get Muslim Personal Law exempted from Article 44, said a secular state should not interfere with the personal law of people.  B Pocker Saheb said he had received representations against a common civil code from various organisations, including Hindu organisations.  Hussain Imam questioned whether there could ever be uniformity of personal laws in a diverse country like India. Daily Current Affairs Dated On 18-Sep-2019  B R Ambedkar said “no government can use its provisions in a way that would force the Muslims to revolt”. Alladi Krishnaswami, who was in favour of a Uniform Civil Code, conceded that it would be unwise to enact Uniform Civil Code ignoring strong opposition from any community.  Gender justice was not mentioned in these debates. How did the debate on a common code for Hindus play out?  In June 1948, Rajendra Prasad, President of the Constituent Assembly, warned Jawaharlal Nehru that to introduce “basic changes” in personal law was to impose “progressive ideas” of a “microscopic minority” on the Hindu community as a whole. Others opposed to reforms in Hindu law included Sardar Patel, Pattabhi Sitaramayya, M A Ayyangar, M M Malaviya and Kailash Nath Katju.  When the debate on the Hindu Code Bill took place in December 1949, 23 of 28 speakers opposed it. On September 15, 1951, President Prasad threatened to use his powers of returning the Bill to Parliament or vetoing it. Ambedkar eventually had to resign.  Nehru agreed to trifurcation of the Code into separate Acts and diluted several provisions. Public safety act Why in news? On Monday, it emerged that former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has been detained under the state’s stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), which enables authorities to detain any individual for two years without trial. A look at the provisions of the Act, and the conversation around it: Daily Current Affairs Dated On 18-Sep-2019 What is the PSA?  The Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978 is a preventive detention law, under which a person is taken into custody to prevent him or her from acting in any manner that is prejudicial to “the security of the state or the maintenance of the public order”.  It is very similar to the National Security Act that is used by other state governments for preventive detention.  By definition, preventive detention is meant to be preventive, not punitive.  This broad definition is the most common ground used by a law-enforcement agency when it slaps the PSA on an individual.  It comes into force by an administrative order passed either by Divisional Commissioner or the District Magistrate, and not by an detention order by police based on specific allegations or for specific violation of laws. Why is it considered draconian?  The PSA allows for detention of a person without a formal charge and without trial.  It can be slapped on a person already in police custody; on someone immediately after being granted bail by a court; or even on a person acquitted by the court. Detention can be up to two years.  Unlike in police custody, a person who is detained under the PSA need not be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours of the detention.  The detained person does not have the right to move a bail application before a criminal court, and cannot engage any lawyer to represent him or her before the detaining authority.  The only way this administrative preventive detention order can be challenged is through a habeas corpus petition filed by relatives of the detained person.  The High Court and the Supreme Court have the jurisdiction to hear such petitions and pass a final order seeking quashing of the PSA.  However, if the order is quashed, there in no bar on the government passing another detention order under the PSA and detaining the person again. Daily Current Affairs Dated On 18-Sep-2019 What happens once the PSA is slapped?  Generally, when a person is detained under the PSA, the DM communicates to the person within five days, in writing, the reason for the detention. In exceptional circumstances, the DM can take 10 days to communicate these grounds.  This communication is important because it is on the basis of it that the detained person gets an opportunity of making a representation against the order.  However, the DM also has the discretion not to disclose all the facts on the basis of which the detention is ordered, if he or she thinks that these facts are against “public interest”.  The DM has to place the detention order within four weeks before an advisory board, consisting of three members including a chairperson who is a former judge of the High Court.  The DM also has to place the representation made by the detained person. The detained person too can make a representation before this advisory board.  Within the sixth week from the date of detention, the board submits its report to the government, which will determine if the detention is in public interest. This report is binding on the government. What constitutional safeguards are guaranteed to a person so detained?  Article 22(a) of the Constitution states that no person who is arrested shall be detained in custody without being informed, as soon as may be, of the grounds for such arrest, nor shall he be denied the right to consult, and to be defended by, a legal practitioner of his choice.  Article 22(b) states that every person arrested and detained shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within a period of 24 hours (excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court) and no such person shall be detained beyond this period without the authority of a magistrate.  However, Article 22(3)(b) allows for preventive detention and restriction on personal liberty for reasons of state security and public order.  The Supreme Court has held that in order to prevent “misuse of this potentially dangerous power, the law of preventive detention has to be strictly construed and meticulous compliance with the procedural safeguards... is mandatory and vital”. Daily Current Affairs Dated On 18-Sep-2019  Therefore, the DM has to show that the detention order follows the procedure established by law; any violation of these procedural safeguards is to be termed violation of constitutional rights. Over the years, the Supreme Court has held that while detaining a person under the PSA, the DM is under a legal obligation to analyse all the circumstances and material before depriving that person of his or her personal liberty. GS-3 Akash SAM missile Why in news? The Defence Ministry has signed a ₹5,500 crore contract for additional indigenous Akash Surface to Air Missile (SAM) systems and in the next one year, contracts worth ₹70,000-80,000 crore are expected to be signed with Indian industry. Defence exports  The government aims to build a $10 trillion economy by 2032 and defence has been identified as one of the most prominent sectors to contribute to this growth.  “In our envisaged Defence Production Policy, we have spelt out our goal to achieve a turnover of $26 billion in aerospace and defence goods and services by 2025, involving an additional investment of $10 billion and creating employment for nearly 2-3 million people.  The simplification of procedures had resulted in defence export of ₹10,745 crore in 2018-19, which was nearly seven times the export achieved in 2016-17 and we have set a target of $5 bn for exports till 2024. Daily Current Affairs Dated On 18-Sep-2019 About Akash missile  Akash (Sanskrit: Ākāśa "Sky") is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defense system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for Missile Systems and Bharat Electronics (BEL) for other radars, control centers in India.  The missile system can target aircraft up to 30 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m.  It has the capability to neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles as well as ballistic missiles.  It is in operational service with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Why in news? SRO'S attempts to figure out what happened to Chandrayaan-2's Vikram will get a boost on Tuesday, when a NASA spacecraft flies over the lander's landing site on the Moon. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is likely to release images it takes of Vikram, the American media has reported. "NASA will share any before and after flyover imagery of the area around the targeted Chandrayaan-2 Vikram lander landing site to support analysis by the Indian Space Research Organisation," spaceflightnow.com quoted Noah Petro, the LRO's project scientist, as saying. So, what is NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)?  The LRO is a robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon. It studies the Moon's surface, clicks pictures, and collects data that help in figuring out the presence and possibility of water ice and other resources on the Moon, as well as plan future missions to it.  According to NASA: "The primary mission of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, located in Greenbelt, Maryland, was to measure the entire lunar surface to create a high-resolution 3-D map of the Moon with ~50-centimeter Daily Current Affairs Dated On 18-Sep-2019 resolution images to aid in the planning of future robotic and crewed missions. In addition, LRO would map the polar regions and search for the presence of water ice." Since when has the LRO been doing this job?  More than 10 years now.  The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite missions began on June 18, 2009.  LRO entered lunar orbit on June 23, 2009.  In September 2010, LRO completed its primary mapping mission and began an extended science mission around the Moon, with its responsibility transferred to NASA's Science Mission Directorate.  According to the NASA: "The mission has provided technical innovations and made surprising discoveries that have changed our view of the Moon.  The instruments on board the spacecraft return global data, such as day-night temperature maps, a global geodetic grid, high resolution color imaging and the moon's UV albedo.  However, there has been particular emphasis on the polar regions of the moon where continuous access to solar illumination may be possible and the prospect of water in the permanently shadowed regions at the poles may exist."  It is estimated that the LRO has fuel enough to stay on its mission for at least six more years. And what has the LRO achieved so far?  According to NASA, some of LRO's technical innovations include the first global thermal mapping of a planetary body covering a full range of local times and seasons, the first bi-static radar imaging measurements from Earth to a planetary orbiter, and more than five years of laser altimetric measurements yielding more than 8 billion topographic points, better than any other object in the Solar System.

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uxarhawking-blog · 6 years ago

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djgblogger-blog · 7 years ago

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Will outlawing 'instant divorce' advance justice for Muslim women in India?

http://bit.ly/2wQVqO1

Activists protesting against the recently banned triple divorce. AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

The Supreme Court of India recently struck down a specific divorce practice among its minority Muslims. The age-old practice known as “triple talaq” allowed a Muslim man to dissolve his marriage by uttering the term divorce three times, all at once.

As a scholar who has conducted research among Muslim communities in India, I have seen firsthand how the abuse of this practice resulted in devastating consequences for Muslim women in India. In recent years, some men, for example, were divorcing their wives over Skype or a phone app. Many women found themselves abandoned, without any access to financial resources and in some cases custody of their children.

India came to this decision late after predominantly Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Iran, Indonesia and several Arab nations had outlawed the practice in the 20th century. And controversially so. Even now, perhaps most fundamentally, the question remains – what difference will it actually make?

Divorce in Islam

Divorce in Islam is regulated by a number of considerations and responsibilities. According to the principles of sharia, or Islamic law, the recommended practices are to have two witnesses to the decision to end the marriage, hear both sides, allow time to reflect and reconcile, and carefully handle matters of property.

The process is not cut and dried, but is instead based on mediation, facilitated by an Islamic judge. These judges try to abide by principles of Islamic law and take into account the unique circumstances and life situations of all parties. For example, in some divorces women retain the “mehr,” which is the money the husband agrees to gift the bride at the time of marriage. In others, she is expected to return the gift upon divorce.

Still, the procedures differ significantly between men and women. Men have the right to declare “talaq” and thus end the marriage, although they are required to take three months before finalizing their decision.

When a Muslim woman wants to initiate a divorce based on Islamic law, she generally must turn to an Islamic judge or imam (leader) to assist her if the husband refuses his consent.

There are many possible justifications under Islamic law: A woman might claim her husband prevents her from being pious or that he has abandoned or neglected her. It could also be that the husband is impotent, has other health issues or is in prison. I have also seen divorce granted on the grounds of cruelty. Islamic judges can even annul the marriage on certain grounds.

In sum, women have ways to seek divorce under Islamic law. But unlike men, they cannot unilaterally make a binding decision to end the marriage.

In the debates that led up to the Indian Supreme Court ruling many Muslim activists and intellectuals argued that the practice of instant divorce by the husband did not exist in the Quran and is therefore not a practice that should fall under religious freedom. The majority opinion on the court accepted this argument that triple talaq, in which the word “talaq” is said all at once, is not a truly Islamic practice.

Status of religious minorities

So why did it take so long to rule against this practice in India?

While India is a secular country, the rights of minority communities such as Muslims and Christians to practice their religious laws in matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance, custody and adoption are constitutionally protected.

In view of this protection, any attempt by the government to interfere in religious law and community matters is viewed as a violation of minority rights and a threat to freedom. For example, in 1985, when a Muslim woman, Shah Bano, filed a petition in court demanding the right to alimony from her divorced husband, the case became highly political and controversial. Muslim leaders demanded that the government not interfere in “personal” and religious matters.

Today, Muslims have even more cause to worry about interference in their communities. Since the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014, the Hindu nationalist movement has become emboldened. Hindu nationalism promotes the political domination of “ancient” Hindu culture over all other cultures in India. For example, in the name of protecting the sacredness of cows and Hindu tradition, there have been many cow vigilante groups, who have attacked minority Muslims for eating beef.

For this reason, even progressive legal changes like banning instant divorce were viewed by some Muslim leaders as one small step in a larger attack on religious minorities.

Where are Muslim women’s voices?

The other issue is who speaks on behalf of the Muslim community. Muslims constitute 14 percent of India’s population and are enormously diverse. However, it is the self-appointed Muslim leaders who have been the most vocal on the issue, saying that the government should not intervene in Muslim family laws.

India does not demand official representatives of the Muslim community, as do some other countries, such as France and Italy.

Consequently, Muslim women’s groups have been struggling to be heard in these debates.

Condition of Muslim women in India

For many reasons, it is not clear how much the court ruling will improve women’s overall lives.

Divorce appears to be lower among Muslim women than among women of other religious communities. The divorce rate (based on the number of divorces per 1000 married women) is just over 5 percent for Muslim women, lower than the rate for Christian and Buddhist women.

Moreover, as women’s rights lawyer Flavia Agnes argued, there have already been a number of legal cases that effectively declared instant divorce invalid.

Muslim women in India are dealing with a large number of challenges. AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal

It is also important to note that Muslim women are dealing with a large number of challenges. These include widespread poverty, lack of access to education and an illiteracy rate of almost 40 percent in urban areas and over 50 percent in rural areas. (These percentages can vary widely across India.) Muslim women have the lowest rate of primary school completion compared to other groups, at 71 percent in urban areas and 48 percent in rural areas.

Arbitrary divorce is therefore only one of the injustices Indian Muslim women face.

Furthermore, while many Muslim women may want and need internal reforms in their communities, they are uncomfortable in courts and also have reasons to distrust the state. There are cases of police abuses against Muslims, with rates of incarceration being higher compared to other communities.

In my own research among low-income Muslim communities in the Indian city of Hyderabad, people did not think government intervention would really improve their lives. They also feared it would undermine their religious autonomy.

Often, women look for local solutions before approaching civil courts. In one low-income neighborhood I studied, a group of activists worked with Islamic judges to help women in situations of marital crisis or domestic violence secure a divorce or claim their financial rights in the aftermath of divorce. Activists told me that developing supportive relationships with these judges resulted in faster, easier and less costly resolution of family conflicts than going through civil courts.

While legal advancement is important and ensuring fairness in divorce is something to celebrate, it is but one small step toward a greater vision of gender justice.

Z. Fareen Parvez received funding from the New Directions in the Study of Prayer at the Social Science Research Council; the National Science Foundation; the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation; and the University of California at Berkeley’s Center for Race and Gender, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and Institute of International Studies.

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