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Sharia Law In Aceh – Too Severe Or Too Lax?

Introduction Of Sharia Law In Aceh

Unlike other parts of Indonesia, the province of Aceh has Islamic law added to its penal code. In 2001,some Sharia-inspired byelaws were put into effect in Aceh and a form of Sharia was formally introduced in 2003. Aceh has long been a conservative Muslim area, and is thought to be the [...]

Plight Of Nepali Women Who Go To The Middle East For Work

How The Women End Up

The government of Nepal is reported to want to block its people from going to Iran, Kuwait, or Afghanistan to work. The reason is that hundreds of Nepalese women who emigrate to Arab countries to earn a living but many are not heard from for years. It seems such end up being [...]

UAE – OK To Beat Wives And Children If There Are No Tell Tale Marks

When Discipline Becomes Abuse

Can a Muslim man discipline his wife and children?  The Federal Supreme Court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has given the answer to this question.  Yes, the Muslim man has this right to discipline his wife and children, but in exercising that right, he must be mindful to keep within limits of [...]

Law Prevails Over Religious Custom In New Jersey

The Case Of Non-Consensual Sex In New Jersey

An appellate court in New Jersey, USA, has reversed a judgment of a lower court in New Jersey. The case concerns a Muslim couple who had migrated from Morocco to New Jersey a month after their arranged marriage in July 2008, when the wife was only 17. The wife’s [...]

Can A Saudi Judge Refuse To Hear A Woman’s Case Because She Did Not Come With A Male Guardian?

When Male Guardianship Prevents Justice From Being Heard

We have heard of cases when Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system is abused by Saudi men, resulting in Saudi women suffering.  What happens when male guardianship stands in the way of a court hearing?  Can justice be denied because of this male guardianship system?

The Experience Of Um Hasan

A Saudi [...]

Saudi Woman A Prisoner In A Male Guardianship Regime

Saudi Physician Dr Fadha Sultan Trapped

Saudi Arabia has strict male guardianship system.  But when male guardianship is abused, it is the women who suffer.  Examples that come to mind includes Jennifer Birrell and Nazia Quazi.  Now there is another case, this time involving a Saudi physician called Dr Fadha Sultan.  She too has been trapped inside Saudi [...]

Kyrgyzstani Sex Slave In Dubai To Testify In Court

How often we hear of stories of young innocent women being tricked into prostitution in foreign lands.  Now a court case in Dubai gives us some idea of how this trickery works.  Often an unsuspecting victim falls into the trap because she trusted someone who betrayed that trust.  And now, one such victim from Kyrgyzstani has been [...]

Saudi Arabia – When Male Guardianship Is Abused

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald caught my attention today.  It tells the sad story of how an Australian lady who converted to Muslim and later moved to Saudi Arabia became a victim of the abuse of the Saudi Arabia system of male guardianship.

Jennifer Birrell was 19 years old when her husband died barely 7 months [...]