Iraq’s Parliament recently passed a law regarding the legal marriage age, which went against the will of hundreds of protesters. Some lawmakers argued that it was to safeguard their citizens, while others believed otherwise.
A few hours ago, the predominantly Muslim country passed new laws that will heavily influence the lives and choices of the populace. These laws give the Islamic courts absolute power to rule over matters, including family-related issues like inheritance, marriage, and nullifying marriages.
Some people see the situation as a setback against the unified family law passed in 1959. This helped to cushion some laws for women. Following the former law, the legal marriage age in Iraq was set at 18. But by the recent changes, Muslim heads and scholars will set a new age as agreed in their religious laws.
Some of these laws allow for teenage marriage. As for the Jaafari School of Islam law, girls aged nine are ripe for legal marriage in Iraq. Unfortunately, a handful of Shiite practicing clerics believe this Islamic law. On the other hand, supporters of this law maintain that it will promote Islamic principles and reduce the penetration of Western culture.
Activists have condemned this belief claiming that it truncates the rights of the girl child and her personal choices. An anonymous lawmaker revealed that people were opposed to the laws inside the parliament, which led to a protest, per DailyMail.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?