Women's Rights and Islamic Family Law: Perspectives on Reform

Lynn Welchman

Zed Books, Sep 4, 2004 - Religion - 300 pages

This volume explores the present-day realities of Islamic family law, with particular emphasis on the rights of women. Three contrasting country cases have been selected: Egypt, the most populous Arab state with a constitutional clause on the place of "principles of the shari`a" as the principal source of legislation; the West Bank and Gaza, family law here being a contested site between different visions of national identity in the process of trying to build a Palestinian state; and the United States, where some in the minority Muslim communities seek to regulate their family relations in accordance with "principles of the shari`a" within the context of a non-Muslim state applying civil law requirements to all family matters. A concluding study ranges further afield in order to explore the challenges and potential of "principles of shari`a" in advocacy on the question of violence against women.

Contents

• List of tables 1 ix Acknowledgements 1 xi: 1
• Egyptian family and social attitudes: 45
• a new personal status law and a limited: 58
• Political parties and the law 1 65 Critical articles of Law no 1 of 2000: 72
• the opinions of the general public 181: 81
• General conclusions: 87
• state legitimation legal: 112
• Attitudes towards legal reform of personal status law: 125
• It Do you think family law should respond to changes and new needs: 140
• the womens movement social politics: 144
• The study 145 The sample 145 Ideal marriage age 147 The right: 150
• The husbands responsibilities 153 The wifes work outside the home 1: 156
• Case history: 164
• females as bread: 171
• a survey of lslamic family law in: 177
• law in practice: 188
• lslamic family law in US courts: 199
• Future trends and predictions: 213
• a comparative study: 231
• Contributors 1273: 273

Popular passages

Page 279 - Commission; alternative approaches and ways and means within the United Nations system for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms.‎

About the author

Lynn Welchman is Director of the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Women's Rights and Islamic Family Law: Perspectives on Reform; Volume 4 of Islamic studies, religion, law, women's studies
• Editor: Lynn Welchman
• Contributor: Lynn Welchman
• Publisher: Zed Books, 2004
• ISBN: 1842770950, 9781842770955
• Length: 300 pages
• Subjects: Religion / Islam / General; Religion / Islam / Law; Social Science / Women's Studies