TY - JOUR
T1 - Negotiating rights in Iraq
T2 - Women and the personal status law
AU - Efrati, Noga
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2005
Y1 - 2005
N2 - Recent attempts to abolish the Personal Status Law, inforce since 1959, with the intent of placing family matters in the hands of religious authorities, caused an uproar among Iraqi women's rights activists. This article seeks to place the protest in its historical context by tracing women's participation in shaping the Personal Status Law - touching upon both their achievements and disappointments. It highlights the threat that repealing the law would pose, not only to the advancements for which women activists have struggled long and hard, but more importantly to the very channel which made these achievements possible. It also exposes the "hidden costs" of the protest. Activists' energies were diverted into preserving a law which left many demands unanswered, and away from promoting improved legislation.
AB - Recent attempts to abolish the Personal Status Law, inforce since 1959, with the intent of placing family matters in the hands of religious authorities, caused an uproar among Iraqi women's rights activists. This article seeks to place the protest in its historical context by tracing women's participation in shaping the Personal Status Law - touching upon both their achievements and disappointments. It highlights the threat that repealing the law would pose, not only to the advancements for which women activists have struggled long and hard, but more importantly to the very channel which made these achievements possible. It also exposes the "hidden costs" of the protest. Activists' energies were diverted into preserving a law which left many demands unanswered, and away from promoting improved legislation.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=28844486427&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3751/59.4.13
DO - 10.3751/59.4.13
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:28844486427
SN - 0026-3141
VL - 59
SP - 577
EP - 595
JO - The Middle East Journal
JF - The Middle East Journal
IS - 4
ER -