In a landmark decision earlier this month, Saudi Arabia amended their "Law of Procedure before Sharia Courts'' to allow women to live independently without permission from their male "guardian(s)".
On Thursday, March 4th, a man walked from his village home en route to the local police station in northern India — carrying a severed head. His neighbors in the community were shocked at the sight and called the police ahead of his arrival.
According to Iranian media, the Women's Alpine ski team traveled to Italy for the World Championships without their coach, Samira Zargari. Under Iran's Sharia laws, husbands may stop their wives from leaving the country. Zargari's husband barred her from attending the championships with her team.
On January 31st, the Statistical Center of Iran reported that approximately 9,058 girls between ages 10 and 14 were married in 2020.
Officials who enact marriage laws based on the Islamic constitution often cite the eighth-century Muslim scholar Imam Sadiq, who stated that a 'happy father' does not permit his daughter to menstruate in his house. Today, the basis of Iran’s matrimonial laws is formed from this specific interpretation of Islam.
Over 9,000 10–14 year-old girls married in 3 months
While Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, held a virtual forum on Telegram, a messaging platform, and someone posed a question for him, the Al-Arabiya news outlet reports. Since Iranian women were mandated to wear hijabs after the 1979 Islamic revolution, Khamenei was asked if “characters in animated films” should likewise be required to wear the hijab.
On Sunday, February 14th, a Hamas-run Islamic court ruled that unmarried women in the Gaza Strip now require permission from a male ‘guardian’ to travel, which is usually an older male relative. A married woman would require approval from her husband. Permission to travel without guardianship would have to be authorized by a court.
A Catholic priest in Rhode Island callously disregarded the severity of raping children. He claimed that voting pro-choice is significantly worse than sexually abusing children because “pedophilia doesn’t kill anyone.”
Loujain al-Hathloul, the Saudi activist who gained international attention as she publicly opposed the ban on women drivers in the country, was placed in custody by the Saudi government in May 2018 due to her activism.
According to state-run media, an Egyptian court overturned the sentences of two women who were previously convicted on charges of “violating family values” and “inciting debauchery” as a result of acquiring significant fame on TikTok.
