Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit to invalidate the passing of three bills wrapped into one package in the country's Parliament, including amendments to a Personal Status Law that critics say diminish women’s rights and permit underage marriage.
Along with the amendments to the family law sought by Shiites, Parliament last month approved a general amnesty law sought by Sunnis and a property restitution law aimed at returning land confiscated by Saddam Hussein in disputed areas to Kurdish and Turkmen owners.
The verdict read out by Chief Judge Jassim Mohammed Abood is final and cannot be appealed.
The MPs and activists who filed the lawsuit allege irregularities in the voting process, claiming Parliament did not announce the quorum and vote count, and it was not clear how many voted in favour as a number of politicians walked away while waiving their hands in objection to the process.
A video posted on social media by one MP showed chaos erupting after Speaker Mahmoud Al Mashhadani called on the house to approve the three bills together in a single vote, with some legislators leaving. He then immediately announced that the bills had been approved and left the chamber.
Last Tuesday, the Federal Supreme Court ordered the three laws to be temporarily suspended until the final ruling was issued. That move caused widespread outrage, mainly from Sunni political factions, whose members called for protests in their areas.
It also angered the country’s Supreme Judicial Council which issued a decree, saying laws enacted by Parliament cannot be suspended before they are officially published.
It recommended delaying any ruling on amendments to the Personal Status Law and the Property Restitution Law but emphasised that courts across the country must enforce the amended General Amnesty Law because it has been published. As a result, courts in several Iraqi provinces began implementing the revised piece of legislation.
The most contentious bill was for amendments to the 1959 Personal Status Law, which allows people to choose between religious or civil regulations in matters such as marriage, inheritance, divorce and child custody.
The Scientific Council in the Scholar Council of the Shiite Endowment Office will draw up a “code of Sharia rulings on personal status matters” and submit it to Parliament within four months, the amendments stipulate.
The amendments allow citizens to choose whether to be subject to the provisions of the current 1959 Personal Status Law or the provisions of the Shiite Jaafari Islamic school of jurisprudence. Sunni political parties will not submit their code of Sharia and will adhere to the current law.
In a significant concession, the backers kept the minimum age of marriage at 18 – the same as in the current law – although marriage at 15 will be allowed with certain conditions, including the approval of a judge and guardians. Previous proposals would have allowed girls as young as nine to be married.
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
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Brief scoreline:
Wales 1
James 5'
Slovakia 0
Man of the Match: Dan James (Wales)
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The five pillars of Islam
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4.
5.
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Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: Najem Al Rwasi, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
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Favourite colour: silver
Favourite bike: Gold Wing, Honda
Favourite biking destination: Canada
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