Women Living under Muslim Laws

Women Living under Muslim Laws
Name	Women Living under Muslim Laws
Formation	1984
Type	International non-governmental organization
Headquarters	London
Region served	Global

Women Living under Muslim Laws is an international transnational network that connects activists, scholars, lawyers, and campaigners focused on the intersection of gender, law, and Muslim-majority contexts. Founded in 1984, the network convenes research, documentation, advocacy, and solidarity across countries affected by family law, human rights instruments, and Islamic juristic interpretations. It has influenced debates involving national constitutions, international treaties, and regional mechanisms.

History and Origins

The network emerged from meetings involving scholars and activists associated with International Women's Rights Action Watch, Asian-Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, Awqaf-related discussions, and feminist organizers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, and Iran. Early gatherings included participants linked to Association for Women's Rights in Development, Women Living under Muslim Laws (conference 1984), and academics from University of London, American University of Beirut, University of Karachi, and Université Mohammed V de Rabat. Influences included debates around the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and national legal reforms such as the Family Code (Tunisia), Egyptian Personal Status Law, and reforms in Indonesia.

Organization and Activities

WLML functions through decentralized coordination involving researchers, legal experts, and grassroots organizers drawn from networks such as African Women's Development Fund, Global Fund for Women, Ford Foundation grantees, and regional coalitions like Manila Network and Arab Commission for Human Rights. Activities include producing the flagship newsletter, organizing seminars at venues like International Conference on Islamic Law, convening workshops linked to the Beijing Conference (1995), and supporting litigation strategies used in courts such as the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Constitutional Court of Turkey, and Supreme Court of Indonesia. The network collaborates with legal scholars affiliated with SOAS University of London, Harvard Law School, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and activists from Women Living under Muslim Laws regional groups.

Legal and Policy Advocacy

WLML has engaged with legal instruments including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and regional charters like the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. It has built casework drawing on precedents from the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and national constitutional jurisdictions such as the Constitutional Court of Colombia and the Indian Supreme Court. The network has produced policy briefs referencing reforms like the Moroccan Mudawana reform (2004), the Tunisian Code of Personal Status (1956), and advocacy strategies used in campaigns against practices addressed in rulings from the Iranian Revolutionary Courts and legislative debates in the Pakistani National Assembly.

Regional and National Chapters

Members and partner groups operate in regions including North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe, working with organizations such as Women Living under Muslim Laws Morocco, Women Living under Muslim Laws Pakistan, Women Living under Muslim Laws Turkey, Women's Aid Organisation (Malaysia), Kurdeş Women’s Rights Group (Turkey), Naz Foundation (India), Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, and Moroccan Association of Human Rights. Collaboration extends to networks like Arab Network for Civic Education, South Asia Forum for Human Rights, and international NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch when addressing cases in tribunals like the European Court of Human Rights or campaigns within the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Criticisms and Controversies

The network has faced critiques from conservative religious institutions including scholars associated with Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah, Al-Azhar University, and commentators aligned with political parties such as Hizb ut-Tahrir and various Islamist movements. Secular feminists linked to Feminist Majority Foundation and nationalist groups have also debated WLML’s engagement with religious law, producing disputes that reference cases in the Iranian parliament (Majles), the Turkish Constitutional Court, and policy shifts in Malaysia. Debates have centered on interpretations of texts from jurists like Al-Ghazali, reformist arguments of scholars such as Amina Wadud, and comparative legal strategies seen in judgments from the Sudanese courts and the Jordanian cassation courts.

Impact and Legacy

WLML’s legacy includes influencing litigation tactics used before bodies such as the Supreme Court of Pakistan and policy reforms like the Moroccan Mudawana, contributing scholarship cited in works by academics at SOAS University of London, University of Oxford, and Columbia University, and shaping transnational feminist networks linked to AWID and Association for Women's Rights in Development. Its archives and newsletters are used by researchers connected to Centre for Feminist Legal Studies (SOAS), International Center for Transitional Justice, and activists engaging with mechanisms of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The network continues to inform debates across courts, parliaments, and transnational institutions.

Category:Women's rights organizations Category:Islam and society