- In Pakistan, “[f]ormer Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to request the formation of a new judicial bench to hear an appeal against their acquittal in a controversial marriage case. The case involves allegations that their marriage took place during Bushra Bibi’s iddat period, a period prescribed by Islamic law after divorce, which prohibits remarriage.” “On July 13, 2024, the additional sessions judge had acquitted Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi of charges related to their alleged marriage during Bushra Bibi’s iddat (a waiting period prescribed by Islamic law after a woman’s divorce or husband’s death).”
- “The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) top prosecutor has announced plans to seek an arrest warrant for the leader of the Taliban over the alleged persecution of Afghan women and girls.” “Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban on Friday condemned the International Criminal Court’s request for arrest warrants against their supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and his chief justice for alleged persecution of women and girls.” For more content and context on the recent developments in Afghanistan, consult our Editor-in-Chief, Professor Intisar Rabb’s “Resource Roundup: Afghanistan, the Taliban, and Islamic Law.” For the ICC arrest warrants against Abdul Hakim Haqqani and Hibatullah Akhundzada, consult the SHARAIsource portal.
- “The Supreme Court [India] . . . asked the Centre to provide the details of the number of . . . charge sheets filed against men for pronouncing instant triple talaq to divorce spouses in violation of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights in Marriage) Act 2019.”
- “Addressing th[e] issue [of marital disobedience], Dr Khairul Azhar Meerangani, a senior lecturer at the Academy of Contemporary Islamic Studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara, explained that Islam grants a wife the right to leave a marriage filled with abuse to ensure her safety. He said a husband who commits oppression violates his responsibilities as the leader of the family. Therefore, leaving a toxic marriage is not an act of disobedience (nusyuz); instead, it is a form of self-protection permitted by Islamic law.”
- “From Monday in Uttarakhand [India], polygamy is outlawed, marriage is not allowed until the age of 21 for men and 18 for women, and sons and daughters must have equal inheritance rights.”
- “On January 21, 2025, the Iraqi Parliament passed several laws, including the amended personal status law and a general amnesty law. . . . The Personal Status Act (No. 188 of 1959) set up the minimum age for marriage at 18 years for women and men, with a legal exception allowing for the marriage of girls at the age of 15 years. The amended law has the effect of lowering this threshold with traditional Islamic jurisprudence suggesting puberty of a girl as an indicator of her capacity to be married and not any formal age.”