Women in Egypt are getting quite worried about the Islamists who swept into power (overwhelmingly) after the Arab Spring. Along with their fundamentalism come some very bizarre edicts and laws, and females over there are very concerned about having them implemented.
Egypt’s National Council for Women (NCW) has appealed to the Islamist-dominated parliament not to approve two controversial laws on the minimum age of marriage and allowing a husband to have sex with his dead wife within six hours of her death according to a report in an Egyptian newspaper.
The appeal came in a message sent by Dr. Mervat al-Talawi, head of the NCW, to the Egyptian People’s Assembly Speaker, Dr. Saad al-Katatni, addressing the woes of Egyptian women, especially after the popular uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.
She was referring to two laws: one that would legalize the marriage of girls starting from the age of 14 and the other that permits a husband to have sex with his dead wife within the six hours following her death.
It's not quite clear whether the issue of 'necrophilia' ('Farewell Intercourse' draft law) is actually up for vote in Egypt, or whether the women are just afraid that it might be. Apparently Zamzami Abdul Bari, some whacked out Moroccan cleric, in 2011 was the first to encourage husbands to have one last go with their newly dead wives, adding that it was okay for women to do the same thing. This is the same guy who claimed women could drink alcohol while pregnant. So we can assume this is just some pervert's dream, since alcohol is forbidden in Islam, and I am going to assume so is necrophilia. Then again, there are some pretty bizarre things in the Quran.
Talawi is also concerned about other issues that could negatively impact women under an Islamist-led parliament including legislation that could rid them of their right to education and employment, among other things.
Many members of the newly-elected, and majority Islamist parliament, have been accused of launching attacks against women’s rights in the country.
They wish to cancel many, if not most, of the laws that promote women’s rights, most notably a law that allows a wife to obtain a divorce without obstructions from her partner. The implementation of the Islamic right to divorce law, also known as the Khula, ended years of hardship and legal battles women would have to endure when trying to obtain a divorce.
Egyptian law grants men the right to terminate a marriage, but grants women the opportunity to end an unhappy or abusive marriages without the obstruction of their partner. Prior to the implementation of the Khula over a decade ago, it could take 10 to 15 years for a woman to be granted a divorce by the courts.
Islamist members of Egyptian parliament, however, accuse these laws of “aiming to destroy families” and have said it was passed to please the former first lady of the fallen regime, Suzanne Mubarak, who devoted much of her attention to the issues of granting the women all her rights.
Check out the responses on the alarabiya link, it's quite clear many of the Muslims who commented were equally disgusted by the sex-after-death laws.
Who voted these Islamists in?!
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