US raises concerns over proposed changes to Iraq’s Personal Status Law

NEWSROOM – The U.S. State Department has voiced concerns regarding proposed amendments to Iraq’s 1959 Personal Status Law, with Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel highlighting the potential implications for the rights of women and children. Patel called for a “civic dialogue” that upholds freedom of religion and individual rights, emphasizing the importance of involving Iraqi citizens in the discussion.

The amendments in question would allow family matters such as inheritance, divorce, and child custody to be governed by either religious authorities or the civil judiciary. This shift is feared to potentially weaken protections and could lead to the elimination of the minimum marriage age of 18 for Muslim girls.

Patel’s statement was reposted on the platform X with an Arabic translation by U.S. Ambassador to Baghdad Alina Romanowski, further emphasizing the U.S. stance on the ongoing discussions about the law.

U.S. Ambassador to Baghdad Alina Romanowski amplified the U.S. stance by reposting Patel’s statement on the platform X, with an Arabic translation.

In response, Iraqi MP Raed Al-Maliki, a proponent of the amendments, dismissed the U.S. concerns on X, asserting, “We do not care about your concerns and will not accept your directives. We are operating under a constitution that grants us the freedom to adhere to our personal status according to our beliefs and choices that align with the constitution.” Al-Maliki’s post was accompanied by the hashtag “To you your religion, and to us ours,” a quote from the Quran.

The first reading of the amendments on August 4 sparked protests across several cities, including Erbil. While the Shia Coordination Framework, Iraq’s largest parliamentary bloc, supports the amendments citing “freedom of choice,” opposition has formed within the parliament itself. A new bloc of female MPs from various factions opposes the changes, and a coalition of prominent Iraqi women from various sectors has issued a statement rejecting the amendments and advocating for public support against them.

The opposition’s efforts are set against a backdrop of attacks on members and supporters of Coalition 188, a group advocating for the current law, in Najaf and Basra. Meanwhile, a recent survey by the Iraq Polling Team found that 73.2% of Iraqis “strongly oppose” the proposed amendments, with only 23.8% showing strong support, based on responses from 61,648 participants nationwide between Aug., 13 and Aug. 15, 2024.