ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi parliament will convene on Wednesday to discuss amendments to the Personal Status Law, which would require couples to select their religion during marriage contracts. The session will address changes to Law No. 188 of the Personal Status Law of 1959. The proposed amendment requires couples to choose the religion of the spouse whose laws will govern their marriage. In the event of a conflict, the husband's faith would prevail. The amendment has sparked concerns among human and women's rights activists, who argue it could exacerbate violations of women's rights and deepen sectarian divides in Iraq. “The amendment is a violation of the Iraqi constitution and its laws, is against the principles of justice and freedom, violates human rights, especially [the rights of] children, is against national unity and divides Iraq on a sectarian basis, separates the family, and causes lots of conflict within families, increasing divorces,” Humam Qabbani, a legal expert told Rudaw. Iraq’s Personal Status Law stipulates that if a parent converts to Islam, their children who are under 18 should also adopt the new faith. In May, Iraqi authorities told a Christian woman she should convert to Islam with her children. Her parents divorced when she was 15, and her mother later married a Muslim man and converted. The law mandates that if one spouse converts to Islam, Sharia law applies to marriage, inheritance, and custody. Under Iraqi law, the legal marriage age is 18 or 15 with the permission of a judge given in special circumstances. About a third of marriages in Iraq are unregistered, conducted by religious leaders and not legally valid.
