KABUL: Amir-ul-Muminin(The Supreme Leader) of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) Mullah Hibbatullah Akhunzada issued a decree, under which women can access their basic rights of marriage.
The decree, which was released on Friday, by the IEA spokesman and the deputy to the Ministry of Information and Culture, Zabihullah Mujahid required the relevant institutions to implement it.
The six article decree comprised women consent during marriage and that no one can force or pressure women or girls to marry. As the IEA leader’s decree said, woman is not a property to be dealt without her consent but a noble and free human being who can marry with her consent.
No one can marry woman in exchange for what the decree said a peace deal or to end animosity.
The decree, also said that no one can marry a widow by force including her relatives and she has
the right to whether to marry or determine her future (but considering the principle of equality and preventing sedition).
The Islamic right of a widow is to obtain fixed Mahr (dowry) from her new husband The amount of money specified between wife and husband during marriage is called mahr being paid by the husband to the
wife.
A widow has heritage rights and fixed share in the property of her husband, children, father and relatives and no one can deprive a widow of her right.
The decree requires those men with multi marriage (more than one wife) to maintain justice between them and give them their own rights considered in Islamic law.
The country’s Ministry of Hajj and Islamic Affairs, the Ministry of Information and Culture,
the Supreme Court as well as provincial governors and district chiefs have been instructed to implement
the decree and publicize among the people.
U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West has welcomed the decree.
“I welcome today’s decree of reinforcing a woman’s right to determine if and whom she marries,” said the representative on his official twitter.
The Kabul Times
