A Closer Look: The Policy and Lawmaking Process Behind the Shiite Personal Status Law

In March 2009, news of the Shiite Personal Status Law, which included a handful of articles that restricted the rights of Afghan Shia women, exploded in the international press, galvanising heated responses from a variety of stakeholders. An AREU study has sought to examine another angle of this story: the inception, preparation and parliamentary passage of the law. The aim has been to identify what this experience can illustrate about lawmaking in post-Bonn Afghanistan, and the political culture and capacity surrounding it. Respondents included MPs, Shia academics, civil society representatives, Shia women who demonstrated against the law, a Supreme Court judge, and representatives of independent media outlets, the international community, and the Ministry of Justice.