Revisiting the Issue of Women’s Rights in Southern Yemen
The two Yemens were the first countries in the Arabian Peninsula to issue a comprehensive marriage law. While the southern law (1974) can be said to stand for a modern reading of Sharia, the northern code (1978) mixes local custom with Sharia. They were replaced in the summer of 1992 by a joint Pers...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa
2013-03-01
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| Series: | Arabian Humanities |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/arabianhumanities/2039 |
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| author | Susanne Dahlgren |
| author_facet | Susanne Dahlgren |
| author_sort | Susanne Dahlgren |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The two Yemens were the first countries in the Arabian Peninsula to issue a comprehensive marriage law. While the southern law (1974) can be said to stand for a modern reading of Sharia, the northern code (1978) mixes local custom with Sharia. They were replaced in the summer of 1992 by a joint Personal Status law. In this article I discuss the provisions of these three family codes in the light of Islamic jurisprudence and local customs, and compare them to family laws in other Arab countries. I argue that debates about marriage laws change in time echoing general political debates. In addition to that, complacency towards Sharia is viewed differently by people debating marriage reform in different periods of Yemeni history. This becomes evident also when looking at more recent attempts at reform, such as the child marriage controversy. The article is based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in the PDRY (1988–89) and in Republic of Yemen throughout the 1990s and 2000s, altogether three years, and on Islamic legal studies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-af160d08c2144e80af8be6b90e16a6f1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2308-6122 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-03-01 |
| publisher | Centre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arabian Humanities |
| spelling | doaj-art-af160d08c2144e80af8be6b90e16a6f12025-08-20T03:47:40ZengCentre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de SanaaArabian Humanities2308-61222013-03-01110.4000/cy.2039Revisiting the Issue of Women’s Rights in Southern YemenSusanne DahlgrenThe two Yemens were the first countries in the Arabian Peninsula to issue a comprehensive marriage law. While the southern law (1974) can be said to stand for a modern reading of Sharia, the northern code (1978) mixes local custom with Sharia. They were replaced in the summer of 1992 by a joint Personal Status law. In this article I discuss the provisions of these three family codes in the light of Islamic jurisprudence and local customs, and compare them to family laws in other Arab countries. I argue that debates about marriage laws change in time echoing general political debates. In addition to that, complacency towards Sharia is viewed differently by people debating marriage reform in different periods of Yemeni history. This becomes evident also when looking at more recent attempts at reform, such as the child marriage controversy. The article is based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in the PDRY (1988–89) and in Republic of Yemen throughout the 1990s and 2000s, altogether three years, and on Islamic legal studies.https://journals.openedition.org/arabianhumanities/2039family lawShariafiqhcustompublic debateYemeni unity |
| spellingShingle | Susanne Dahlgren Revisiting the Issue of Women’s Rights in Southern Yemen Arabian Humanities family law Sharia fiqh custom public debate Yemeni unity |
| title | Revisiting the Issue of Women’s Rights in Southern Yemen |
| title_full | Revisiting the Issue of Women’s Rights in Southern Yemen |
| title_fullStr | Revisiting the Issue of Women’s Rights in Southern Yemen |
| title_full_unstemmed | Revisiting the Issue of Women’s Rights in Southern Yemen |
| title_short | Revisiting the Issue of Women’s Rights in Southern Yemen |
| title_sort | revisiting the issue of women s rights in southern yemen |
| topic | family law Sharia fiqh custom public debate Yemeni unity |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/arabianhumanities/2039 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT susannedahlgren revisitingtheissueofwomensrightsinsouthernyemen |