Row over Malaysian family laws (Subjugating women to men)

[MH1]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4551532.stm

Malaysia's government has quelled a rebellion among lawmakers who wanted to stop new legislation they said could undermine women's rights.

An Islamic family law, making it easier for men to have polygamous marriages and take more of wives' property, is expected to be passed in the Senate.

Women senators from the governing coalition, who hoped to oppose the bill, have been ordered to support it.

The law .... makes it easier for a man to take multiple wives and to divorce. It allows a husband to claim a share of an existing wife's property if he takes further wives.

And it curtails a wife's rights to maintenance and to dispose of her own property.

.....

I guess there were no illusions of Malaysia being a democracy. Tell me again why I see clothing in U.S. stores with a tag, "Made in Malaysia"?

Any chance our government will have any complaint about this?

[Warpy]

1. Real Islam gave women full property rights 1000 years ago.

This is just another misogynistic perversion of Islam.

Women can NOT be ordered to support it.

[Oversea Visitor]

4. That where the problem is

If you a muslim man and she divorce you she take everything. So many go to the civil courts to fight this out. Hence we end up with major problem who has final say Syariah court which is Islamic Law and for muslim only or the Civil court ( English Law ) which is for everyone else even the muslims)

[roguevalley]

2. agreed. wtf is wrong with some men? if everyone is not free, no one is

there. a double negative. :)

[Oversea Visitor]

3. Haha

This bill was to amend the syariah law which is only applicable to muslim and not citizen of other faith.

The previous law was bad too.

1) To the best of my knowledge existing syariah law state that on divorce the properties and asset belongs to the wife.
2) Also only a women can start a divorce not the man.

The syariah law clash with the civil law. The goverment is trying to bring both law into line. Right now muslim stuck cause 2 sets of laws for them.

The syariah law is base on Islamic practice. It is very old fashion and need a lot of modernisation.
That legislation is to modernise the Syariah law and only applicable to Muslim.

We operated under English law.

And no the US goverment wont complain cause it is an Islamic Family Law and it is not appilcable to the country only to Muslim in our country.

Oh yeah you get stoned to death for adultery and you hand get chop of for stealing under Islamic law.
But that we change long ago. So please dont jump da gun here. :rofl:

[MH1]

5. Ahem. "Ordered to support it" ?!?

That pretty much tells me all I need to know.

Well, not really, but it's quite a start.

Your post disagrees with most of what I've heard about sharia law but I'm certainly not an expert, or particularly well-informed beyond western newspaper coverage. But regardless - if you are right on the points of the law, why in the world must the women in the Senate be "ordered" to support it?

Perhaps you could provide some links describing the existing law in more detail and why this change would be an improvement.

As for US complaining: The issue is the undemocratic forcing of someone to vote a particular way. Nothing to do with the law itself (although it does sound heinous in both the BBC version and the one you tell.)

[Oversea Visitor]

7. He got nicely grilled for that

Lots of letter to the press. The women concerns will be addressed. We all watching. But the old Islamic Law need to be changed.

Frankly the Islamic law need a lot of changes.
Like in Malaysia we change the law that allowed the Syariah court to stone a person dead for adultery
and also cutting of limbs for robbery. Now they can only impose canning for that and sentence to jail.

Actually we change a lot of the Islamic law. But lots still needed to be change.
Of course the Muslims women dont want this part to be change and they will fight. Battle not over.
But face it
Would you like to be a muslim man here and lose everything on divorce. Or you cant divorce your wife because only she can do it. Hence we got the provision that muslim man can have 4 wives :rofl:
Note I say Muslims, man of others faith has to obey the English Family Law.

[Oversea Visitor]

10. Hehe

In Malaysia there are Islamic law specialist as for refrence :rofl: they always look at interpretation from the Koran. For a good idea on the confusion imagine that the US law base on the testament. You can read it in so many ways.

Basically the law of precedent need slowly to be build up for Islamic law without the interference of religious nutcase who most of the time are too fanatical and sigh most often has strong following.
It is not that much different from the fact that the RW religious people in America seem to be so strong.

Maybe you try goggle for Islamic Law. However most of those law dont apply for Malaysia.
Like in Saudi women cant have driving license :rofl: In Malaysia no such things.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. I thought that under Shariah a man could divorce his wife

simply by saying "I divorce you" three times.

Also, custody of children automatically went to the husband.

I NEVER heard of an Islamic country where ONLY women could initiate divorce.

[Oversea Visitor]

12. Well

it is not that simple
The little known fact that muslim women are actually the king of the house. There is a lot of law there that protect them.

That saying it 3 times is a request for divorce and you need the wife to agreed :rofl:

" I divorce you I divorce you I divorce you "..... "NO"
Ooops time to go to the civil courts haha. English law say if got just or neccessay cause then ok.
But muslim law say must be just and neccessary :rofl: If it is just and not neccessary you fuck
If neccessary and not just same thing. :rofl: So the men always go civil court the women Syariah court.

The children part is true. Man uber must take all laibilities but lose all properties.

There was a case of this between a Muslim Man in our country and an Australian lady. Muslim man went to Australia kidnap children run back to Malaysia and went crying to Syraih court. Syraih Court say children belong to man. Civil court say children belong to women :rofl:
Goverment come in look solve this or we charge you for kidnapping under international law. :rofl:
Of course divorce obtain in Australia. Laws are laws but they can be damn stupid sometimes.
Damn messy case. Goverment threaten to deport man to Australia for trial for kidnapping. Religious nutcases all over country go crazy. Lots of firework :rofl: In the end Australian women win. Case close.

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

6. Malaysia is not alone...

Did you know the law in France decrees that a married woman needs the CONSENT of her husband before a divorce can be granted?

Women the world over are treated like second-class citizens - in Occidental countries it is only slightly less obvious.

[Oversea Visitor]

8. Ouch

Its the reverse for Muslim you need the wife consent.

[Oversea Visitor]

11. But in our case

English Law applied we were a British Colony until 1957 when we got our independent.
For Muslims here they can opted for Civil Law ( English Law) or Syariah Law ( Only for muslim)
So often the 2 court clash, who can over rule who. Bloody messy lots of cases going to and fro between the 2 court.