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A prominent Shi’ite religious scholar has declared that none including the Ministry of Justice or any other governmental organ can bring any sort of change in the recently drafted and promulgated Shi’ite Personal Law.
Ayatollah Asif Mohsini, a former Jihadist and a drafter of the controversial religious law defended the law and asked the international community to abstain from interfering into the internal matters of Afghanistan.
Shi’ite Personal Law which was recently drafted by the Afghan parliament and signed into effect by President Karzai brought a heap of sharp criticisms from the international community and human rights dogwatch particularly women rights organizations.
The critics of the law maintain that the law has violated women’s rights to a great extent but Ayatollah Mohsini, who had a role in preparing the matter of the law, in response to these observations says that the Shi’ite Personal Law has been prepared on the basis of Islamic Jurisprudence and in no clause of it have the women rights been violated.
Mohsiini also warned that the Ministry of Justice or any other organization in the country has the right to bring any sort of change in the matter of the law. He strongly maintained, “Justice Ministry of Afghanistan for no reason or authority can bring any change in the Shi’ite Personal Law as any change in the law will be in direct opposition with the national constitution.”
Earlier under huge pressure from the international community President Karzai had ordered the Ministry of Justice to review the matter of the law. However, in reference to these criticisms the Ayatollah asked the international community to abstain from meddling into the internal affairs of the country and respect the country’s sovereignty.
Just last week the international leaders had turned down the law calling it “abhorrent” and at places against the basic human rights. It was highlighted in the international Media as well.
This law has also brought about a huge controversy as the country’s two mainstream Muslim communities of Majority Sunnis and Shiites differ widely in their interpretation of religious affairs. It interestingly is the first time in history that a Sunni Ruler is signing into law an affair of the Shiite community that has direct links to the Shiite Jurisprudence the initiator of which is Imam Jaffar-as-Sadiq, the great grandson of the Prophet of Islam.
