Advancing Women’s Rights Through Islamis Law:

This article discusses the challenges and opportunities for advancing women’s rights through Islamic law using contemporary Morocco as a case study. Part I provides an overview of women’s rights in Morocco including the historic 2004 Mudawana (Code of Personal Status) reforms. Part II discusses the social roles, cultural representations, and socioeconomic realities of Moroccan women, emphasizing the important role that Moroccan women have played in legal and social reform efforts through their participation in civil society. Part III discusses several legal strategies for advancing women’s rights in Islamic states and assesses the strengths, weaknesses, and likely success of each approach. These strategies include implementing international law and secular reform, utilizing the Moroccan legislative process, reinterpreting the Qur’an and the hadith (the two primary sources of Islamic law), exercising ijtihad (resolving an Islamic legal issue through personal thought and reflection), and contesting the development of Shari’a. Part IV outlines the most promising strategy for advancing women’s rights in Islamic states. This final Part discusses failed reform strategies, outlines an effective reform strategy, and concludes that women’s rights are largely compatible with Shari’a provided the right social and political conditions exist. † Research Assistant, Africa Program, Landesa. J.D., Indiana University Maurer School of Law. M.P.A., Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. M.A., B.A., Carnegie Mellon University. I would like to dedicate this article to Ambassador Feisal Amin Rasoul Istrabadi, a wonderful teacher for whose generosity, guidance, encouragement, and above all patience, I am grateful. I would also like to thank the 2010 Michaelmas Term visiting fellows at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law for their helpful comments and the staff of the Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice, particularly Ana Enriquez, Rebecca Lee, and Sara Haji, whose thoughtful edits substantially improved the quality of this article. Finally, Jennifer Cast, Liffy Franklin, William Cast, and Carter Cast deserve special thanks for their support, encouragement, and kindness. MAIN HURSH(AE EDITS)-2 (DO NOT DELETE) 6/22/2012 3:51 PM ADVANCING WOMEN’S RIGHTS THROUGH ISLAMIC LAW 253 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 254 I. WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN MOROCCO .................................................................... 256 A. Morocco: Contexts and Contrasts ............................................................ 256 B. Reforming the Mudawana ........................................................................ 258 1. A Complicated Process ......................................................................... 259 2. Substantive Reforms ............................................................................. 262 i. Marriage ............................................................................................. 262 ii. Polygamy .......................................................................................... 263 iii. Divorce ............................................................................................ 264 iv. Child Custody .................................................................................. 265 v. Inheritance ......................................................................................... 266 3. International Praise and Lingering Concerns ........................................ 267 II. THE SOCIAL ROLES, CULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS, AND SOCIOECONOMIC REALITIES OF MOROCCAN WOMEN AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS ............................. 269 A. Moroccan Women, Civil Society, and the Struggle for Women’s Rights 270 B. Contested Cultural Image: The Portrayal of Muslim Women .................. 273 C. Socioeconomic Factors and the Limitation of Legal Reform ................... 278 1. Poverty and Illiteracy ............................................................................ 278 2. Authority and Corruption ...................................................................... 280 III. MODES OF LEGAL REFORM ......................................................................... 282 A. International Law ..................................................................................... 282 1. Morocco and CEDAW: 1993–2008 ...................................................... 283 2. Morocco and CEDAW: 2008–Present .................................................. 287 B. Secular Reform ......................................................................................... 288 C. The Legislative Process ............................................................................ 289 D. Reinterpreting the Qur’an ........................................................................ 291 E. Reinterpreting the Hadith ......................................................................... 294 F. Ijtihad ........................................................................................................ 295 G. Contesting the Development of Shari’a ................................................... 298 IV. DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE MODEL FOR ADVANCING WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN ISLAMIC STATES ................................................................................................ 299 A. Planning to Fail ........................................................................................ 299 1. External Legal Reform .......................................................................... 299 2. Islamic Law as Other ............................................................................ 300 3. “Universal” Human Rights ................................................................... 301 B. The Effective Model ................................................................................. 303 1. Grounding Reform in Islamic Law ....................................................... 303 2. Implementing Internal Reform .............................................................. 304 4. Remaining Flexible ............................................................................... 305 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 305 MAIN HURSH(AE EDITS)-2 (DO NOT DELETE) 6/22/2012 3:51 PM 254 BERKELEY JOURNAL OF GENDER, LAW & JUSTICE