Thought some of you might be interested in the following article. Is South Africa now more progressive than any other country when it comes to Muslim women rights? South Africa recognizes all mariages done by custom/religious ways, also multiple wives. (When the law was passed through parliament an ANC woman wanted the law to be changed to allow a woman to have multiple husbands but did not succeed).
BTW: I only post some parts of the report
***SA’s Muslim women to get more power
By Yazeed Kamaldien **
A draft Muslim Personal Law (MPL) is being discussed around the country and the national Muslim Youth Movement (MYM) Gender Desk has just concluded a conference about it entitled: Realising Muslim Personal Law: Rights, Prospects and Challenges.
In terms of the draft, Muslims would soon have their marriages recognised within the country’s judicial system. Muslim children would no longer be regarded as illegitimate and married couples could have their rights implemented by force of law.
MYM national president Na’eem Jeena said: "Through this conference we aimed at empowering women, in particular, to grapple with the Bill. The Muslim community in South Africa is patriarchal, and when we talk of justice we need to think of empowering women.
“Men already have rights when they are born. Women have rights prescribed to them in the Qur’an, and we want to make sure they don’t get just the scraps of that. We need a woman-friendly MPL.”
In view of the HIV/Aids pandemic, some participants also suggested that tests be mandatory in a marriage contract.
Some even suggested that a prospective second wife be allowed to demand HIV/Aids test results from both the future husband and his current wife. The first wife should also be able to request the results of a test on the prospective wife. *
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=13&art_id=ct20021226153429522M242686&set_id=1