Ramifications and Implications of the Family Law Reforms a Study of Muslim Women in India

Abstract

Family law in Muslim-majority countries has undergone magnificent changes over newlinethe past century and this process remains today with intensity. In general, this change has newlinebeen considered one of and#8213;reform,and#8214; defined loosely as the adoption of national laws to newlinemodify the rules of Islamic law (fiqh) that had been applicable and predominant in the newlineparticular country in an effort to improve the rights of women and children. In most newlineMuslim-majority contexts, however, the rules of fiqh remain particularly relevant in the newlinearea of family law and the reform process is usually presented as taking place internally to newlineIslamic law rather than something external to it. Attempting to develop a conceptual newlineframework for women s human rights in Islam is a complex and intricate task primarily newlinedue to the multiple layers of regulatory norms informing women s status as well as the newlinevarying interpretation of the Quran and Hadith(Engineer,1999). newline