06th August, 2019. Civil Society Statement in support of Reforming the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act We, the undersigned civil society organisations and individuals urge the Government of Sri Lanka to take immediate steps to reform the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA). The failure to reform the MMDA has been a long-standing issue that successive […]
MMDA
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Realizing Muslim Women’s Rights in Sri Lanka – When Is The Right Time? – Shreen Abdul Saroor
Image: Muslim women in Sri Lanka; Credit: Abdul-Halik Azeez. The Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) which was enacted in 1951 has been perceived primarily as religious and minority issue. Muslim male politicians and religious leaders and government actors for over decades have only considered it a concern to be resolved ‘within the community’. Thus this […]
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Muslim women in Sri Lanka still second-class citizens – by law
Image: Muslim woman in Sri Lanka. Credit CNN. By Munza Mushtaq. Despite its broadly progressive approach to female empowerment, Sri Lanka holds a dark secret: women in its minority Muslim community are second-class citizens – by law. Now, outdated legislation that dates back more than 65 years is being challenged by Muslim women from across […]
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Sri Lanka: Campaing for ensuring equal rights for Muslim women gets broader support
We the undersigned find the recent statements of the Chairperson of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), that reform of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) is not needed, to be unacceptable. It is patently clear that the ACJU has contributed to the 8-year delay in the reform process despite the desperate need for […]
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Religious Leaders Cannot Be Trusted To Reform MMDA – WAN
Image: A Muslim woman walks past a cooking fire along a road during Eid al-Fitr in Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 8, 2013.© 2013 Reuters/HRW. Women’s Action Network (WAN*) is appalled and deeply disappointed by recent statements by Rizwe Mufthi, President of the All Ceylon Jamiyathul Ulama (ACJU) in a recent interview, that the Muslim Marriage […]
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Sri Lanka: Article 16(1) – Repeal it or continue to render Muslim women and girls as unequal citizens
Hyshyama Hamin and Hasanah Cegu Isadeen. In November, we completed ‘Unequal Citizens: Muslim women’s struggle for justice and equality in Sri Lanka’ – a one-year study that sought answers as to why the reforms to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) was many decades overdue. In light of the constitutional reforms process, the study […]
