Since the beginning of the protests against the amendment of Personal Status Law No 188, a counter-aggressive attack has been initiated to silence feminist voices that reject the amendment. The counter-attack violates the most basic democratic and civil forms of freedom of speech and the right to political disagreement.
The counter-attack started with the defamation of the female speakers defending the current law. They made baseless accusations, referring to the protesters as the “sons and daughters of the embassies” (referring to the US and UK embassies), “daughters of comrades ‘Baathists,” “money grabbers, and “agents for Westerners.”
Their brutal and savage approach escalated to threatening to assassinate women and men who rejected the amendment!
Is there a greater crime than this?
What happened to the state’s commitment to “fighting terrorism”? Isn’t threatening women and men who exercise their constitutional right to freedom of expression a terrorist act aimed at deterring others from political expression?
Are the opposing actions against the amendment a democratic practice stipulated within the Constitution? Or was the Constitution intended to be disregarded? Are the constitutional articles only to be selectively used based on the convenience and interests of the Islamic parties’ representatives in the Iraqi parliament?
The civil and feminist groups that supported the existing legal code expressed their opinions respectfully and without threatening anyone. They did not promote or support violence, nor did they defame anyone. Instead, they criticized the contents of the amendment of the law itself. They also did not turn the disagreement into a personal conflict or use personal animosity to the point of terrorism.
In consideration of its legitimacy, the state must protect its citizens and their right to dissent and punish individuals engaging in anti-democratic, terroristic political games.
Furthermore, terrorism, defamation, “jurisprudence, and Sharia law” cannot justify the principles behind this amendment. These principles include underage marriage, infant fetishization, subjugation of women, obfuscation of paternal duties and responsibilities to offspring, sexual coercion and violence, and deprivation of a woman’s right to land as an inheritance.
We have no interest in engaging with interpretations of Sharia law that legitimize infant fetishization and sex for money.
“A crime is a crime,” regardless of who wrote the law or what ideology is based upon. We demand an end to the use of violence and counter-terrorism, as these methods will not succeed in stopping our defense of security, livelihoods, and the well-being of our children, both male and female.
It is a battle for life, and we will continue to defend our right to live!
#No to amending the Personal Status Law No 188.
Aman Women’s Alliance
30th August 2024
