Bangladesh Backs Off Equal Property Rigths For Women After Clerics Protest

In Bangladesh last week, the interim government of Fakhruddin Ahmed announced a National Women Development Policy that included enactment of laws entitling women to equal property rights. (BBC). The proposal would have eliminated the disparity that now exists under which a daughter inherits only half as much as her brother. However, according to an AFP report yesterday, the government has changed course after objections from Islamic clerics and scholars. They say that the new proposal would be inconsistent with Islamic sharia law. Sharia governs inheritance and marriage for the 90% of the country's population who are Muslims. After threats of nationwide protests, law minister Hasan Arif said the government "does not have any plan to enact any laws that goes against the Koran and the traditions of Prophet Mohammad."