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Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies
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In our new video, Pavlo Smytsnyuk of the Elliott School of International Affairs comments on Pope Leo XIV’s initiatives to bring peace to Ukraine.
Timeline:
0:00 – Pope Francis and the war in Ukraine
5:35 – Pope Leo’s Approach to the Russia-Ukraine War
11:45 – Can the Vatican’s Efforts to Bring Peace to Ukraine Succeed?
On 21 January 2025, Iraq’s legislature adopted a law that will highly likely subject Iraqi women and girls to human rights violations, based entirely on internal regulations developed by the religious sect to which they belong. Specifically, the legislation amended the 1959 Personal Status Law (PSL) to expand the authority of religious sects within Iraq to develop their own family (personal status) laws based on their interpretations of Sharia law.
While the legislation (2025 amendment) specifies that the sectarian legal codes being developed must comply with existing age restrictions for marriages established in the PSL, the danger of legitimizing child marriage and subjugating women to unequal status remains. The amendment to the PSL both contributes to and results from deepening sectarian conflicts within Iraq. The Iraq mixed legal system cannot function to protect women’s and girls’ rights, and the amendment is just a symptom of a larger crisis.
Discriminatory State Practices Involving National Identity Documents with Impacts on Religious Freedom
by Brandon Reece Taylorian
Government-issued identity (ID) documents are commonplace, from passports to birth and marriage certificates to national ID cards. These documents play an important role in civil society, national security, and international travel. However, several states issue ID documents in ways that discriminate based on religion or belief, causing reasonable concerns for those monitoring conditions of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). This post summarizes discriminatory state practices in issuing national ID documents and their impacts on the freedoms of religious communities and individuals. Surveying such practices highlights the intersection of several FoRB violations, including withholding citizenship from members of disfavored religions and placing undue restraints on the economic and social mobility of members of religious minorities.
In some countries, legal systems are deeply shaped by religious doctrines, especially in areas concerning personal status, such as marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance. Under these frameworks, individuals belonging to different religious communities are often governed by distinct sets of laws. Although they may possess equal citizenship in theory, the legal rights, responsibilities, and protections afforded them in personal and familial matters can differ significantly depending on their religious affiliation. For instance, Kuwait’s 1984 Personal Status Law provides separate legal frameworks for Sunni and Shiʿi Muslim citizens, reinforcing religious distinctions within the legal system. Under this law, in the context of marriage, a bride’s signature is not legally required in Sunni contracts but is mandatory in Shiʿi contracts to confirm her consent.
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