The concept of nondiscrimination and equal rights for both men
and women in all spheres of their lives as enshrined in the
CEDAW Convention (1979) and all other Human Rights Frameworks
generated a new realization and discourse in the Islamic world.
The Universal Declaration on human Rights (1948) states in
Article one that ‘all human beings are born free and equal in
dignity and rights’. By ratification of these International
human rights frameworks States parties are in obligation to
domesticate these human rights standard in their own legal
system. At present about 187 states parties have ratified the
CEDAW convention which is almost a universal ratification for
the Convention. Except Iran, Sudan and Somalia all other Muslim
countries have ratified or acceded to the CEDAW convention. Many
of these Muslim countries imposed reservations under Article 28
of the convention on certain core Articles, such as Article 2,
16, 9 etc of the convention in the name of Islamic Sharia law.
More or less 20 Muslim States pa