Members of the Muslim Personal Law (MPL) Reform Committee: Justice Saleem Marsoof, Ms. Dilhara Amerasinghe, Justice Abdus.W.A. Salam. Hon. Mohamed Mackie, Mr. Shibly Aziz, Mr. Faisz Musthapha, Professor Sharya Scharenguivel, Dr. M.A.M. Shukri, Ash-Sheik Mohomead Magdoom Ahmad Mubarak, Ash-Sheik M.I.M Rizwe Mufthi, Deshabandu Mrs. Jezima Ismail, Mrs. Safana Gul Begum, Mrs. Fazlet Shahabdeen, Mr Razmara Abdeen, Mr.... Continue Reading →

On February 20th, representatives from Muslim Personal Law Reform Action Group (MPLRAG) made statements to the UN CEDAW Committee at the 66th session reviewing Sri Lanka's status on women's rights issues. Points included:  Calling for Sri Lankan government to uphold responsibility to reform Muslim Personal Law (MMDA), taking into account the practical lived realities of Sri Lankan... Continue Reading →

- 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... Continue Reading →

We are grateful that the Sub Committee proposing constitutional reforms on Fundamental Rights had considered the right to equality and freedom from discrimination in great detail. We appreciate that the recommendations Sub-Committee has put forth in this regard would ensure greater inclusivity and accord the right to equality to all of Sri Lanka’s citizens. It... Continue Reading →

This is a comprehensive study covering most aspects of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) currently being discussed. We encourage the reading of this study for anyone interested in getting to know the details about the issues at stake, the impact it is having on Muslim women and girls, what types of reforms to... Continue Reading →

STATEMENT on GSP plus and reforms of Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) The Muslim Personal Law Reforms Action Group (MPLRAG) believes the recent hype created linking European Union’s Generalised System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) to changes in Sri Lanka’s Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) to be a distraction. It has given room for... Continue Reading →

FAQ's on repealing Article 16(1) 1.What is Article 16(1) and what does it mean? Article 16(1) is a clause in the Fundamental Rights chapter of the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka. It says that all  written and unwritten law that existed prior to the 1978 Constitution is ‘valid and operative’. This means that these laws... Continue Reading →