Shafaq News – Baghdad

On Wednesday, Iraq’s parliament approved the Jaafari Jurisprudence Code, a legal text linked to the Personal Status Law (PSL) that allows Shia Muslims in Iraq to follow their own personal status rules.

Legal experts describe the code as a religious and legal text, covering marriage, divorce, inheritance, wills, alimony, and custody according to Twelver Ja’fari Shia principles.

The parliament’s media office confirmed that the regulation was approved by 167 lawmakers and contains 337 provisions, fulfilling a legal framework long requested by religious authorities in Najaf.

Raed Al-Maliki, a member of the parliamentary Legal Committee, emphasized the Law’s fairness, highlighting that it balances the rights of women, men, and children while giving judges authority over visitation schedules and arrangements.

Under the text, custody is shared. The mother cares for the child during the first seven years, after which responsibility shifts to the father. Upon reaching adulthood, children may choose which parent to live with.

“If the father dies, custody automatically passes to the mother, taking precedence over grandparents or other relatives,” Al-Maliki added.

International organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have raised concerns that the amended regulation could affect gender equality, particularly in marriage age, custody, and inheritance rights. Supporters, however, argue it provides long-awaited legal recognition for the Ja’fari sect within Iraq’s judicial framework.