Canadian Council of Muslim Women Releases a Comparative Primer on Muslim and Canadian Family Laws

The Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW), will launch the first publication of its kind in Canada, Muslim and Canadian Family Law: A Comparative Primer, at its national conference this Saturday, November 18, in Ottawa.

The Primer is designed to provide information comparing Muslim and Canadian family laws to a range of audiences, including Muslim women, lawyers, social service providers, students, and the judiciary. The commitment to produce the publication came from the Council’s involvement in the campaign to eliminate religious arbitration in family law under Ontario’s Arbitration Act.

CCMW has also produced easy to use booklets based on the information in the Primer for wide distribution across Canada. Booklets are available on the topics of marriage, divorce, domestic contracts, custody and child support, spousal support and division of property, and inheritance.

“This is a critical tool for Muslim women and the legal profession; it should go a long way to help the reader understand the differences between Muslim and Canadian family laws,” explained Professor Lynda Clarke, author of the Muslim family law section of the Primer. “I commend CCMW for commissioning this much needed piece of work.” Dr. Clarke is Professor of Religious Studies at Concordia University and has written extensively about women in Islam. Pam Cross, family law practitioner and activist, is the author of the Canadian family law section.

The Primer and booklets will be available at the Council’s conference, Canadian Muslim Women at the Crossroads: from Integration to Segregation?, which is taking place this Saturday, November 18, in Ottawa. For more information about the Primer, booklets and the conference.

CCMW gratefully acknowledges the support of the Women’s Program, Status of Women Canada for this project.

Media contacts: Alia Hogben, Executive Director, 613-382-2847, hogben@kingston.net.
Nuzhat Jafri, National Board Member, 416-487-8037, nuzhat.jafri@rogers.com.