Zahra Behrouzazar warns against isolated mahr law reforms

Zahra Behrouzazar, Iran’s Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, has expressed concerns regarding proposed reforms to the mahr (dowry) laws. The proposed changes, which are part of a new plan for the execution of financial penalties, have been sent to the Guardian Council and the Expediency Discernment Council for review.

Behrouzazar stated that the current proposal contains discrepancies with the constitution, general policies of the system, and Sharia law. She specifically noted that attempts to change the number of gold coins used to determine mahr may be unfeasible and could be removed entirely due to religious legal conflicts.

She argued against an isolated approach to mahr reform, suggesting that any changes to dowry must be accompanied by comprehensive adjustments to other aspects of family law, including divorce rights, property division (tanasif), employment rights, and other contractual conditions between spouses to maintain legal balance.