Women's Rights in Reverse

In a remarkable story out of Yemen, the government has proposed new marriage contracts that don't require the prospective bride's signature:

"Yemeni women on Tuesday refused to accept a new format for marriage contracts that does not require the signature of the wife.

"The new contract format, issued by the Ministry of Justice, has done away with the provision for the signature of the wife and instead requires only the signatures of the husband and the wife's guardian."

I say this is remarkable because a woman has to consent to marriage according to traditional Islamic law, much less modern sensibilities. For an Arab country to move away from that in 2008 is bizarre.