Country Profiles

Germany provides strong legal equality for women. Documented issues are confined largely to immigrant communities: Turkish-German and Kurdish-German honor violence, and consanguineous marriage in immigrant Muslim communities.

The UK has strong women's rights protections. Parallel issues include: first-cousin marriage concentrated in the British Pakistani community (political resistance to reform); Sharia councils operating as voluntary arbitration (no state enforcement power); and documented honor-based violence.

The United States provides broad legal equality for women. Documented issues include: state variation on cousin marriage, abortion access restrictions post-Dobbs (2022), and documented FGM and honor-based violence in immigrant communities with very limited enforcement.

India's constitution guarantees equality, but personal laws governing marriage, divorce, and inheritance vary by religious community. Muslim Personal Law (All India Muslim Personal Law Board) applies Sharia for Muslim citizens. Honor-based violence is concentrated in northern and northwestern states.

Israel has strong formal equality for women, including in the military. One systemic exception: rabbinical courts have exclusive jurisdiction over Jewish marriage and divorce, and a husband's refusal to grant a religious divorce (get) leaves his wife in legal limbo — an "agunah." Arab-Israeli citizens are subject to Sharia courts for Muslim family law.

Tanzania mainland uses a civil law system. Zanzibar, an archipelago with a Muslim majority, has its own legislature and applies Islamic personal status law. Tanzania has one of the most permissive child marriage laws in Africa.

Sudan operated under Omar al-Bashir's Islamist government for 30 years. The 2019 revolution removed him but military control continues. Sharia-based personal status law remains largely intact.

Egypt is the most populous Arab country and a key influencer of Islamic jurisprudence worldwide through Al-Azhar University. Personal status law is based on classical Hanafi Islamic jurisprudence.

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, split roughly half-Muslim (north) and half-Christian (south). Twelve northern states adopted Sharia personal status and criminal law from 2000 onward. Women's rights vary dramatically by state.

Since the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of Gaddafi, Libya has had no functioning central government. The east is controlled by the Libyan National Army under Haftar; the west by the Government of National Unity backed by Islamist militias. Women's rights have deteriorated significantly since 2011.

Morocco undertook landmark family law reform in 2004 (Moudawwana), becoming one of the most progressive Muslim-majority countries in women's legal rights. Further reform is ongoing. However, practice lags law significantly in rural areas.

Tunisia's 1956 Code du Statut Personnel — enacted immediately after independence — banned polygamy, established equal divorce rights, and abolished the wali guardian requirement. It remains the most progressive family law in the Arab world, though President Saied's 2021 power consolidation has raised concerns about democratic backsliding.

Ethiopia is a highly diverse country with significant variation in women's rights by region, ethnicity, and religion. The Somali Regional State in eastern Ethiopia applies customs similar to neighboring Somalia.

Kenya has one of the more progressive legal frameworks for women's rights in sub-Saharan Africa. The 2010 Constitution guarantees substantive equality. Implementation gaps remain, particularly in rural and northeastern (Muslim-majority) counties.

Rule by royal decree; Islamic sharia law forms the basis of the legal system. No legislature, no political parties. Significant reforms since 2017 under Crown Prince MBS, but absolute power remains with the royal family.

Supreme Leader holds ultimate authority above elected institutions. Islamic law (sharia) is the source of all legislation. The Guardian Council vets all candidates and legislation for Islamic compliance.

Unrecognized internationally. Taliban retook power August 2021. Governance by Taliban interpretation of sharia. No constitution, no elections, no civil rights framework.

The federal government controls Mogadishu and parts of the south. Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, controls significant rural territory and enforces strict sharia. Clan law operates in parallel throughout.

Civil war since 2014. Houthi rebels (Iranian-backed) control the capital and north; the internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council controls the south. No functional national government.

Nominal democracy, but Shi'a Islamist parties dominate. In 2025, parliament passed a new Personal Status Code introducing Ja'afari (Shi'a Islamic) law as an optional parallel legal system for marriage, divorce, inheritance, and custody — with devastating implications for women and girls.

Constitution declares Islam the state religion; Federal Shariat Court can strike down laws deemed un-Islamic. Democratically elected government but military exerts significant influence. Tribal and customary law operate in parallel in many regions.

Nominal democracy; government controls Kinshasa and major cities. Eastern DRC has been in continuous armed conflict for 30 years, with dozens of militia groups controlling territory. Dubbed the "rape capital of the world" by UN officials.