The Bangladesh government announced Thursday that it plans to reform its divorce laws to give women the right to start divorce proceedings. The reforms are seen as contrary to the law of Islam and are expected to find heavy opposition in parliament and from Islamic groups. Under current Islamic shariah law in Bangladesh, a signatory to the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, only men have the right to divorce.

Bangladesh is not the only country to face pressure from Islamic groups concerning women's rights recently; as reported on JURIST's Paper Chase, Turkey's parliament recessed last week without passing an Islam-endorsed bill that sought to recriminalize adultery, punishing women more harshly than men. BBC has more on Bangladesh, and click here for more from Paper Chase on Turkey.