Pakistan bill to allow Hindus to regulate their own marriages becomes law News
Pakistan bill to allow Hindus to regulate their own marriages becomes law

[JURIST] Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain [BBC profile] signed into law the Hindu Marriage Bill 2017 on Sunday, allowing Pakistan’s Hindus to regulate their own marriages. Hindus will be able to perform legal marriages in accordance with their religious customs. According to the law, marriages officiated [PTI report] before the passage of the law will be automatically legitimized. According to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the new law was passed to provide equal protection to Pakistan’s Hindus. The law will apply to all of Pakistan’s Hindus, except those living in the Sindh providence, which already has a law regarding Hindu marriages.

Religion in Pakistan is a highly controversial issue. On Tuesday, Sharif stated [JURIST report] that blasphemy on social media must be punished. At the beginning of the month, the cabinet approved [JURIST report] historic reforms to tribal regions. In February the court prohibited [JURIST report] Valentine’s Day celebrations.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.