Bayan Nouri

Dr Bayan Nouri Tawfeeq Nadir (born 11 January 1960, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq[1]) is a Kurdish Iraqi politician who was Minister of Women's Affairs from 18 October 2014 to 16 August 2015.[2][3] She is a member of the Kurdistan Islamic Union.[1]

Background

She was born in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, in 1960 and graduated as a Civil Engineer in 1983.[1] She was a founding member of the Kurdistan Islamic Union, a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, in 1994 and has been a member of the party's political bureau since 2005.[1]

Women's Minister

She was approved as a member of the government of Haider al-Abadi on 18 October 2014, receiving 164 votes from the 328 members of the Council of Representatives.[4][5] She succeeded Dr. Ibtihal al-Zaidi.

In an interview soon after taking office, she said the situation for women in Iraq had worsened in the last four years and she would try to improve the situation, in particular focussing on domestic violence. She opposed the draft personal status law, which allows marriage for girls from nine years old.[6] She said she would aim to "restrict" polygamy, not going so far as to ban it due to concerns over the impact on divorced women. She says she is against religious marriages which aren't ratified by courts, as this causes legal problems for divorcees and their children. Regarding the niqab, she said women should have the freedom to wear the clothing they want without restriction.[7]

In May 2015, she blamed the turmoil caused by the Islamic state to be responsible for the surge of widows in Iraq.[8]

In August 2015, responding to popular demonstrations against government corruption and inefficiency, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced a reduction in the number of ministers, abolishing the Ministry of Women's Affairs. As a result, Dr Nouri left the cabinet.[9]

References
  1. "Biography of Minister of State for Women's Affairs". Kurdistan Islamic Union. 18 October 2014.
  2. "Iraq parliament approves new Defense, Interior ministers". Asharq Al-Awsat. 19 October 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  3. Iraqi PM Scraps 11 Cabinet Posts In Reform Drive, Radio Free Europe, 16 August 2014
  4. Ahmed Hussein (18 October 2014). "Parliament names Nouri as Minister of Women Affairs". www.irakinews.com. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  5. "Turkey praises Iraqi government for inclusive political start". Daily Sabah. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  6. "Iraqi draft law allows child marriages - Kvinna till Kvinna – works for peace and gender equality". Archived from the original on 2016-01-24. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  7. Latif, Alaa. "'Women Should Have Freedom To Wear What They Want'". Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  8. Hawar Abdulrazaq, Number of Widows Increases in Iraq, Basnews.com, 31 May 2015
  9. "Iraqi PM eliminates 11 cabinet portfolios". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
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