previously-signed international treaties and conventions, such as the Convention Eliminating All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) . The statement also urges members of the Constituent Assembly to resign if the article is passed, to protest "the flagrant inequality". While advocates of Sharia insist that Islam fully respects women, citing their right to property ownership, education and employment , critics warn that a strict interpretation of Sharia would accord women an inferior status to men and restrict their freedom in public life. In the last decade, Egypt had made some progress towards eliminating gender inequities enshrined in the country's personal status law. Amendments to the law have made divorce possible for women (a right known as "khul"). The age of marriage for girls has been raised to 18 and child custody laws have been reformed to allow mothers custody of their children until the age of 15. Moreover, family courts have been established to settle disputes within trouble-stricken families. In 2008, parliament passed a groundbreaking law criminalising the practice of female genital mutilation. Two years later, legislation was passed allowing Egyptian women married to foreigners -- regardless of their nationality -- to pass on their citizenship to their children. While these advances are commendable, Egypt's personal status law (which regulates issues like inheritance, marriage, alimony, education and employment) leaves much to be desired. One point of weakness is that Egyptian women -- particularly those in rural communities -- do not share the same rights to inheritance as men due to