Constitutionalization of the Family: A Comparative Study of the Family Position in the Constitutions of Islamic and European Countries

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Public and International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Qom, Qom, Iran.

2 M.A. in Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Qom, Qom, Iran.

Abstract

In the constitutions of some countries, an independent principle has been dedicated to the issue of the family and the need for the state to support the family. This indicates the importance that legislators attach to the issue of the family. In the past two decades, the constitution has increasingly played a role in resolving family law issues. The current study was conducted with the aim of examining how the family has been formulated and legislated in the constitutions of Western and Islamic countries; thus, the constitutions of some European and Muslim countries, including eight European countries (Germany, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Switzerland, Greece, Croatia) and eight Muslim countries (Kuwait, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan), were examined in an analytical-documentary manner with an emphasis on the compatibility of laws. The results showed that although the formation and management of the family is one of the issues related to the personal and private relations of individuals, since the family is the fundamental unit of society and the locality, it has had a special importance for legislators of constitutions to the extent that it has left the circle of private relations of individuals and entered the field of public law. The results and achievements of this study can be of interest to the legislators and the constitutional guardianship body in Iran (Guardian Council) and other countries.
 
 

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References

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