April 16, 2009: In Kabul, several hundred young Shia women attempted to 
march on parliament to present a petition opposing a new marriage law that 
limits the freedoms of Shia wives. A mob of Shia men, apparently from a Shia 
mosque, threw rocks at the Shia women and threatened violence. Police kept 
the men from attacking the women. This sort of political activity is new for 
Afghanistan, and causing culture shock for men, who are accustomed to having 
their way with women. The new law goes beyond what is allowed in Islamic 
law, and permits Shia men to starve their wives if the women do not provide 
sex on demand. About 15 percent of Afghans are Shia.