AP

Kabul, Apr 17: Hundreds of Afghans swarmed a demonstration of more than 100 women protesting on Wednesday against a new marriage law they say restricts wives’ rights. The women were pelted with small stones as police struggled to keep the two groups apart.

The law, passed last month, says a husband can demand sex with his wife every four days unless she is ill or would be harmed by intercourse — a clause that critics say legalizes marital rape. It also regulates when and for what reasons a wife may leave her home alone.

Women’s rights activists scheduled a protest on Wednesday attended by mostly young women. But the group was swamped by counter-protesters — both men and women — who shouted down the women’s chants. Some picked up gravel and stones and threw them at the women, while others shouted “Death to the slaves of the Christians!” Female police held hands around the group to create a protective barrier.

The government has said the Shia family law is being reviewed and will not be implemented in its current form. Governments around the world have condemned the legislation, and President Barack Obama has labeled it “abhorrent.” Though the law would apply only to the country’s Shias — 10% to 20% of the population — it has sparked an uproar by activists who say it marks a return to Taliban-style oppression.

“You are a dog! You are not a Shia woman!” one man shouted to a young woman in a headscarf holding aloft a banner, who told him: “This is my land and my people.”