Lawyer Qamar Al-Samarrai denied that the circulated video of a recent altercation was related to her rejection of amendments to the Personal Status Law. She confirmed that the conflict was old, occurring in July of last year, stemming from a personal issue with another lawyer. A platform dedicated to combating misleading statements clarified the reality of the circulated video, quoting lawyer Qamar Al-Samarrai, who stated that “the altercation happened after I was verbally insulted by a lawyer on July 15, 2023, and then escalated to the scuffle shown in the video because she attacked me with the same words at that time.”
Al-Samarrai viewed the release of the video at this time as “part of a media attack against her” following her opposition to amendments to the Personal Status Law.
The lawyer has been trending in search engines lately due to her bold statements regarding the proposed amendment to the Personal Status Law in Iraq. A proposal has been submitted to the Iraqi parliament to amend this law based on Article 42 of the Constitution, which stipulates that Iraqis have freedom regarding their personal affairs according to their beliefs, sects, religions, or even personal choices. This has sparked debate within Iraqi society in recent days, particularly on social media platforms.
Who is Qamar Al-Samarrai?
Lawyer Qamar Al-Samarrai sparked controversy with her bold remarks while appearing on a segment of the Al-Rasheed and Al-Nas program with Yasser Amer broadcast on Al-Rasheed Iraqi Channel to discuss amendments to the Personal Status Law. However, her statements have gone viral across various social media platforms in Iraq, dividing opinions between supporters and opponents.
She engaged in a heated exchange with Sheikh Adai Al-Ghariri, a Sunni cleric in Iraq, regarding the Personal Status Law. Qamar Al-Samarrai objected during the episode to Al-Ghariri's comments on linking alimony to obedience and the wife's performance of marital relations, arguing that this turns wives into prostitutes.
The Iraqi lawyer insisted that linking the matter of alimony to the existence of a marital relationship is no different from prostitution, where the relationship between a man and a woman is exercised for money. She also criticized the approval of child marriages at the age of 9 based on the claim that the Prophet married Lady Aisha at a similar age, stating that allowing girls to marry at 9 years old constitutes child rape rather than marriage.
Qamar Al-Samarrai rejected the assertion that Iraq is an Islamic state, stating: “It is a civil state, and if it is an Islamic state, then Iraqis should go to Palestine and liberate Jerusalem.”
This is not the first time the Iraqi lawyer has stirred controversy; in January of this year, she made headlines with her statements regarding torture in Iraqi prisons, claiming that during her experiences at Taji prison in Baghdad and Al-Hout prison in Nasiriyah, the level of torture had reached the extent of tooth extraction. The controversial lawyer asserted that detainees in Iraqi prisons resorted to selling their organs to afford legal fees and escape from Iraqi prisons.
