▁W ael ▁Hal la q ▁sees ▁it ▁as ▁a ▁legacy ▁of ▁colonial ism : ▁changing ▁family ▁laws ▁would ▁have ▁provided ▁no ▁benefit ▁in ▁colonial ▁administration , ▁and ▁colonial ▁powers ▁promoted ▁the ▁theory ▁that ▁these ▁laws ▁were ▁sacred ▁to ▁the ▁population , ▁advert ising ▁their ▁pres ervation ▁as ▁a ▁mark ▁of ▁respect , ▁which ▁in ▁turn ▁led ▁to ▁them ▁being ▁taken ▁up ▁as ▁a ▁point ▁of ▁reference ▁in ▁modern ▁Muslim ▁identity ▁politics . ▁ ▁Import ant ▁changes ▁in ▁family ▁laws ▁took ▁place ▁in ▁the ▁modern ▁era . ▁The ▁laws ▁under w ent ▁cod ification ▁by ▁legisl ative ▁bodies ▁and ▁were ▁also ▁disp la ced ▁from ▁their ▁original ▁context ▁into ▁modern ▁legal ▁systems , ▁which ▁generally ▁followed ▁Western ▁practices ▁in ▁court ▁procedure ▁and ▁legal ▁education . ▁This ▁sever ed ▁them ▁both ▁from ▁the ▁classical ▁interpret ative ▁tradition ▁and ▁from ▁the ▁institution al ▁found ations ▁of ▁the ▁pre - mod ern ▁legal ▁system ▁into ▁which ▁they ▁were ▁embedded . ▁In ▁particular , ▁control ▁over ▁the ▁norm s ▁of ▁divor ce ▁shift ed ▁from ▁traditional ▁jur ists ▁to ▁the ▁state , ▁though ▁they ▁generally ▁remained ▁" with in ▁the ▁orbit ▁of ▁Islam ic ▁law ". ▁ ▁Method s ▁of ▁reform ▁ ▁Ch anging ▁social ▁conditions ▁have ▁led ▁to ▁increasing ▁diss atisf action ▁with ▁traditional ▁Islam ic ▁law ▁of ▁divor ce ▁since ▁the ▁early ▁ 2 0 th ▁century . ▁Vari ous ▁re forms ▁have ▁been ▁undert aken ▁in ▁an ▁attempt ▁to ▁restrict ▁the ▁husband ' s ▁right ▁of ▁un il ater al ▁rep udi ation ▁and ▁give