1. Iran as a conservative and religious society is no exception.

Premarital sex is considered

sinful according to the Islamic religious perspective. It is also legally prohibited and culturally
forbidden in this society.

2. Morocco, Moktar el-Ghzioui, the editor of Morocco’s daily newspaper Al Ahdath Al-
Maghribia, is concerned for his safety after speaking up in support of pre-marital sex. Currently,
it is illegal for Moroccans to have sexual relations before marriage and they can be jailed if they
are caught, according to the BBC.

Article 490 makes sexual relations outside of marriage illegal based on Islamic law, which
reserves sexual relations only for those who are married. Honor and female virginity are often
associated and can cause serious repercussions for women who have been sexually abused or just
plain active.

The editor of the newspaper told the BBC about his fears for his life after speaking up about the
controversial issue saying, “The next thing there was a cleric from Oujda releasing a fatwa that I
should die… I am very scared for myself and my family. It’s a real blow to all the modernists
who thought Morocco was moving forward.”

3. Saudi Arabia operates an uncodified criminal code based on Sharia law. Under this framework,
sex outside marriage is illegal. As same-sex marriage is not permitted, same-sex intimacy is
criminalised. The punishment varies depending on the circumstances: married men and interfaith
sex are punished with the death penalty, while non-married men are punished with flogging.
Sharia law principles underpinning the criminal law in Saudi Arabia also impose strict dress
codes that impact on the gender expression of transgender people.

According to the Human Rights Watch World Report: “Judges use principles of uncodified
Islamic law to sanction people suspected of committing sexual relations outside marriage,
including adultery, extramarital and homosexual sex. If individuals are engaging in such
relationships online, judges and prosecutors utilize vague provisions of the country’s anti-
cybercrime law that criminalize online activity impinging on ‘public order, religious values,
public morals, and privacy.’”

4. Sudan,Historically, moral offences such as engaging in pre-marital sex and extra marital
affairs (known as “zina”, “adultery”) have been criminalized in Islamic jurisprudence. Sudan has
criminalized “zina” under the Criminal Act, and made it a highly punishable offence (i.e., a
“hudud” crime which is an offence against god). The current President of Sudan, President Omar
al-Bashir, is a strong supporter of punishing a hudud crime and has been pursuing a “civilization
project” that seeks to Islamize the law. The main purpose of the project is to introduce control
over the way women use their bodies in order to protect their morality and honour.
Section 146 of Sudan’s Criminal Act provides that the penalty for committing zina is either
execution by stoning for married offenders; or 100 lashes for unmarried offenders. Furthermore,
male unmarried offenders may be punished, in addition to whipping, by expatriation for 1 year.
The majority of the adultery cases and stoning sentences have been imposed on women, which
highlights the disproportionate and unequal application of this law.