The Somali religious council is against a new gender law by the ministry of women and human rights affairs.

Sheikh Bashir Ahmed Salad who spoke to the media during press conference by Somali scholars in the capital Mogadishu has harshly criticized the content of the new bill submitted by the minister for women and human rights to the parliament.

He said the new law which the ministry is pushing the parliament to approve is against the Islamic teachings and culture of the people in Somalia.

The contentious issues that generated heavy response from the religious leaders in the country include same sex marriage and equal rights for men and women, both issues are very sensitive among the Muslim communities.

The religious leaders have cautioned the government leaders to review the law that they said is a threat to the Islamic teachings in the largely Muslim country.

The African Union (AU) Ministers of Gender and Women Affairs have held a consultation meeting at the African Union Hall of the AU Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York to discuss various issues related to the priorities of women, gender and development 2016 and beyond.

March 23 meeting deliberated the review of Strategies for the ratification and the Implementation/Domestication of the Maputo Protocol, constituted the major subject for discussion at the meeting.