In the modern world, electronic communications play a significant role in national and international electronic transactions. This issue has forced all legal systems to face up to many emerging legal problems in the context of electronic communications, such as the time and the place of formation of electronic contracts, the validation of e-contracts made by the interaction with e-agents, the legal validity of electronic documents and signatures, consumer protection in contracting electronically in particular in cross-border e-transactions, and the Internet jurisdiction and choice of law. One issue to determine is the place of formation of contracts when contracting electronically, either through email, websites or chat-rooms to see how the notion of 'place' is perceivable in cyberspace; and the way of application of the four traditional theories of information, dispatch, receipt and awareness relating to the time and place of conclusion of contracts in contracting by electronic means should be examined. Regarding the legal validity of e-contracts made through interactive websites, the legal status of electronic agents which play an important role in this process is questionable to see whether they are akin to real agents in the physical world or they are only a mere tool of communication. The responsible person for any mistakes that an electronic agent makes and causes losses or damages to the contracting parties should also be examined. There are also questions regarding meeting the formalities in the formation of some specific contracts in contracting electronically to see whether the electronic documents and signatures legally valid and admissible at the courts of law or not. Their legal weight should also be measured. Moving on the jurisdiction and choice of law issue, some argumentative questions raise. For instance, where the rule of private international law provides that the competent court is the court within which jurisdiction the contract is performed, it is necessary to see that where the place of performance of the contract in which the subject matter is digital goods such as e-books or computer software delivered online is. This is also an important question in providing electronic services such as e-teaching. Regarding the choice of law issue the same questions of jurisdiction are posed. Furthermore, as consumer protection issue in B2C contracts is important in developing electronic commerce worldwide, it should be considered that whether the consumer party is able to bring an action against the business party in his own place of domicile or habitual residence or not. These are only a sample of questions that the current research tries to analyse based on the traditional legal rules and principles and the statues on electronic commerce. Discussing the above legal doubts in the context of Iranian law shows that there are a number of legal uncertainties in the Iranian legal system hindering, or at least putting in doubt, the development of electronic commerce in both national and cross-border electronic transactions. Despite the fact that some of them have been addressed by the Iranian Electronic Commerce Act 2004 indirectly, however a detailed legal work is still definitely needed to elaborate the questions and provide solutions developing and modernizing Iranian law in the context of electronic contracts. The author in the current research tries to analyse the questions by a horizontal comparative study of the UNCITRAL Model Laws, the Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts 2005, the EU law, English law, American law and Iranian law. Also, a four-stage roadmap that acts as the guiding principle of this research is employed to develop the Iranian legal system in the context of e-commerce. The first stage focuses on whether the exact application of Iranian traditional law can address the emerging legal doubts; the second stage expands and develops traditional rules; the third introduces legal presumptions; and the fourth theorizes new rules. The research concludes that the Iranian legal system may be modernized and developed in the context of electronic contracts by adopting the legal policy and solutions of other legal systems by both scholarly legal doctrines and legislation.

This is a study of hudud - Islamic 'fixed penalties' - as they appear in Iranian law and courts. It first presents the codified laws and underlying elements from Twelver Shi‘i law (as interpreted by the Iranian legal community) governing the penalties of stoning for adultery, amputation of four fingers for theft, and execution for sodomy and certain variants of fornication (illicit carnal congress between unmarried males and females). It subsequently observes how these laws and concepts are used in practice by analysing previously unavailable court documents pertaining to theft, sodomy, fornication and adultery trials. It thereby seeks to discover opportunities for avoiding these hadd (singular of hudud) penalties, which are termed ‘irreversible’ because they change the condemned irrevocably by killing or maiming them. The material collected suggests several patterns characterising the application of hudud in Iran. The law itself provides so many opportunities for lenience that in most cases, irreversible penalties could theoretically be avoided. However, the law is often so vague that judges have enormous discretion about how to interpret and apply it. This is exacerbated by the fact that the codified law is underlain by Shi‘i texts which jurists, judges and lawyers acknowledge as the true and authoritative source of law. The law’s vagueness necessitates recourse to these texts, but different texts and interpretations thereof can be used in court, leading to unpredictable sentencing. Furthermore, in the cases analysed it was commonplace for laws to be contravened outright. Socioeconomic forces also affected, or were revealed by, some of the cases. As well as many opportunities for lenience, the law contains fundamental obstacles to it, many of which are difficult to abrogate in an ‘Islamic Republic’ because they originate from authoritative Shi‘i texts. Some jurists suggest ways to overcome even these, one being Khomeini’s doctrine whereby state interests can override Islamic orthodoxy to protect the Muslim community and hence Islam itself. The project serves as a ‘handbook’ of codified Iranian hadd law in light of its underlying Shi‘i concepts as understood by Iranian legal specialists. Through a systematic analysis of hadd cases, it shows how these ideas are applied in practice, and could also have practical applicability in the field of human rights.

De nos jours, les activités et les relations d'affaires sont beaucoup plus larges et complexes qu'auparavant. L'extension de cet espace, nécessite que les différends relatifs aux affaires commerciales soient réglés dans des systèmes efficaces adaptés à la nature des litiges de ce domaine, c'est-à-dire, rapidement, de manière précise et par des experts. C'est pour quoi, au cours des dernières décennies, les législations des pays relatives à l’arbitrage ont été actualisées, et les conventions internationales dans ce domaine connaissent une large réussite. Les pays recherchant à transformer leur législation sur l’arbitrage commercial disposent d’un modèle législatif apprécié et intéressant fourni par la loi type sur l’arbitrage commercial international ; il a été adopté en 1985 par la CNUDCI et constitue aujourd’hui une référence pour réaliser une unité juridique dans le domaine de l’arbitrage commercial international. Les transformations des régimes juridiques nationaux ont débuté assez tôt dans certains des pays développés tels la France, la Suisse et la Belgique, tandis qu’elles ont été entamées assez tardivement dans d’autres pays, tels ceux en voie de développement dont l’Iran. En Iran, l’arbitrage a toujours été admis et pratiqué ; néanmoins, la procédure civile iranienne présentait encore des insuffisances, et dévoila encore davantage de défauts concernant l’arbitrage international. En conséquence, les parties iraniennes aux contrats internationaux ne pouvaient convaincre les parties étrangères à accepter l’Iran en tant que place d’arbitrage. C’est en accord avec les évolutions législatives mondiales que l’Iran aussi, tout en se joignant à la Convention de New York de 1958, réforma sa législation sur l’arbitrage commercial international, en adoptant en 1997 une loi sur l’arbitrage commercial international rédigée en adoptant le modèle législatif proposé par la CNUDCI. Cette loi marqua une évolution marquante dans la législation iranienne vu qu’elle institua d’importantes règles alignées sur les tendances récentes du droit de l’arbitrage international. Malgré cela, certains praticiens y découvrirent des défauts et des lacunes, réclamant ainsi une réforme nécessaire pour rendre le droit iranien réellement attractif. Néanmoins, la loi iranienne de 1997 n’a jamais fait jusqu’à ce jour l’objet d’une étude scientifique systématique. L’examen des droits d'autres pays tels que : la français, la belge et l'anglais sur l’arbitrage commercial international, ainsi que l’étude d’autres sources pertinentes, permettra d’identifier et d’analyser en profondeur les lacunes et de proposer des remèdes. / Nowadays, the business relations are much broader and more complex than before. The extension of this area of activities requires the disputes arising out of business relationships to be resolved through the effective systems aligned with the nature of this area, i.e. the promptness, accuracy and expertise. Hence, over the last few decades, the national laws relating to the arbitration have been developed, and international conventions in this field achieved a great deal of success.The countries seeking to reform their legislation on commercial arbitration can adopt the well-known model law provided by the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration which has been adopted in 1985 by UNCITRAL and is now a reference for the realization of a legal system in the field of international commercial arbitration. Changes in national legal regimes began relatively early in some of the developed countries such as France, Switzerland and Belgium, while they were initiated fairly late in other countries, such as developing world, including Iran.In Iran, arbitration has always been admitted and practiced; nevertheless, the civil procedure in Iran was inadequate in this area, and revealed even more defects concerning international arbitration. Consequently, Iranian parties to international contracts could hardly convince their foreign parties to accept Iran as the seat of arbitration.It was in line with global legislative developments that Iran, while joining the 1958 New York Convention, has reformed its legislation on international commercial arbitration by adopting a law on commercial arbitration in 1997 in accordance with the model law proposed by UNCITRAL. This law marked a significant development in Iranian legislation as it established important rules aligned with recent trends in the law of international arbitration. Despite this, the practitioners discovered some defects and shortcomings. That’s why they call for a reform necessary to make Iranian law truly attractive. Nevertheless, the Iranian law of 1997 has never been subject of a comprehensive study so far. Examination of the laws of other countries such as French, Belgian and English on international commercial arbitration, as well as the study of other relevant sources, will pave the way to identify and analyze in depth the gaps and propose remedies.

Au moment de l’élaboration du projet de la loi de la protection de la famille en 2007, il semblait exister un consensus général parmi les politiciens, les religieux, les universitaires et les activistes des droits de la femme, sur la nécessité de réformer les dispositions légales iraniennes concernant la famille. Pourtant, en dépit des attentes, la nouvelle L.P.F. a totalement maintenu la même structure de rapport entre les époux que celle qui avait été régie par les dispositions antérieures. Ces inégalités étant fondées sur le droit imamite, ont été justifiées depuis la fin des années 1960, par la théorie de non similitude exposée par Ayatollah Motahari. Selon la théorie de non similitude, du fait de leur différence de nature, l’homme et la femme ne peuvent pas avoir le même rôle : à la femme, le rôle de reproduction de la vie au sein de l’instance familiale, à l’homme la reproduction de la richesse afin de subvenir aux besoins de la famille. A travers l’étude des inégalités dans rapports personnels et patrimoniaux des époux, l’étude montre que cette division du travail n’assure pas une vie conjugale pacifique, digne et équilibrée. L’étude montre aussi que la protection matérielle de l’épouse dure uniquement durant la vie du mari. Par ailleurs, les mesures matérielles de protection théoriquement accordées à l’épouse, sont, en pratique, très difficiles à percevoir. En outre, cette compensation matérielle n’est pas suffisante pour réparer le dommage moral subi par celle-ci / At the time of drafting the family protection bill in 2007, there seemed to be a general consensus among politicians, religious, academics and women's rights activists on the need to revise the Iranian family law legislation. However, despite the anticipations, the new family protection law, has totally maintained the same structure of relation between the spouses as that which had been enacted in previous legislations. These inequalities, based on imamite law, have been justified since the end of the 1960s by the theory of non-similarity between man and woman, set forth by ayatollah Motahari. According to the theory of non-similarity, because of their difference in nature, men and women can not have the same tasks. To woman, the role of reproduction of life within the family; to man, the reproduction of wealth in order to provide for the needs of the family. But, the fact that several pecuniary relations between the spouses were affected by the new family protection law proves that from the point of view of the Iranian legislator, the balance which was supposed to dominate the relation between the spouses was disturbed. The study of inequalities in the personal and patrimonial relations of the spouses, the study shows that this division of task does not ensure a peaceful, dignified and balanced married life. The study also proves that the material protection of the wife lasts only during the life of the husband. On another note, the materiel protection measures that are theoretically granted to the wife, are practically very difficult to perceive. Furthermore, such material compensation is not sufficient to recompense for the non-pecuniary damage suffered by her

Family is the basic unit of society, and is grounded upon social, legal, religious and economic constructs. Depending on cultures and societies, and the often differential treatment they apply to men and women, entering into marriage may deteriorate women’s economic situation. The gender-based division of labor within family, which disproportionally burden women, notably through childcare responsibilities, causes a substantial decline in women’s income and interrupts their education and employment. This makes it difficult for women to have a career for themselves after a separation or divorce. Therefore, there is a general belief that legal principles and laws governing the marital relationship and property rights should be structured to protect women’s economic interests. To establish an equitable economic framework between spouses, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) opts for an egalitarian regime which asks for equal rights and responsibilities for both men and women, during and after the marriage. It rules in favor of a partial community of property between spouses according to which all economic advantages and disadvantages arising from a marriage and its dissolution should be borne equally by both parties. However, legal regimes differ in outlining the method of contribution each spouse must commit to the household, financial maintenance, and the division of property after a separation or divorce. Some legal regimes, following the CEDAW, emphasize formal equality and grant similar rights and responsibilities to both parties, while establishing a partial community of property. Another group of legal regimes establish the separation of property as the guiding principle for marital economic relationships, wherein the expenses should be borne by men as the heads of the household, whereas women should be compensated for their unpaid contributions to the household. As a country with a Sharia-based Civil law system and a specific cultural background, Iran has its own special matrimonial regime and does not follow the CEDAW’s approach to women and men’s rights and responsibilities. Iran’s matrimonial regime bases itself on Sharia’s approach to men and women, and is anchored in Iranian culture. This accounts for a legal matrimonial system that is different from laws existing in Western countries. Under this system, the husband and wife have different economic responsibilities. This thesis examines Iran’s matrimonial regime and compares it to the Quebec matrimonial regime. While Quebec family law espouses a contributory approach for both spouses in marital life, all economic institutions under Iranian family law are designed to enforce a compensatory approach toward the spouses’ economic relation. The compensatory approach of Iranian law to the financial aspects of marital life causes some difficulty for the wife, which is exacerbated at the time of the termination of the marriage. Such a comparative study hopes to bring some novel suggestions aiming at correcting certain deficiencies in the current Iranian matrimonial regime. Besides assessing the issues with Iran’s marital regime, this research seeks to propose legal solutions for enhancing the economic rights of women. A holistic approach will therefore be adopted, which will lead us to take into consideration certain cultural and religious specificities which have become mandatory rights in Iran. The reform proposals put forward in this thesis will thus seek to respond to Iran’s current social context. This study will examine women’s economic situations in marriage, separation, divorce and upon the death of their spouse. It will argue that the cultural specificities of Iranian society and Islamic law must be examined and assessed. It will also analyze women’s economic situation in marital relationships in Iran and Quebec. The study of these two different civil law jurisdictions will focus on the principle of equality and examine related arguments and ideologies regarding women’s rights and responsibilities. / La famille est l'unité de base de la société et est fondée sur des constructions sociales, juridiques, religieuses et économiques. En fonction des cultures et des sociétés et du traitement souvent différencié qu’ils appliquent aux hommes et aux femmes, le mariage peut détériorer la situation économique des femmes. La division du travail fondée sur le sexe au sein de la famille, qui pèse de manière disproportionnée sur les femmes, notamment en raison de leurs responsabilités en matière de garde d'enfants, entraîne une baisse substantielle du revenu des femmes et interrompt leur éducation et leur emploi. Cela rend difficile pour les femmes d'avoir une carrière pour elles-mêmes après une séparation ou un divorce. Par conséquent, il est généralement admis que les principes juridiques et les lois régissant la relation conjugale et les droits de propriété devraient être structurés de manière à protéger les intérêts économiques des femmes. Pour établir un cadre économique équitable entre les époux, la Convention sur l'élimination de toutes les formes de discrimination à l'égard des femmes (CEDAW) opte pour un régime égalitaire qui exige l'égalité des droits et des responsabilités pour les hommes et les femmes, pendant et après le mariage. Elle se prononce en faveur d'une communauté partielle de biens entre époux selon laquelle tous les avantages et inconvénients économiques résultant d'un mariage et de sa dissolution devraient être assumés également par les deux parties. Cependant, les régimes juridiques diffèrent en définissant le mode de contribution que chaque conjoint doit engager pour le ménage, l'entretien financier et le partage des biens après une séparation ou un divorce. Certains régimes juridiques, à la suite de la CEDAW, mettent l'accent sur l'égalité formelle et accordent des droits et des responsabilités similaires aux deux parties, tout en établissant une communauté partielle de biens. Un autre groupe de régimes juridiques établit la séparation des biens comme principe directeur des relations économiques conjugales, où les dépenses devraient être supportées par les hommes en tant que chefs de famille, tandis que les femmes devraient être indemnisées pour leurs contributions impayées au ménage. En tant que pays doté d'un système de droit civil fondé sur la charia et ayant une culture particulière, l'Iran a son propre régime matrimonial spécial et ne suit pas l'approche de la CEDAW concernant les droits et les responsabilités des femmes et des hommes. Le régime matrimonial Iranien se fonde sur l'approche de la charia à l'égard des hommes et des femmes et est ancré dans la culture Iranienne. Cela explique un système matrimonial légal différent des lois existant dans les pays occidentaux. Dans ce système, le mari et la femme ont des responsabilités économiques différentes. Cette thèse examine le régime matrimonial de l’Iran et le compare au régime matrimonial du Québec. Alors que le droit de la famille du Québec adopte une approche contributive pour les deux conjoints dans la vie conjugale, toutes les institutions économiques en vertu du droit de la famille Iranien sont conçues pour appliquer une approche compensatoire à l'égard de la relation économique des conjoints. L'approche compensatoire de la loi Iranienne concernant les aspects financiers de la vie conjugale cause certaines difficultés à l'épouse, qui sont exacerbées au moment de la fin du mariage. Une telle étude comparative espère apporter de nouvelles suggestions visant à corriger certaines lacunes du régime matrimonial Iranien actuel. Outre l’évaluation des problèmes liés au régime matrimonial de l’Iran, cette recherche cherche à proposer des solutions juridiques pour améliorer les droits économiques des femmes. Une approche holistique sera donc adoptée, ce qui nous amènera à prendre en considération certaines spécificités culturelles et religieuses devenues des droits obligatoires en Iran. Les propositions de réforme présentées dans cette thèse chercheront donc à répondre au contexte social actuel de l’Iran. Cette étude examinera la situation économique des femmes dans le mariage, la séparation, le divorce et le décès de leur conjoint. Il soutiendra que les spécificités culturelles de la société Iranienne et du droit Islamique doivent être examinées et évaluées. Il analysera également la situation économique des femmes dans les relations conjugales en Iran et au Québec. L’étude de ces deux juridictions de droit civil se concentrera sur le principe de l’égalité et examinera les arguments et les idéologies connexes concernant les droits et les responsabilités des femmes.