On October 18, 2002, the international law firm of Dechert hosted in New York City a Forum on Afghan Women's Legal Rights. The Forum's speakers included Mariam Nawabi, an attorney at Dechert and a KARAMAH associate, and Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, President of KARAMAH and an expert on women's rights in Islamic law. The beneficiaries of the Forum were a group of Afghan women delegates from various Afghan ministries, private sector, and journalism, who were visiting the United States as part of the Educational Leadership Program sponsored by the US-Afghan Women's Council. Officials from the State Department also attended. The purpose of the Forum was to familiarize the Afghan women delegates with specific existing Afghan laws and with aspects of Islamic jurisprudence that safeguard women's rights.

The Forum began with the Afghan women delegates voicing their concerns about issues relating to women's legal rights in Afghanistan. This dialogue was followed by a presentation given by Mariam Nawabi on Women's Rights Under Afghan Law. Mrs. Nawabi's presentation focused on Afghanistan's 1964 Constitution, the Bonn Agreement, international treaties to which Afghanistan is a party, and the various Afghan codes that affected Afghan women's rights. Following Mrs. Nawabi's presentation, the delegates acknowledged that indeed various Afghan laws did protect Afghan women's rights. However, it was strongly felt that the next step was the actual implementation of these laws.

After the delegates voiced their opinions concerning women's rights under Afghan law, Dr. al-Hibri spoke about the Rights of Women Under the Shari'a. Dr. al-Hibri's speech touched on issues such as "tawheed," spiritual equality, the concept of "shura," and the Charter of Medina. She raised these issues to give a better understanding of how a just Islamic state relates to men, women, and society as a whole under the Shari'a.

The Forum ended with a question-answer session relating to various issues such as the marriage contract, polygamy, and education.