Afghan cleric defends marital law

A top Afghan cleric who backs a law that critics say would allow marital rape has dismissed the outcry the legislation has generated in the West.Mohammad Asif Mohseni on Saturday accused Western critics of trying to meddle in Afghan affairs and insisted that the law offers women many protections.The law states that "it is essential for the woman to submit to the man's sexual desire" and says a husband can demand sex with his wife every four days, unless she is ill or would be harmed by intercourse.The law also regulates when and for what reasons a wife may leave her home alone.Its critics say the law is a throwback to the deposed Taliban regime, which fell in 2001 after the US invaded Afghanistan.The Taliban required women to wear all-covering burqas and banned them from leaving home without a male relative.