Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi said in a written...

Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi said in a written fatwa or religious ruling that "In certain circumstances, death by stoning can be replaced by other methods of punishment," opening the way for women lawmakers who have campaigned against the practice to propose a bill on the banning of stoning. "This is a victory for reformist lawmakers who seek to end discrimination against women," said Fatemeh Rake'i, one of the reformists. "Our Islamic laws need to be updated and meet demands of the modern time." Ayatollah Hussein Mousavi Tabrizi, a senior cleric in Qom, said that stopping stoning was a response to the "demands of the modern age." "Any punishment, including stoning, that defames Islam or depicts a bad picture of the religion in the world is harmful to Islam and it is fully Islamic to stop it," he said.