A year ago, women's rights groups hit the streets of Iraq en masse to protest at the US-appointed governing council's attempt to pass the so-called Order 137 - provisional legislation that would have enshrined certain elements of Islamic law in the country's transitional constitution.
US proconsul Paul Bremer, who held veto power over the council, killed the measure because of the pressure, much to the chagrin of conservative clerics across the country.
Now the United States holds no such veto power and has indicated that it would not pressure the government into backing down from including elements of a similar constitution.
'The US supports the democratic process in Iraq and will work with whatever government the Iraqi people choose,' said a US diplomat in Baghdad.
Supporters of the measure, including representatives of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, say they are not pushing for anything as strict as forced veiling, but rather to have Koranic law govern matters of personal status, including marriage, divorce and inheritance.
Multiple marriages should also be permitted, they argue.