can anyone prevent such laws from being passed in the name of religion?

Eroding women's rights Guardian

"Tony Blair, who continues to justify the invasion of the country as the only means of toppling a brutal dictatorship and helping establish democracy, now has an obligation to use all his powers to avert a new dictatorship in Iraq — that of the mullahs over women. "
...
"This particular interpretation of the Quran would legalise polygamy; divorce by talaq; honour killings; stoning and public beheadings of women for alleged adultery. But now rule 137's provisions are back in the new draft constitution. "
...
"These developments have caused deep dismay among women's organisations across Iraq, whether Kurds, Sunnis or Shias. Iraqi women have campaigned and lobbied hard over the past few months, often risking great personal danger — several politically active women have been assassinated, abducted, raped or threatened — for the new constitution to guarantee women's rights and abide by international treaties. "

is democracy only giving men freedom?