A top Shia cleric in Afghanistan has rejected criticism of a law that critics say legalises marital rape and limits the rights of Shia women.

Cleric Mohammad Asif Mohseni has tried to put an end to what he calls a "misunderstanding" over the law, which has been the subject of intense international debate for weeks.

In Kabul, Al Jazeera's Todd Baer reports Afghan scholars argue hundreds of Shia women also support the law.