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Arab women rights: Moroccan women appointed as ‘Ma2zoons’, more Saudi reforms
8-5-2018
The women of Morocco are participating for the first time in a state exam to become a ma’zoon (the person who officiates or registers marriages), noting that this job has been reserved for men for religious reasons. Women can take up the role of the ma’zoon now following a rare fatwa (religious decree) in the Islamic world issued last January to this effect. This decision, however, has triggered a backlash for being allegedly a deviation from the core principles of Islam that forbid a female to carry out the job based on the fact that her testimony is half that of her male peer. On the subject, a Moroccan justice ministry official supervising the exam told AFP that women represent nearly 40% of the 19 thousand candidates competing for 800 new ma’zoon vacancies to be selected according to merit only. One of the contestants, Sarah (25 years), described the decision as fair, as it shows real progress towards gender equality. Bushra, 32, did not rule out the fact that she and other female ma’zoons could face obstacles from a conservative community. Meanwhile, on the Saudi reforms front, Al Diyar newspaper in its first of May issue asked if the Saudi society is ready progressive moves related to women, the last of which was the announcement last February by the Saudi Directorate of Public Security to accept women in military posts for the rank of soldier in 7 districts of the Kingdom. (Al Diyar, An Nahar, May 1, 8, 2018)
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- العربية
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