Tunisian president’s call for gender equality questioned

Reactions and retorts continue to the recent Tunisian President, Essebsi’s call for gender equality in inheritance and his sanctioning marriage between a non-Muslim man and a Muslim woman. On the subject, Al Hayat newspaper on Monday wrote that the call came in response to a petition signed by an alliance of 60 civil and human rights groups last March requesting the revoke of the 1973 decree prohibiting interfaith marriage. Said decree, the petition said, violates a fundamental right of any human being to choose his/her  partner, and is contrary to the provisions of the New Constitution that guarantees freedom of conscience and equality between Tunisian citizens. Speaking to Al Hayat on the feasibility and implications of such procedure, journalist Amal Hutheili explained that the Tunisian President did not invent anything, as Tunisian women enjoy the right to marry non-Muslim. The old law can be easily overridden when a non-Muslim husband enters Islam by pronouncing the Shahada only as a formality to conclude the marriage contract. And since the old law was unconstitutional, its repeal could be enacted automatically, Hutheili said, noting however, that Essebsi’s preemptive action was politically manipulated to show his party’s support to human rights and to women’s rights in particular as women represent nearly half the number of voters. Again, on Al Azhar deputy’s criticism of the Essebsi’s call for equality in inheritance, activists responded via a hashtag on social media under # yal al azhar khalik fil askar# ( Al Azhar keep to the military) demanding it to limit its activity to Egypt and not meddle with Tunisian internal affairs. )Al Hayat, August 21, 2017(

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Call for gender equality in inheritance in Tunisia steers controversy