today-is-a-good-day
4.3 C
New York
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsAfricaTunisia lifts ban on Muslim women marrying non-Muslims

Tunisia lifts ban on Muslim women marrying non-Muslims

A spokeswoman for President Beji Caid Essebsi has confirmed that Tunisia has overturned a law that banned women from marrying non-Muslims.

She made the announcement and congratulated women on gaining “the freedom to choose one’s spouse”. Until now, a non-Muslim man who wished to marry a Tunisian Muslim woman had to convert to Islam and submit a certificate of his conversion as proof.

Tunisia, which is 99% Muslim, is viewed as one of the most progressive Arab countries in terms of women’s rights.  The new law comes after President Essebsi pushed for the lifting of the marriage restriction law that was put in place in 1973.

Advertisements

He said in a speech last month, during celebrations of the National Women’s day, that the marriage law was “an obstacle to the freedom of choice of the spouse”.  The restriction was also seen as violating Tunisia’s constitution which was adopted in 2014 in the wake of the Arab Spring revolution.

Advertisements

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

- Advertisment -

Most Popular

Recent Comments

Onuegbu Chuks Theophilus on Mikel Obi quits Super Eagles
Thomas H. Anderson on Roman Goddess_3
Oladimeji Emmanuel on Obama sends investors to Buhari