2023 Bangkok Post Public Company Limited. But sociologist Mohamed Jouil said the series does "not necessarily reflect Tunisian society". It abolished polygamy, prohibited repudiation and instituted judicial divorce. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month for the first 3 months. Sociologist Foued Ghorbali said that while the subject remains taboo, polygamy is still an issue in Tunisia. Most often asked questions related to bitcoin! The group has urged the country's broadcast regulator to take the programme off the air. Tunisia was the first Arab state to officially abolish polygamy in 1956,[1][2] the same year of its official independence. He added that he also calls for a revision of all articles of the personal status law a set of laws that establish women`s rights and freedoms in Tunisia and not just the article on polygamy. Polygamy and customary marriage are "forms of violence against women" and their evocation "normalises the culture of impunity", says the organisation Aswat Nissa (Voice of Women) on its Facebook page. It also changed the law so that divorce cases had to go through the courts, meaning a husband could no longer simply declare a marriage over. The NGO has called for the intervention of the Tunisian High Audiovisual Authority (Haica), a body that controls media content. The CSP, enacted five months after the country's independence, is revolutionary legislation that granted Tunisian women rights unprecedented in the Arab world. Intimate in-person access to policy and business VIPs. A group of Tunisian women have used social media sites to call for a protest demanding polygamy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Turkey banned the practice in 1926, while the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq banned polygamy in 2008. HANOI: Five moon bears have been rescued in Vietnam from an illegal bile extraction farm, in the latest effort by authorities to eradicate a practice widely condemned for its cruelty. He had a wife in Tunisia then married another in exile and brought her with him when he got back, Nasrawi said. Marriage may occur between: Foreign non-Muslim men and Tunisian Muslim women provided the man converts. "Talking about polygamy and orfi marriage doesn't threaten the gains that women have made," he told AFP. Tunisia's 2011 revolt, which overthrew Bourguiba's successor Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, brought in a parliamentary system ideologically divided between secularists and Islamist-leaning parties such as Ennahdha. "Baraa" (Arabic for "innocence") has also been criticised by rights activists and secular politicians for its portrayal of customary "orfi" marriage, religious unions not sanctioned by the state. Rent in Tunis is, on average, 93.08% lower than in New York. Rights group Aswat Nissa ("Women's Voices") said polygamy and customary marriage were "forms of violence against women" and that discussing them "normalises a culture of impunity". Since independence in 1956, the Tunisian state has been involved in legislation on the status of women in the family, denying women the right to vote for members of the National Constituent Assembly. A group of Tunisian women have used social media sites to call for a protest demanding polygamy. The strongly secular Free Destourian Party (PDL) founded by one-time members of Ben Ali's ruling party has been one of the loudest voices against "Baraa", saying that "putting these questions back on the table is out of the question" and an affront to women's dignity. The series, aired at prime time after observant Muslims break their daytime fast, has sparked a backlash on social media. But sociologist Mohamed Jouil said the series does "not necessarily reflect Tunisian society". post-revolution initiative to cancel all laws that contradict Islamic principles. Moreover, the freedom of speech that came with the end of Ben Ali's dictatorship allowed people in favour of such practices to openly say so. But in one episode, the series' main character, Wannas, declares to his wife and children that he has the right to marry a second woman under Islamic law, which "trumps all other laws". Tunisia became the first Arab state to formally abolish polygamy in 1956,[1] the same year it gained official independence. Kurdish-controlled areas criminalize polygamy, "Tunisian women free to marry non-Muslims", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Polygamy_in_Tunisia&oldid=1141521187, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 13:37. It also changed the law so that divorce cases had to go through the courts, meaning a husband could no longer simply declare a marriage over. 13 Apr 2022 at 10:45. In the United States, polygamy is only legal in the state of Utah. In the event of divorce, the woman may assume certain guardianship rights if the male guardian has behaved badly. A Ramadan TV series dealing with polygamy has sparked a heated debate in Tunisia, an Arab pioneer in women's rights that banned the practice decades ago. Turkey banned the practice in 1926, while the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq banned polygamy in 2008. She claimed that it also indicates a lack of awareness among those who ask for it, adding that it will not affect the way of life of Tunisian society or the achievements of Tunisian women. . Tunisia became the first Arab state to formally abolish polygamy in 1956, the same year it gained official independence. The news was announced by President of the Forum of Freedom and Citizenship, Fathi Al-Zghal, who confirmed that "the demonstration is spontaneous and comes within the framework of advocacy to solve the problem of spinsterhood in the country". A TV series on polygamy broadcast during Ramadan is causing controversy in Tunisia, a pioneering Arab country on women's rights, where multiple unions have been banned for decades. Almost half of all university students are women. The main character of the series "Baraa" (Innocence), Wannas, beats a rosary and demands, from the third episode onwards, to be united with a second wife. According to the latest report published by the National Office for Family and Population in December 2017, Tunisia is one of the countries with the highest rate of reluctance to get married, with figures standing at 60 per cent much higher than the ratios of other Arab countries. "It's not the role of drama to present a positive image of society. A Ramadan TV series dealing with polygamy has sparked a heated debate in Tunisia, an Arab pioneer in women's rights that banned the practice decades ago."Baraa" (Arabic for "innocence") has also been criticised by rights activists and secular politicians for its portrayal of customary "orfi" marriage, religious unions not sanctioned by the state.Both practices are punishable by up to a year in . The PDL also blames Ennahdha, politically dominant after the 2011 revolt, for a rise in "crimes" under the family code and has frequently called for its rival to be dissolved. 2023 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved. Tunisia remains one of the few predominantly Muslim countries to have banned polygamy. Tunisia remains one of the few predominantly Muslim nations that has legally banned polygamy. "In Tunisia, some people are in favour of concubinage and others approve of customary marriage," adds Foued Ghorbali, for whom this controversy reflects "an ideological conflict between conservatives and those who present themselves as progressives. Sociologist Mohamed Jouili is reassuring: the series "is a work of dramatic art that does not systematically reflect Tunisian society. Keywords: Dynamics, Gender, Polygamy Law, Tunisia One of phenomenon were risen in the Muslim world in the 20 th century was the existence of the family law reforms which is The justice ministry said courts examined 1,718 cases of orfi marriage between 2015 and 2020 in the country of 12 million people. After Islamist movements grew following the 2011 revolt, "religious marriage became more common" particularly among university students looking for "halal" sex, he added. All done! From hope to agony, what's left of the Arab Spring? Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Tunisian Moderate Association for Awareness and Reform, Serbia's Novak Djokovic poses with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup trophy in Melbourne on January 30, 2023, after winning the Australian Open tennis tournament's mens' singles final against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas. Tunisia became the first Arab state to formally abolish polygamy in 1956,[1] the same year it gained official independence. Adultery is a crime punishable by law for both spouses 7. dinars. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. According to statistics from the Ministry of Justice, between 2015 and 2020, 1,718 cases of orfi marriage were investigated by the country`s courts. Lawyer and rights activist Radia al-Nasrawi alleged that a prominent member of the Islamic al-Nahda Party, whose name she refused to disclose, was already married to two women. According to a recent report by Tunisias National Office for Family and Population, the country has one of the highest number of single women in the Arab world. "The over-reactions to the series are trying to convince people that everything related to Islam is backwards," the 28-year-old said. You will get the updates within 24 hours. "The over-reactions to the series are trying to convince people that everything related to Islam is backwards," the 28-year-old said. Read: Tunisian union calls for another nationwide strike to press wage demands. The head of a Tunisian Islamist organization called this week for his country to legalize polygamy as part of a post-revolution initiative to cancel all laws that contradict Islamic principles. Polygamy is expressly prohibited under Tunisian law. Lgj 1, Rruga Taulantia, Durres Albania Read this subscriber-only article for free! 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