"It's disappointing to see these subjects being debated," said Tunisian actress Mariem Ben Hussein. Meanwhile the Head of the National Union of Tunisian Women, Radhia Djerbi, said in a statement to Alkhaleej Online that the articles of the Personal Status Code were approved by the Tunisian Constitution and cannot be amended through protest. Tunisia became the first Arab state to formally abolish polygamy in 1956, the same year it gained official independence. "Some Tunisians support customary marriage," he said. Polygamy is expressly prohibited under Tunisian law. Tunisia remains one of the few predominantly Muslim nations that has legally banned polygamy. Tunis (AFP) 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. 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. As a result of the abuse or injury of one spouse by the other. The group has urged the country's broadcast regulator to take the programme off the air. Premi ESC per annullare. "Baraa" (Arabic for "innocence") has also been criticized by rights activists and secular politicians for its portrayal of customary "orfi" marriage, religious unions not sanctioned by the state. 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. Nasrawi added that the first wife filed a lawsuit against him with the court of Nabeul in northeastern Tunisia, but no measures have been taken against him so far. He had a wife in Tunisia then married another in exile and brought her with him when he got back, Nasrawi said. APR 13, 2022 LISTEN. PESCO, enacted five months after the country`s independence, is groundbreaking legislation that grants Tunisian women unprecedented rights in the Arab world. 13 Apr 2022 at 10:45. TUNIS: 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. In most West African countries, polygamy is also recognised and regulated by the civil law that allows a man to marry up to four women under certain conditions, including the financial capacity to support multiple wives and families. It can show a point of view or phenomena in society that could be a subject of debate," he said. 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. Weekly A.I. 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. Tunisia remains one of the few predominantly Muslim countries to have banned polygamy. The CSP, enacted five months after the country's independence, is revolutionary legislation that granted Tunisian women rights unprecedented in the Arab world. Post-independence leader Habib Bourguiba outlawed polygamy in the family code passed just five months after the country's 1956 independence from France, a piece of legislation that was nothing short of revolutionary in the Arab world at the time. Intimate in-person access to policy and business VIPs. 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. Such controversies ought to be reflected in the arts, Ghorbali said. The Tunisian Ramadan TV series Baraa has sparked a backlash on social media. Free shipping for many products! -Tunisia-Turkey-Iran-Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-UAE. According to our city rankings, this is a good place to live with high ratings in housing, business freedom and safety. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. According to statistics from the Ministry of Justice, 1,718 "orfi" marriage cases were examined by the country's courts between 2015 and 2020. According to the Muslim tradition, men can have up to four wives. Tunisia has some of the strongest womens rights laws in the Middle East. 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". Italian firm gears up to restart works on Total's Mozambique gas project, Burkina scraps 1961 military aid pact with France, 'Like a war zone': Greek train survivors recount chaos, Bears freed from illegal bile farm in Vietnam. A TV series on polygamy, broadcast during Ramadan, is sparking controversy in Tunisia, an Arab country that pioneered women`s rights, where several unions have been banned for decades. She claimed that it also "indicates a lack of awareness of those who demand it," adding that "this will not affect the lifestyle of Tunisian society or the achievements of Tunisian women". Tunisia remains one of the few predominantly Muslim nations that has legally banned polygamy. The freedom of expression gained after the 2011 revolution even encouraged some to call for the return of polygamy, including a women`s collective that organized a protest in early 2018. He abolished polygamy, prohibited rejection, and introduced judicial divorce. However, sociologist Salahuddin Ben Faraj does not see polygamy as the solution to the problem. "Talking about polygamy and orfi marriage doesn't threaten the gains that women have made," he told AFP. 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 abolition of the decree may not remove the cultural and traditional barriers women face when interfaith marriage in their families, but it now offers Tunisian women greater freedom of choice from a legal perspective. Tunisia has some of the strongest women's rights laws in the Middle East. However, the legal status of women in the family in Tunisia differs from that of other countries in the region. About 200 people rallied outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday evening in support of two young political activists now on the 42nd day of a hunger strike. But since the Islamic al-Nahda Party came to power in October elections last year, Tunisian womens rights organizations have been apprehensive about the possibility losing some of their rights. The series, broadcast on the private channel El Hiwar Ettounsi since the beginning of Ramadan, the holy month of Muslims, after the breaking of the fast, has sparked controversy by addressing two practices prohibited by Tunisian law: polygamy and religious marriage known as orfi. 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. In his view, the controversy illustrates "a social hypocrisy", because "we agree to discuss these phenomena in private, among friends, but we get indignant and angry when they are mentioned in public". Calls for protests have sparked a debate on the issue of polygamy, which is rejected by the majority of Tunisians but supported by a minority under the pretext of respecting Sharia law. 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. Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.Delivered straight to your inbox. The "exaggerated reactions against this series aim to make people think that everything related to the Muslim religion is retrograde," Nadia Abdelhak, a 28-year-old civil servant, told AFP. TUNIS - 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. Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics. The series, aired at prime time after observant Muslims break their daytime fast, has sparked a backlash on social media. Tunisia became the first Arab state to formally abolish polygamy in 1956,[1] the same year it gained official independence. After Islamist movements grew following the 2011 revolt, "religious marriage became more common" particularly among university students looking for "halal" sex, he added. It abolished polygamy, prohibited repudiation and instituted judicial divorce. "The over-reactions to the series are trying to convince people that everything related to Islam is backwards," the 28-year-old said. In current times, Tunisia is still one of the very few predominantly Islamic nations that has legally banned polygamy, another notable nation being Turkey . Turkey banned the practice in 1926, while the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq banned polygamy in 2008. Can you have 4 wives in Tunisia? After Islamist movements grew following the 2011 revolt, "religious marriage became more common" particularly among university students looking for "halal" sex, he added. Only civil marriage is recognised by law. Tunisia . "Talking about polygamy and orfi marriage doesn't threaten the gains that women have made," he told AFP. yes its very possible to get married in tunisia, but rather complex, you need to go to, the City Hall Registry Office Bureau de lEtat Civil a la Municipalite you also need to follow the rules of what is required to get married in tunisia, these rules are set laws. A group of Tunisian women took to social media to call for a protest against polygamy. Tunisia remains one of the few predominantly Muslim nations that has legally banned polygamy. Such controversies ought to be reflected in the arts, Ghorbali said. The practice was permitted in Islam and should be legalized if it deemed in the best interest of society, Elmi said, proposing Tunisias marriage laws be referred to courts for modification, under certain conditions. By Achraf OUERGHEMMI (AFP) 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. This Tunisia-related article is a stub. 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. The birth of a child in Tunisia is an important time in the life of the Tunisian family. See also The new Islamist government has pledged to preserve womens rights, but talk of Tunisian Islamist figures violating the polygamy ban has stirred controversy in the country. (Photo by WILLIAM WEST / AFP), A surgery team operates on a child rescued from the rubble of a building at a hospital in the town of Harim in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province. The justice ministry said courts examined 1,718 cases of orfi marriage between 2015 and 2020 in the country of 12 million people. 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. All rights reserved. According to an international study conducted in December, Tunisia ranked fourth in the Arab world and first in north Africa in the percentage of single women. 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