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 . Jouil added that many Tunisians happily discuss such issues in private but are angered when they are aired in public -- where commentators are "instrumentalising" the issue for political gain. The Personal Status Code passed in 1956 by late Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba prohibited polygamy, raised the age. These include: Tunisia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. "It is out of the question to discuss these issues again", since the Personal Status Code (CSP), promulgated on 13 August 1956 by former president Habib Bourguiba, "has ruled on these practices", denounced the anti-Islamist Free Destourian Party (PDL) in a statement. In practice, judges give less than 5 years of imprisonment. The main. 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. 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. "The over-reactions to the series are trying to convince people that everything related to Islam is backwards," the 28-year-old said. Weekly A.I. Foreigners wishing to engage in gainful employment require a residence permit (visa and residence permit). Adel Elmi, head of the Tunisian Moderate Association for Awareness and Reform, formerly known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, said in a Wednesday radio statement that marriage laws ought to be modified. Only civil marriage is recognised by law. This includes reviewing unfair divorce procedures and abolishing the principle of adoption because it is contrary to Sharia law. Such controversies ought to be reflected in the arts, Ghorbali said. Djerbi considered calls to demonstrate against polygamy as a form of madness, a pathological phenomenon. 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. Sociologist Foued Ghorbali said that while the subject remains taboo, polygamy is still an issue in Tunisia. The group has urged the country's broadcast regulator to take the programme off the air. polygamy is still an issue in . 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. 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. The Tunisian Ramadan TV series Baraa has sparked a backlash on social media. Polygamy is an injustice to women, he was widely cited as saying, sparking both angry and supportive reactions in the traditional and online media. In front of his wife and children, he asserts that he has the right to do so in the name of Sharia, the Islamic law, which he says is "above all other laws". The freedom of expression acquired after the 2011 Revolution has even encouraged some to call for the return of polygamy, including a collective of women who organised a demonstration in early 2018. Turkey banned the practice in 1926, while the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq banned polygamy in 2008. 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. Such controversies ought to be reflected in the arts, Ghorbali said. "It's not the role of drama to present a positive image of society. Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts. [2] By doing so, the king reduces the chance of dissident and rival forces developing and rising against him. [26] Use of Maslahah Another basis for the abolishment of polygyny lies in the jurisprudential concept of maslahah. In current times, Tunisia is still one of the very few predominantly Islamic nations that has legally banned polygamy, another notable nation being Turkey . The justice ministry said courts examined 1,718 cases of orfi marriage between 2015 and 2020 in the country of 12 million people. France 24 is not responsible for the content of external websites. -Tunisia-Turkey-Iran-Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-UAE. Such controversies ought to be reflected in the arts, Ghorbali said. 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". The significant role played by bitcoin for businesses! Turkey banned the practice in 1926, while the Kurdistan-Iraq Regional Government banned polygamy in 2008. The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Tunisia became the first Arab state to formally abolish polygamy in 1956,[1] the same year it gained official independence. Premi ESC per annullare. 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 country banned polygamy as early as 1956, distinguishing itself from other Muslim-majority countries. Its supporters, such as Archbishop Gabriel Roric of the Reformed Episcopal Church (an Anglican denomination), however, maintain polygamy is a source of "African pride," saying those who opposed it were misguided by the western world's approaches to marriage. 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. Any individual who engages in the union of marriage before the dissolution of their previous/current matrimony is sanctioned by one year of imprisonment and/or a fine, even if the first marriage or the new marriage were not contracted in accordance with the law. The birth of a child in Tunisia is an important time in the life of the Tunisian family. 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. 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. LIBRA & ARIES CONSULTING SH.P.K 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". But sociologist Mohamed Jouil said the series does "not necessarily reflect Tunisian society". 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. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The series, aired at prime time after observant Muslims break their daytime fast, has sparked a backlash on social media. Women therefore had the right to have an abortion in an approved hospital within the first 12 weeks, could grant citizenship to their children with the husband`s consent, and married women had the right to adopt children. It provides tools to debate social issues, "talk about polygamy or orfi marriage" but "in no way threatens the achievements of women", he told AFP. It abolished polygamy, prohibited repudiation and instituted judicial divorce. 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 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". "The role of drama is not to give a good image of society, it exposes a point of view or social issues that can be a subject of debate," he explains. Tunisia became the first Arab state to formally abolish polygamy in 1956, the same year it gained official independence. Tunisia became the first Arab state to formally abolish polygamy in 1956, the same year it gained official independence. 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. The Personal Status Code passed in 1956 by late Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba prohibited polygamy, raised the age of marriage for girls to 17 years old, facilitated womens ability to obtain divorce in court, and banned forced marriages for minor girls. . Jouil added that many Tunisians happily discuss such issues in private but are angered when they are aired in public - where commentators are "instrumentalising" the issue for political gain. 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. The author describes the obstacles to the effective practice of this civil law and to the building of democracy in the family. Tunisia was the first Arab state to officially abolish polygamy in 1956, [1] [2] the same year of its official independence. All rights reserved. It can show a point of view or phenomena in society that could be a subject of debate," he said. Tunisia became the first Arab state to formally abolish polygamy in 1956, the same year it gained official independence. The Islamic revolution calls for multiple wives, Published September 1st, 2012 - 10:04 GMT. 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. Broadcast on the private channel El Hiwar Ettounsi after the break of the fast since the beginning of Ramadan, the holy month of Muslims, the series has triggered controversy by addressing two practices prohibited by Tunisian law: polygamy and religious marriage called "orfi". After Islamist movements grew following the 2011 revolt, "religious marriage became more common" particularly among university students looking for "halal" sex, he added. These issues, which are not usually discussed, remain taboo subjects, yet they are phenomena that exist in Tunisia, said Foued Ghorbali, another sociologist. This document has abolished polygamy and repudiation, enabled women to ask for divorce, enacted a minimum age for marriage and ordered the consent of both spouses before marriage. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month for the first 3 months. Four good reasons to indulge in cryptocurrency! 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. Apr 13, 2022, 11:28 AM SGT. "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. He pointed out that political parties close to Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi supported these moves and called on people not to follow these calls. However, a group of women have taken to social media to call for a protest to be held in front of parliament to demand polygamy. "Talking about polygamy and orfi marriage doesn't threaten the gains that women have made," he told AFP. The group has urged the country's broadcast regulator to take the programme off the air. 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