Tunisian women return back to the veil vigorously
Tunisia, Culture, 8/18/2003

The scarf has returned back to fill the Tunisian streets, remarkably since several months after it had disappeared during the two past decades.

Certain sides consider the return back of the veil as a return back to the jurisprudence of Islam especially that this returning back is not limited to a women of certain age, rather young girls, students at universities and intermediate institutes.

The return back of the veil provoke many people who indicate a very special situation for the Tunisian woman as unmatched in the Arab states. They said that since 1956, the woman in Tunisia enjoyed full equality with man, according to the marital status law which also forbids polygamy.

The return back to wearing the veil in Tunisia and the flow of young men to mosques has several explanations. This is in view of the majority in feeling a national commitment following the incidents of September 11 in the USA, the second Palestinian Intifada and the war on Iraq.

Societies and activists in defense of human rights expressed their regret over the harassment imposed to veiled Tunisian women, while the Tunisian human rights league condemned the security and administrative campaign against them, demanding the abrogation of a decision issued to that effect, issued since more than one decade.

On the other hand, the so called the Tunisian society for democratic women expressed their categorical rejection to what it signifies "closure and backwardness."

Despite its defense of the right of the woman to choose her own costume, this society considers that wearing the veil is considered a form of protest again all "fashions in the country and emerges as a style spread in countries where woman still suffers polygamy, divorce and other forms of discrimination."

Previous Stories:
  Layla Bin Ali stresses role of woman in comprehensive development   (8/14/2003)
  Tunis hosts Arab conference on children radio and tv   (4/2/2002)
  Women's Citizenship and Development Capacity seminar   (3/15/2002)

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