Poll: Do you support Amina's goal to prevent anti-women Sharia laws from being adopted in Tunisia?

[HiPointDem]

266. So what? Under that constitution (1959) Sharia law was abolished, women got the vote, abortion

rights, the right to hold office, attend school, and wear whatever they wanted (except the veil), abortion rights and more freedom than most countries in the arab world, and non-muslims (2% of population) were allowed their own holidays and religious practice without persecution, and a government which was basically secular in practice.

Under the 1959 constition, members of Congress did *not* have to be muslim, or male.

I'm not sure why this is more heinous than say, the situation in israel, which doesn't have a constitution or any explicit requirement for its leader to be a Jew -- yet all its leaders have been.

In fact, the situation in tunisia was very much like the situation in Israel.


PREAMBLE

In the name of God, The Compassionate and Merciful,

We, the representatives of the Tunisian people, meeting as members of the National
Constituent Assembly,

Proclaim the will of this people, which has liberated itself from foreign domination by
virtue of its powerful cohesion and of its struggle against tyranny, exploitation and
regression:

•to consolidate national unity and to remain faithful to the human values which
constitute the common heritage of peoples attached to human dignity, justice
and liberty, and working for peace, progress and free cooperation between
nations;

•to remain faithful to the teachings of Islam, to the unity of the Greater
Maghreb, to its membership of the Arab family, to cooperation with the
African peoples for the building a better future, and to solidarity with all
peoples who are struggling for justice and liberty;

•to establish a democracy founded on the sovereignty of the people and
characterized by a stable political system based on the separation of powers.
We proclaim that the republican regime constitutes:

•the best guarantee for the respect of the rights of Man, the establishment of the
equality of citizens in their rights and duties, the realization of the prosperity
of the country through economic development and the exploitation of the
national riches for the benefit of the people;

•the most effective means for ensuring the protection of the family and the
citizens’ right to work, health, and education; We, the representatives of the free and s
overeign Tunisian people proclaim, by the grace of God, the present Constitution....

Article 5

The Tunisian Republic shall guarantee the fundamental liberties and rights of Man in
their universal, global, complementary, and interdependent understanding.

The Tunisian Republic shall have as its foundations the principles of rule of law and
pluralism and shall work for the dignity of Man and the development of his
personality.

State and society shall endeavor to firmly implant the values of solidarity, mutual
assistance and tolerance between the individuals, groups and generations.

The Tunisian Republic shall guarantee the inviolability of the human person and
freedom of conscience and shall protect the free exercise of
religion, as long as it does not disturb the public order...

Article 6

All citizens shall have the same rights and duties. They shall be equal before the law.

Article 8

The liberties of opinion, expression, press, publication, assembly and association shall
be guaranteed and exercised with in the conditions defined by statute.

The right to establish trade unions shall be guaranteed.

The political parties shall contribute to the guidance of citizens with regard to
organizing their participation in political life. They must be organized on democratic
foundations. The political parties must respect the sovereignty of the people, the
values of the Republic, the rights of Man, and the principles relating to personal
status.

The political parties shall commit themselves to abstaining from any form of violence,
of fanaticism, of racism, and any form of discrimination.

A political party may not essentially base its principles, objectives, activities, or program upon a specific religion, language, race, sex, or region.

Article 20

Every citizen who has been a Tunisian national for at least five years, has attained at
least eighteen years of age and fulfills the requirements defined by the
Elections Act shall have the right to vote.

Article 21

Any voter, born of a Tunisian father or of a Tunisian mother, who is at least twenty-
three years of age on the day of submission of his candidacy, is eligible for election to
the Chamber of Deputies.

A candidate to the Chamber of Councilors must be born of a Tunisian father or a
Tunisian mother, be at least forty years of age on the day of submission of his
candidacy, and have the right to vote.

These conditions shall apply to all members of the Chamber of Councilors.

http://www.mpil.de/shared/data/pdf/constitution_tunisia_english.pdf