Culture

Tunisian leader backs equal inheritance rights for women

Published

6 years ago

August 14, 2018

Tunisia’s president promised Monday to submit a bill to parliament soon that aims to give women equal inheritance rights with men, as debate over the topic of inheritance reverberated around the Muslim world.

In a speech marking Women’s Day in Tunisia, President Beji Caid Essebsi said he wants to submit the proposal “as soon as possible,” probably when parliament resumes in October.

The current system, which is based on Islamic Shariah law, generally grants daughters only half the inheritance given to sons, and is standard practice in most Muslim countries.

Many Muslim clerics see the inheritance rules as enshrined in the Quran, Islam’s holy book.

Since independence from France in 1956, Tunisia has been a standard-bearer in the Muslim world for women’s rights. Last month, a woman from Tunisia’s moderate Islamic party was elected mayor of Tunis, the capital, the first time a woman has held the post.

The president’s decision is based on the recommendations of a 300-page government report known as the Colibe report. It recommended the change in inheritance rights as well as proposals to end the death penalty and legalize homosexuality, which now in Tunisia is outlawed and punished with three years in prison.

Essebsi said Monday his decision is based on Article 2 of the country’s Constitution, which he said “stipulates that Tunisia is a state based on citizenship, the will of the people and the supremacy of law” rather than religion.

On Saturday, thousands of fundamentalist men and veiled women marched under a blazing sun from Tunis to Bardo, outside the capital where Tunisia’s parliament is located, to protest the Colibe report.

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Culture

Moroccan doctors stage nationwide protest in ‘Week of Anger’

Published

1 day ago

December 25, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Moroccan doctors across the country on Tuesday staged a nationwide protests in what is known as “Week of Anger,” accusing the government of ignoring their calls for reform in public healthcare.

In a public announcement on Monday, the Independent Union of Public Sector Doctors (SIMSP) said the strike action would include more walkouts from December 30 to January 5.

The SIMSP said the nationwide strike would affect all public health facilities except emergency and intensive care units to ensure that some level of care remained available.

“During this time, doctors will not be at diagnostic centres and they will also boycott administrative tasks and refuse to issue medical certificates,” the SIMSP said.

The union added that a large march is planned for December 29 in Rabat, aimed at opposing laws on strikes and pensions.

The doctors’ union noted that their demands have been ignored by the Ministry of Health.

The union stated that their requests to government has remained unanswered. It also criticized a new framework for doctors, calling it scandalous as it threatens job security and opens the door to unfair dismissals.

The doctors’ demands include extra grades for doctors beyond the current scale, higher salaries, and an end to limits on promotions.

The union also wants the government to honour agreements made in 2011, 2023, and 2024.

According to the union, the doctors are also upset with the 2025 budget plan, which they say fails to address the health sector’s funding issues, expressing concerned about plans to shift salaries from central budgets to local health groups and warning that this could lead to instability.

The union added that doctors will continue to boycott school health programmes and what they call “improvised” surgical campaigns. They insist on maintaining high medical standards while pushing for change.

Culture

Ghana’s Afua Asantewaa begins second GWR sing-a-thon attempt

Published

4 days ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Ghanaian singer, Afua Asantewaa, on Saturday, began her second attempt at breaking the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest singing marathon by an individual.

The sing-a-thon which began in the early hours of Saturday, December 21, at Heroes’ Park, Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, will run until December 25, and will see the determined songstress perform non-stop, focusing exclusively on Ghanaian songs.

According to Asantewaa’s manager, Madam Gladys Osei Owiredu, the audacious initiative is aimed at showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Ghanaian music to a global audience.

Owiredu confirmed that preparations for the event had been extensive but expressed confidence in Asantewaa’s readiness to finally break the record.

“I can confirm that she is ready for the task ahead. It’s been challenging—by way of preparations—but I can say she is ready,” Owiredu said.

Asantewaa’s second attempt follows her first effort in December 2023, which fell short of surpassing the current record of 105 hours held by India’s Sunil Waghmare.

But despite the setback, her team remains optimistic about breaking the record this time with corporate sponsors including International Maritime Hospital, Ghana Gas, Nasco Electronics, and Zoomlion Ghana Limited rallying behind her, underscoring the importance of the attempt in amplifying the global significance of Ghanaian music.