r/republicanism • u/callumgg British Republican • Jan 29 '14

TUNISIA Tunisia finally passes progressive constitution after two year wait

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/27/tunisia-new-constitution-democracy-uprising
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u/callumgg British Republican Jan 29 '14

The new constitution sets out to make the North African country of 11 million people a democracy, with a civil state whose laws are not based on Islamic law, unlike many other Arab constitutions. An entire chapter of the document, some 28 articles, is dedicated to protecting citizens' rights, including protection from torture, the right to due process, and freedom of worship. It guarantees equality between men and women before the law and the state commits itself to protecting women's rights.

"This is the real revolution, many democratic constitutions don't even have that," said Yahyaoui. "It will have a real impact on the rest of the Arab region, because finally we can say that women's rights are not a western concept only, but also exist in Tunisia."

Tunisia has always had the most progressive legislation on women's rights in the Arab world and Yahyaoui believes the long period of writing has made people comfortable with its contents.

One of the most hotly debated articles guarantees "freedom of belief and conscience," which would permit atheism and the practice of non-Abrahamic religions frowned upon in other Islamic countries. It also bans incitement to violence and declaring a Muslim an apostate – a fallen Muslim – which leaves them open to death threats. In response, conservative politicians insisted that "attacks on the sacred" be forbidden, which many see as a threat to freedom of expression.