In mid-September, another bombshell: At Mr. Essebsi’s urging, the government rescinded a 1973 administrative order forbidding Muslim women from marrying non-Muslims. Mr. Essebsi’s declarations also have the virtue of highlighting what remains to be done in the Muslim world to complete the Arab Spring. For the time being, laws throughout the Arab world tend to ratify inequality, especially when it comes to inheritance. At the same time, Mr. Essebsi’s positions also suggest some means of resistance and possibilities for deep reform. The president of Tunisia has proclaimed the equality of women in the Arab world, a social universe in which the Earth is still flat.

Source: New York Times October 01, 2017 19:30 UTC