Tunisia's Mhenni upholds government ban on head scarves

08/10/2006

[File] Mhenni

Hedi Mhenni, general secretary of Tunisia's secular ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally party, upheld the government's ban on head scarves in public places, La Presse reported on Friday (October 6th). Speaking at a conference on "Authenticity and National Identity", he said, "If today we accept the head scarf, tomorrow we'll accept that women's rights to work and vote and receive an education be banned, and they'll be seen as just a tool for reproduction and housework." He said wearing the head scarves "would be real regress and infringement of the fundamentals of stability, progress and security of the country."

Mhenni reiterated President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's will to promote the Islamic values as a factor of civilisation and a fundamental attribute of the identity of society, while denouncing "turning Muslim faith into a political instrument". (El Watan, Reuters, La Presse)