TheCable

President Beji Caid Essebsi of Tunisia on Thursday said Tunisian Muslim women are now free to marry men of their choices irrespective of religious differences.

The announcement comes a month after Essebsi called on the government to scrap the 44-year ban.

“Congratulations to the women of Tunisia for the enshrinement of the right to the freedom to choose one’s spouse,” presidency spokeswoman Saida Garrach wrote on Facebook.

Before now, a non-Muslim man who wished to marry a Tunisian woman had to convert to Islam and submit a certificate of his conversion as proof.

As at 2014, the north African country had an estimated population of 10,982,754, making it the 79th most populated country in the globe.

98% of this population are Muslims, while the other 2% are Christians and other religions.

Human rights groups in the country had campaigned for the restriction’s abolition, saying it undermined the fundamental human right to choose a spouse.

Tunisia is viewed as being ahead of most Arab countries on women’s rights, but there is still discrimination particularly in matters of inheritance.