Book contents
- Constitution-Building After the Arab Spring
- Reviews
- ASCL Studies in Comparative Law
- Constitution-Building After the Arab Spring
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 We the People or We the Rulers?
- 2 Systems of Government and Distribution of Powers
- 3 Counter-majoritarian Institutions?
- 4 Religion, Non-Muslims, and Women
- Conclusions
- Bibliography
- Index
4 - Religion, Non-Muslims, and Women
The Challenges of Citizenship(s)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 December 2024
- Constitution-Building After the Arab Spring
- Reviews
- ASCL Studies in Comparative Law
- Constitution-Building After the Arab Spring
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 We the People or We the Rulers?
- 2 Systems of Government and Distribution of Powers
- 3 Counter-majoritarian Institutions?
- 4 Religion, Non-Muslims, and Women
- Conclusions
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Chapter 4 examines issues of citizenship and religion, with a particular focus on the status of non-Muslims and women. After discussing the problematic notion of citizenship in the Arab world, the chapter analyzes the specific meaning and scope of citizenship in the post-2011 constitutional systems. The chapter shows, on the one hand, that despite significant improvements with respect to the past, non-Muslims and women are still excluded from full citizenship, which remains a prerogative of male Muslims. On the other hand, however, over the past few years, prominent religious leaders and institutions have called for a more equality-based approach toward citizenship’s rights for all people, irrespective of one’s sex and religious belief. Given the profound influence that religion exerts on law and society in Arab countries, these calls might well lead to the adoption of legal reforms aimed at reducing discrimination against women and non-Muslims, and might represent a first step toward replacing the differentiated citizenships that currently exist in Arab countries, with one single, full, and inclusive citizenship.
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- Constitution-Building After the Arab SpringA Comparative Perspective, pp. 189 - 267Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025