A Protest against Discrimination

For twenty years Algerian family law has disadvantaged women to the benefit of men, giving women a lifetime status equivalent to minors. Algerian women have now begun a campaign at home and abroad called "Twenty years are enough" – "Vingt ans barakat".

Martina Sabra reports on the initiative.

CD Cover 'Vingt ans barakat' — Initative 'Vingt ans barakat'

In January 2004 Morocco enacted one of the most progressive family laws in the Arabic world. Shortly thereafter, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika called together a commission to investigate possible legal reforms that would benefit women.

But most human rights and women's rights activists in Algeria are certain that this commission will disappear soon after the Algerian presidential elections on April 8.

Moving images and rhythms calling for women's rights

To insure that the issue is not forgotten, Algerian women in Algeria and abroad have begun the campaign "Vingt ans barakat." The CD makes a fiery argument for women's rights using music and moving images.

The Rai and Latin rhythms are meant for dancing. The women's voices from Gabon, Argentina and Algeria are spectacular. But the issue is a serious one: the dignity of women, particularly women in Algeria.

The sounds of women's angry voices quickly became a campaign. "Hey, judge! Are you afraid of me? Stop persecuting me, write it down: I want my dignity now!" are some of the words sung by the women and men on the CD, switching back and forth from the three main languages of the Maghreb: Arabic, Berber and French.

The history of Algeria's family law

The current Algerian family law was enacted on June 9, 1984 – almost twenty years ago. Until then, the provisional law from the French colonial period was still in force. These transitional laws were advantageous to women in several ways.

But bit by bit the rights of women were restricted. Attacks against single or emancipated women became more frequent. In 1984 the male-dominated Algerian Parliament passed the new family law.

The main provisions of the law, say many Algerians, constitute an act of "hogra," a disgrace to the people:

If women want to marry, they require a male guardian.
Divorce is the prerogative of men. Women can only buy their divorce; they must pay their husbands to divorce them.
If a man divorces his wife, she must take care of the children, but she has no rights to the house and must leave.

Effects in neighboring European countries

Many believe that family law in Islamic countries is not a concern for people in Europe. But family law in Morocco and Algeria has in fact effects for some people in Europe.

For people with a North African passport who marry in North Africa or who undergo an Islamic marriage at their country's embassy, family law in their home country is binding for them, even if they live in Germany or France.

The grounds for this were laid down in a "bilateral agreement," an agreement in which European countries recognize the laws of the home countries of certain residents.

This means, for example, that a Moroccan wife in Germany must accept that her husband in Morocco can take a second or third wife and that her pension will be cut as a result. In France the same is true for Moroccan and Algerian women.

For this reason, Algerians from the Southern and Northern banks of the Mediterranean – from Algeria and France – decided to band together and fight against Algerian family law.

The CD and video were produced with the help of Algerian women's organizations and the "Global Fund for Women." The goal is to reach as many people as possible with the campaign, including those who are religiously devout Muslims.

The campaign is not aimed against religion and Islam does not inherently discriminate against women, say the organizers. But they maintain that the family law from 1984 is based on a very discriminatory interpretation of Islamic legal source.

It is time to reinterpret the sources for Islamic law, they say, and to interpret them in a way that grants women equal rights. Ourida Chouaki is a physics professor at the Algiers University as well as chair of the women's organization "Tharwa Fatma N'soumeur" and coordinator of the "Vingt ans barakat" campaign in Algeria.

She explains that she herself would like to see state and religion separated and Islamic family abolished.

But with similarly radical demands, women activists in Algeria had reached nothing in the past. "It has become clear to us that many people don't even know what is included in the law. That's why the campaign is first focusing on informing people about it," says Ourida Chouaki.

"Twenty years are enough" – a success so far

The video clip to accompany the music is outstanding, showing in addition to the musicians strong images of Algerian women, from the liberation movement of the 1950s all the way to the famous Algerian long-distance runner Hassiba Boulmerka. She won the first ever Olympic gold medal for an Algerian national. Later she received threats from religious fanatics because they consider runners in shorts to be "un-Islamic."

In addition to the CD and the video clip, the campaign initiators have organized lectures, conferences, a poster competition for adults and children, as well as a booklet of legal tips and advertisements in the media. They have also used the internet to reach as many people as possible including those in the far corners of the huge country of Algeria and in France.

The resonance has been enormous, says Ourida Chouaki. But one public space they haven't yet reached is television. Karim Amiti, a popular moderator, was only allowed to hold up the CD in front of the camera during the campaign.

The music was not heard in the background, nor was the video clip aired. "We haven't yet had real access to the most important media outlet, television. That is a shame because this is how you can reach the most people. But we haven't given up hope yet," says Chouaki.

Translation from German: Christina M. White