Sit-in in Saida to support right of hijabi women  

Scores of veiled women (hijabi) staged a sit-in on Sunday in the southern town of Saida demanding the right of Hijabi Lebanese women to work in the judiciary and other public departments. Signs hoisted during the protest included, ‘Every Lebanese has the right to public posts’, ‘The freedom of belief is an absolute right’, ‘My hijab does not contradict justice’, and ‘Legal or constitutional provisos do not veto the access of hijabi women to the judiciary as stipulated by the Constitution’. In this regard, activist Layal Tufayli (student of law- Lebanese University), told Al Mustaqbal that she laments the fact that the Judiciary in Lebanon has substantiated a provision which is in explicit violation of the Constitution itself and of international conventions. She pointed to Article 7 which endorses equality between Lebanese citizens (men and women) without discrimination. To recall, the prime minister Saad Hariri has earlier on 18-1-2018 issued a circular prohibiting discrimination against hijabi women or preventing them from holding public office. (https://bit.ly/36PXcNH). (Al Mustaqbal, November 10, 2019)