Meherzia Maïza Labidi (محرزية العبيدي معيزة), (Meherzia Labidi 17 December 1963 - ) in Hammamet in Tunisia.[1] She is a Tunisian politician, a professional translator and interpreter.

Life

Meherzia Labidi was born on 17 December 1963[2] in El Meziraâ in the town of Hammamet in Nabeul Governorate in North East Tunisia. She graduated a mixed high school in the town of Grombalia in 1982. She then moved south to study at the Ecole Normale Superieure in the city of Sousse[3] until 1986. She then went to France with her husband, who is a telecommunications engineer,[4] to study at the École supérieure d'interprètes et de traducteurs [fr] at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle. She holds a Masters degree in economics and translation of a post-graduate degree in English literature and theatre studies[5] in 1992. She teaches translation at the European Institute of Human Sciences [fr] in St. Denis.[5]

In 2004 she co-authored Abraham, réveille-toi, ils sont devenus fous! (Abraham, Wake Up. They Are Going Crazy) with Laurent Klein.[2][6]

She gives lectures on education in multicultural societies, women, religion and society. She was the honorary President of Religions for Peace in 2015.[5] Religions for Peace is a New York based NGO recognized at the UN. She is Chair of the Global Women of Faith Network since 2006.[5] In 2009, she was a member of the European Council of religious leaders. She came to international notice when she supported a more moderate position over wearing the niqab. This was during the French debates that aimed to restrict it being worn in France.[4]

On 23 October 23 2011,[1] she was elected to the Tunisian Constituent Assembly as a representative of the Ennahda Movement for the Paris 1 voting district. On 22 November she became the first Vice-President of the assembly after receiving 142 out of the 214 votes.[2]

On 11 March 2014, she receives prostitutes who had worked at a brothel in Sousse. They wanted their brothel reopened after it had been closed for over a year. She undertook to speak on their behalf to the relevant authorities.[7]

She is a French and a Tunisian citizen, daughter of a father of eight children[4] imam, her dual nationality is the subject of controversy to her critics.[3][8] She is married and mother of two girls and a boy. Her husband and children reside in Paris.[2]

She was elected to the assembly of the representatives of the people in the elections on October 26, 2014, this time in the second district of Nabeu.[1] In 2015 she was still a member of the Tunisian Government and she lead their Committee For Women, Family, Children and the Elderly.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c (in Arabic) « Déclaration sur l'honneur de la situation patrimoniale de la vice-présidente de l'ANC Meherzia Labidi », Marsad, 11 juin 2013
  2. ^ a b c d Mehrezia Labidi-Maiza: The First vice-president of the Assembly, Tunisia Live, Retrieved 7 December 2015
  3. ^ a b (in French) Abbes Ben Mahjouba, « Mehrézia Labidi-Maïza : une islamiste libérale ? », Webdo, 26 novembre 2011
  4. ^ a b c (in French) Isabelle Hanne, « Diaspora tunisienne. Un face à femmes », Libération, 20 janvier 2012
  5. ^ a b c d e Meherzia Labidi Maïza, The 9th Al Jazeera Forum, Retrieved 8 December 2015
  6. ^ Labidi-Maïza, Mehrézia; Klein, Laurent (2004). Abraham, réveille-toi, ils sont devenus fous! (in French). Paris: Éditions de l'Atelier. ISBN 978-2-7082-3769-8.
  7. ^ (in French) « Tunisie : Mehrezia Labidi à l’écoute des prostituées de Sousse », GlobalNet, 11 mars 2014
  8. ^ (in French) « Mehrezia Laâbidi : « Je suis originaire de Tunisie mais maintenant je suis une citoyenne française » », Business News, 23 novembre 2011