By Amos Tauna

Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI) has warned Muslim youths and other Northerners against reprisal over the incident in Abia State, but to exercise restrain for the overall peaceful coexistence of the country.

JNI Secretary General, Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, in Kaduna, northwest Nigeria on Friday called on Juma’at Mosque Imams across the country, particularly in the North, to preach peace in their Friday sermon and understanding among Nigerians.

Aliyu who raised the issue while briefing newsmen, urged Southeast leaders to equally call on members of IPOB to preach peace, unity and understanding among Nigerians to stop attacking innocent people in their region.

He also urged security agents to ensure they arrest and bring the perpetrators of the attacks on Northerners to face the wrath of the law.

“Nigerians need to take lessons from crisis happenings in other countries of the world. Violence will never be a solution to any crisis. It’s also needless for any Nigeria to feel he is more Nigerian than other Nigerians.

“We must learn to live together in peace and harmony because we are bound by the Constitution of this country. JNI urged all juma’at Imams to preach peace in their sermons by calling for peace and to urge people not to retaliate, ” he said.

The JNI also described the attacks on Northerners in Abia state as pathetic, urging government and security agencies to restore peace in the state.

He also urged media practitioners to desist from reporting hate speech and biased reports capable of inciting people.

Image copyright AFP

Tunisia has overturned a law that banned women from marrying non-Muslims.

A spokeswoman for President Beji Caid Essebsi made the announcement and congratulated women on gaining “the freedom to choose one’s spouse”.

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

Tunisia, which is 99% Muslim, is viewed as one of the most progressive Arab countries in terms of women’s rights.

The new law comes after President Essebsi pushed for the lifting of the marriage restriction decree that was put in place in 1973.

He said in a speech last month, during celebrations of the National Women’s day, that the marriage law was “an obstacle to the freedom of choice of the spouse”.

The restriction was also seen as violating Tunisia’s constitution which was adopted in 2014 in the wake of the Arab Spring revolution.

Human rights groups in Tunisia had also campaigned for the law’s abolition.

The order comes into force immediately and couples are free to register their marriages at government offices.

An important milestone

Rana Jawad, BBC News, Tunis

Many Tunisians see the removal of the marriage restriction as another landmark in guaranteeing women’s freedom in the country.

It sets apart Tunisia as the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to remove the legal hurdles to marrying outside the official state religion.

It is an important milestone in a region where religion in marital ties can be at the heart of many a family feud, and long struggles against state laws.

Unlike Muslim women, men can marry non-Muslim women without providing any religious documents.

Tunisia is also home to a Jewish, as well as a small Christian, minority and it is not entirely clear how the marriage restriction applied to them.

Scrapping the decree may not do away with the cultural and traditional obstacles women face with their families in cases of inter-faith marriage, but it now offers Tunisian women greater freedom of choice from a legal perspective.

In July, the Tunisian parliament also introduced a new law that abolished a clause that allowed rapists to escape any punishment if they married their victims.

The country banned polygamy as far back as 1956, setting it apart from other Muslim-majority nations.

However, women in Tunisia still face discrimination, particularly in matters of inheritance which still prioritises sons over daughters.

The Tunisian Association of Democratic Women estimates that nearly 70% of Tunisian women are victims of abuse.

Amnesty International reported last year that there were few signs to show that things had improved for women since the Arab Spring revolution in 2010.

This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ syndicated feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.

By Amos Tauna

The need to sensitize Nigerian youth to imbibe peace and nation building has been stressed. This is occasioned by rise in the involvement of young people in hate speech, Cyber libel, IPOB attack, Boko Haram, and other violence-related activities in Nigeria.

To this end, an event by Galaxy4Peace and Ecoviewpoint is organised to feature Peace Talk, Interactive Sessions, and various sporting activities.

A statement by organisers say, the event is part of steps taken to avert the ugly trend among the youths in the country.

The motivation behind #Sweat4Peace2017, an event to mark International Peace Day 2017 in Nigeria is a step in the right direction to further waken the consciousness of the youths on the need to maintain peace at all cost.

The event would hold on Saturday, September 16th, 2017, simultaneously in Lagos – FCE, Akoka, Yaba; in Abuja – Millennium Park, Asokoro (Beside Transcorp Hilton) and in Port Harcourt – Port Harcourt Polytechnic, Rumuola.

Ambassadors from the United Nations, popular artists, policy makers and other stakeholders would be in attendance at all three locations.

Being a youth-focused event, online participation using #Sweat4Peace2017 is active while, participation is opened to the general public, with emphasis on youths.

September 21 is set aside annually by the United Nations as International Peace Day with this year’s theme, “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety, and Dignity for All.”

The aim is to draw attention to the promotion of respect, safety, and dignity for everyone forced to flee their homes in search of a better life.

By Amos Tauna

Nigeria has been elected Vice President of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, UNWTO, General Assembly.

Nigeria was elected by acclamation to represent Africa, alongside Cape Verde, at the 22nd General Assembly of the UNWTO, which opened in Chengdu, China, on Wednesday. China was elected President of the Assembly.

It explained that Nigeria’s election followed the country’s unopposed nomination by the UNWTO Commission on Africa (CAF), which met a day earlier.

Reacting to Nigeria’s election, the Minister said: “To be called upon to serve as a Vice President of the General Assembly of the UNWTO is a very big honour to Nigeria.

“It has proven one thing, that in the last two years, we have succeeded in pushing tourism and the Creative Industry as a whole from the back burner to the front burner. from a side issue to the main issue. This has also been noticed by the global community and I feel highly gratified by it.”

The statement observed that Nigeria would serve on the UNWTO General Assembly until 2019, adding that it will host the 61st edition of the UNWTO CAF Meeting in Abuja 4th-6th June 2018.