Meherzia Labidi Maïza
| Meherzia Labidi Maïza | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 17 December 1963 Hammamet, Tunisia |
| Residence | Paris, France |
| Nationality | Tunisian |
| Education | University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle |
| Political party | Ennahda Movement |
| Children | 3 |
Meherzia Maïza Labidi (Arabic: محرزية العبيدي معيزة; born 17 December 1963) is a Tunisian politician and professional translator and interpreter. She became the first Vice-President of the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia.
She was the "most senior elected woman in the Middle East". She was proud of helping to include a clause to protect women's rights into Tunisia's post Arab Spring constitution.
Meherzia Labidi was born on 17 December 1963 in El Meziraâ in the town of Hammamet in Nabeul Governorate in North East Tunisia. She graduated from a mixed high school in the town of Grombalia in 1982 and then moved south to study at the Ecole Normale Superieure in the city of Sousse.
Labidi-Maïza married in 1986 and went to France with her husband, who is a telecommunications engineer, to study in the École supérieure d'interprètes et de traducteurs at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle. She earned a master's degree in economics and translation and a post-graduate degree in English literature and theatre studies in 1992. She teaches translation at the European Institute of Human Sciences in St. Denis.
In 2004 Labidi-Maïza co-authored Abraham, réveille-toi, ils sont devenus fous! (Abraham, Wake Up. They Are Going Crazy) with Laurent Klein. She gives lectures on education in multicultural societies, women, religion and society. Since 2006, she has been Chair of the Global Women of Faith Network.
In 2009, Labidi-Maïza 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. In 2015, she served as the honorary President of Religions for Peace, a New York-based NGO recognized at the UN.
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