Jordan adds female noun for ‘Jordanian’ to constitution

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Al-Araby

Jordan’s parliament added the words “Jordanian women” to its constitution on Sunday in a move described as a step in the right direction by women’s rights advocates. Previously, the Jordanian constitution referred to its citizens in the male plural – the norm for the Arabic language when referring to a mixed gender group. With Sunday’s amendment, the constitution will now refer to “Jordanian men” and “Jordanian women” separately. The step was positive, but not a “big step forward”, Oraib Rantawi, the founder and director of the Amman-based Quds Centre for Political Studies, told The New Arab. …