Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan is mourning the death of her husband, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, who died on September 7 at the age of 80 while receiving treatment in Zanzibar. He was buried the same day in Kizimkazi. President Samia is also observing a period known as Iddah.
Iddah is the waiting and mourning period prescribed in Islam for a woman following the death of her husband. For a widow who is not pregnant, the period lasts four months and ten days, beginning from the day of her husband’s death.
During Iddah, a woman is also generally expected to remain in her home, except where there is a genuine need to leave.
But President Samia’s situation raises a unique question about how the requirements of Iddah apply when the widow is also the head of state, with the responsibility of leading an entire country.
