This brilliantly written article published on Tunisia Live website perfectly summarizes Tunisia for an outsider - a country of contradictions but yet so alluring and fascinating that it keeps visitors coming back. The only part I don't like is where the writer buys into this phantasmagorical narrative of cutting off hands which are so far from truth. Otherwise, it is a great read:
this
is post-revolution Tunisia, a clumsy moment rife with contradiction: divorce
and abortion are legal and polygamy is banned; homosexuality is illegal and
prostitutes are official employees of the Ministry of the Interior; women feel
free to wear bikinis on the beach but kids are thrown in jail for kissing in
the streets; alcohol is legal but not widely available and discreetly sold for
fear of a fundamentalist cutting off your fingers; there is a liberal media yet
one can still be locked away publishing pictures of the prophet. All the while,
a Salafist minority noisily threatens to foist theocracy upon the country.
Hypocrisy is also rampant … the psyche of millions torn asunder by the
dissonance between the sacrosanct laws of God and the mutable laws of men and
the social pressure to reconcile the two. A man that frequents the brothels
would not tell me where it was located, because it is “haram” – forbidden by
Allah. One young man would not speak the name of the street for fear of what
others might think of him for the mere utterance; he opts to write the name on
a piece of paper, and only because I am a friend.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Al Jazeera viewership drops in Tunisia
This article from Lakome that I came across through the Arabist blog states that Al Jazeera viewership dropped drastically last year in Tunisia, going from 950,000 at the beginning of last year to only 200,000 in December. Newly earned freedoms in Tunisia led to the proliferation of local media outlets that outperformed the pan-Arab network last year.
While Arab nationalism is a long-spent force, Al Jazeera evoked common sentiments across the Arab world, re-creating the common public sphere and focusing on the key Arab concerns, the primary of which is Palestine. Does this drop (which according to the study occurred in all "Arab Spring" countries) signal that the Arab Spring threw into sharper relief the territorial nation-state nationalism that is oft-construed as an anathema to Arabism? Some scholars spoke of the resurrection of Arab nationalism in light of the Arab Spring, but in terms of the media preferences, viewers seem to be reverting to their national venues.
The study highlighted, however, that one of the reasons behind this drop is Al Jazeera's perceived bias in covering Syria.
In their turn, local Tunisian channels became more politicized.
While Arab nationalism is a long-spent force, Al Jazeera evoked common sentiments across the Arab world, re-creating the common public sphere and focusing on the key Arab concerns, the primary of which is Palestine. Does this drop (which according to the study occurred in all "Arab Spring" countries) signal that the Arab Spring threw into sharper relief the territorial nation-state nationalism that is oft-construed as an anathema to Arabism? Some scholars spoke of the resurrection of Arab nationalism in light of the Arab Spring, but in terms of the media preferences, viewers seem to be reverting to their national venues.
The study highlighted, however, that one of the reasons behind this drop is Al Jazeera's perceived bias in covering Syria.
In their turn, local Tunisian channels became more politicized.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Harlem Shake and Souad Abderrahim
Tunisia's education minister ordered an investigation into this video, Harlem Shake a la Tunisienne. Some comments on Facebook say that the government is busy investigating an innocuous video while the murder of opposition figure Chokri Belaid has yet to be probed. This Kapitalis editorial says that "the minister
never dared lift a finger when schools were attacked by religious extremists".
Education Minister Abdellatif Abid is from Ettakatol, Mustapha Ben Jaafar's party that supported ex-premier Hamadi Jebali's initiative for a technocratic government.
Surprisingly, Ennahda MP Souad Abderrahim admitted that her son was among the participants in the collective dance. He was actually one of those dancers in underwear to the right. Abderrahim raised an uproar in November 2011 when she claimed that single mothers are "a disgrace for Tunisia" and "do not have the right to exist". Back then, she told Radio Monte Carlo Doualiya: “I am ashamed of Arab and Muslim countries that try to make excuses for people who have sinned.”
Now, this very same woman is defending freedom of expression and professes tolerance and open-mindedness.
Education Minister Abdellatif Abid is from Ettakatol, Mustapha Ben Jaafar's party that supported ex-premier Hamadi Jebali's initiative for a technocratic government.
Surprisingly, Ennahda MP Souad Abderrahim admitted that her son was among the participants in the collective dance. He was actually one of those dancers in underwear to the right. Abderrahim raised an uproar in November 2011 when she claimed that single mothers are "a disgrace for Tunisia" and "do not have the right to exist". Back then, she told Radio Monte Carlo Doualiya: “I am ashamed of Arab and Muslim countries that try to make excuses for people who have sinned.”
Now, this very same woman is defending freedom of expression and professes tolerance and open-mindedness.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Jebali's transformation
One of the unexpected consequences of Tunisia's political crisis has been Hamadi Jebali's transformation into a true statesman. AFP published this profile of the embattled politician and now-former premier. Jebali is described as "a man of compromise" with "a fat contact book".
"He is very calm, self-assured, and expresses himself in a measured fashion. But he is not soft; his years in prison forged a character of steel," the agency quotes a Tunis diplomat as saying.
The Ennahda vice-president definitely earned political dividends by standing firm on his call for an apolitical government. His suggestion of compromise yielded the support of trade unions and civil society but foundered on the intransigance of party hardliners. Regardless of the outcome of the this political crisis, he emerged stronger and more confident. Tunisia's political scene needs his comeback but according to the Wednesday talks between Ghannouchi and Marzouki, the leaders are still "in talks" with him.
Opposition leaders rally behind Jebali. Even the media, known for their antipathy for Islamists, saluted Jebali. Le Press writes thet he "has given everyone a wonderful lesson in courage, consistency and commitment for the best interests of the nation".
Hopefully, the crisis will come to a denouement this week and tomorrow will bring another development in the already-prolonged political saga.
"He is very calm, self-assured, and expresses himself in a measured fashion. But he is not soft; his years in prison forged a character of steel," the agency quotes a Tunis diplomat as saying.
The Ennahda vice-president definitely earned political dividends by standing firm on his call for an apolitical government. His suggestion of compromise yielded the support of trade unions and civil society but foundered on the intransigance of party hardliners. Regardless of the outcome of the this political crisis, he emerged stronger and more confident. Tunisia's political scene needs his comeback but according to the Wednesday talks between Ghannouchi and Marzouki, the leaders are still "in talks" with him.
Opposition leaders rally behind Jebali. Even the media, known for their antipathy for Islamists, saluted Jebali. Le Press writes thet he "has given everyone a wonderful lesson in courage, consistency and commitment for the best interests of the nation".
Hopefully, the crisis will come to a denouement this week and tomorrow will bring another development in the already-prolonged political saga.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Abbou to form a new party
En revanche, le Congrès pour la République (CPR) du présidentMoncef Marzouki, semble au bord de l'implosion. Trois députés ont démissionné du CPR ces dernières 24 heures et selon les médias, le chef du CPR, Mohamed Abbou, est sur le point d'officialiser son départ pour former un nouveau parti. Le CPR s'oppose à la proposition de Hamadi Jebali mais il est miné par les conflits internes et les divergences avec Ennahda.
http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/tunisie-la-coalition-gouvernementale-ebranlee-par-la-crise-politique_1221782.html
The Tunisian opposition continues to fragment even further, disintegrating into a motley of tiny insignificant parties. How would that serve anyone's interests now to form a new party at this point? Tunisia needs another tiny anti-Ennahda party like a bullet in the head. To provide a real coutnerweight against the governing party, Tunisian oppositionists need to find a unified voice and set their differences aside at least for now.
http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/tunisie-la-coalition-gouvernementale-ebranlee-par-la-crise-politique_1221782.html
The Tunisian opposition continues to fragment even further, disintegrating into a motley of tiny insignificant parties. How would that serve anyone's interests now to form a new party at this point? Tunisia needs another tiny anti-Ennahda party like a bullet in the head. To provide a real coutnerweight against the governing party, Tunisian oppositionists need to find a unified voice and set their differences aside at least for now.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Constitution-writing pitfalls
As the political crisis is raging in Tunisia and entering its almost third week next Monday, I decided to look at some of late last year's think tank literature on the stalled constitution-writing. This Atlantic Council's paper is truly illuminating in providing some answers as to why the current crisis broke out. It is obviously not the isolated incident of Chokri Belaid's brazen murder (as horrendous as it is). Belaid was hardly THE opposition leader, as some media now rush to say. His party had only one seat in the Constituent Assembly. And there are more vocal political players denouncing Ennahda than he was. But his killing marked the culmination of the divisions deriving from the country's paralysis and flawed constitution-writing process.
What Pickard makes clear in this paper is the mistake of vesting both legislative and constitution-drafting functions in one body, whose work got obstructed by gnawing socio-economic grievances. But a more important point is that political players could have averted some of the current problems, had they followed the South African model and agreed on a Declaration of Intent, which "set forward a common set of principles", according to the writer. Had they agreed from the beginning that certain principles would remain untouchable, such as Article 1 of the Constitution and the Personal Status Code, some of the most protracted debates about the role of Sharia and women's "complementarity" to men would have been avoided. These very same questions engendered some of the most acrimonious and divisive debates of the country's transitional period. They polarized the already fragmented society even further, pitting Islamist-leaning citizens against those who support secularism. Maybe had the politicians drawn up that commonly accepted foundation from the beginning, the country would have not gotten into this bitter political wrangling that serves no one's interests.
What Pickard makes clear in this paper is the mistake of vesting both legislative and constitution-drafting functions in one body, whose work got obstructed by gnawing socio-economic grievances. But a more important point is that political players could have averted some of the current problems, had they followed the South African model and agreed on a Declaration of Intent, which "set forward a common set of principles", according to the writer. Had they agreed from the beginning that certain principles would remain untouchable, such as Article 1 of the Constitution and the Personal Status Code, some of the most protracted debates about the role of Sharia and women's "complementarity" to men would have been avoided. These very same questions engendered some of the most acrimonious and divisive debates of the country's transitional period. They polarized the already fragmented society even further, pitting Islamist-leaning citizens against those who support secularism. Maybe had the politicians drawn up that commonly accepted foundation from the beginning, the country would have not gotten into this bitter political wrangling that serves no one's interests.
Delay in government formation talks
Jebali met with the leaders of three political parties on Friday but made little headway in forging consensus. The parties will re-convene on Monday to discuss the new cabinet make-up but no clear deadline is in sight regarding the formation of the technocratic government. Neither is the long-awaited consensus. Ennahda still plans to move ahead with the Saturday rally.
Ennahda frames the call for the Saturday action as "defense of the revolution". Vice-President Mohamed Akrout said that party supporters need to turn out en masse to "defend the revolution".
In reality, they are defending nothing but their partisan parochial interests, strenuously refusing to relinquish the reins of power. Ennahda's clinging to regal portfolios only prolongs the political stasis. If the party indeed had the nation's best interests in mind, it would listen to the voice of reason. Instead, the party's intransigent Sahbi Atig says that "two catastrophes" took place on February 6th - Belaid's murder and Jebali's initiative. Dommage...
Ennahda frames the call for the Saturday action as "defense of the revolution". Vice-President Mohamed Akrout said that party supporters need to turn out en masse to "defend the revolution".
In reality, they are defending nothing but their partisan parochial interests, strenuously refusing to relinquish the reins of power. Ennahda's clinging to regal portfolios only prolongs the political stasis. If the party indeed had the nation's best interests in mind, it would listen to the voice of reason. Instead, the party's intransigent Sahbi Atig says that "two catastrophes" took place on February 6th - Belaid's murder and Jebali's initiative. Dommage...
Abdelfattah Mourou blasts Ennahda
Ennahda founder Abdelfattah Mourou responds to the political stalemate in Tunisia. The iconic Islamist figure says in an interview with mariane.net that Rached Ghannouchi is leading the party toward "a disaster", running it like "a family affair". He suggestes that Ghannouchi "withdraw" to allow others to "install social peace" in Tunisia. Mourou not only throws his weight behind Hamadi Jebali's offer to form a technocratic government but says that the idea belongs to him.
"I am the one who whispered the idea of an apolitical, technocratic government to Jebali!" he says.
Mourou blames the Ennahda leader for promoting "monoculture" whereas Tunisia's identity rests on a cohabitation of civilisations, he says. The place of the Islamist party will always in the opposition, according to Mourou.
Tunisian Interim Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali is expected to announce his government formation on Saturday (February 16th). His initiative to form a technocratic government to steer the country throught the transitional period until next elections is supported by government coalition partner Ettakatol and the mighty labor union UGTT. President Moncef Marzouki's party CPR and the core of Ennahda oppose the move. The CPR warns that the move may bring back remnants of the former regime to power.
Meanwhile, Ennahda called for a demonstration on Saturday to back the governing Islamist party. According to AFP, Jebali's offer may win 92 votes in the Constituent Assembly, 17 short of the required 109 votes in the 217-seat body. Uncertainty surrounds the legal aspect of reshuffling cabinet, with some jurists saying the premier needs the consent of the Constituent Assembly. Others insist that the decision must pass by Ennahda's shoura council. The nomination of a few ministers does not require the assembly's vote, others say, as opposed to a comprehensive reshuffle.
"I am the one who whispered the idea of an apolitical, technocratic government to Jebali!" he says.
Mourou blames the Ennahda leader for promoting "monoculture" whereas Tunisia's identity rests on a cohabitation of civilisations, he says. The place of the Islamist party will always in the opposition, according to Mourou.
Tunisian Interim Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali is expected to announce his government formation on Saturday (February 16th). His initiative to form a technocratic government to steer the country throught the transitional period until next elections is supported by government coalition partner Ettakatol and the mighty labor union UGTT. President Moncef Marzouki's party CPR and the core of Ennahda oppose the move. The CPR warns that the move may bring back remnants of the former regime to power.
Meanwhile, Ennahda called for a demonstration on Saturday to back the governing Islamist party. According to AFP, Jebali's offer may win 92 votes in the Constituent Assembly, 17 short of the required 109 votes in the 217-seat body. Uncertainty surrounds the legal aspect of reshuffling cabinet, with some jurists saying the premier needs the consent of the Constituent Assembly. Others insist that the decision must pass by Ennahda's shoura council. The nomination of a few ministers does not require the assembly's vote, others say, as opposed to a comprehensive reshuffle.
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