Yesterday, I
was asked by American freshmen students during the Arabic Cultural Hour I
organized : "Do people in Tunisia live peacefully with each other".
My answer was: "We do because we have been raised on a culture of
tolerance and solidarity". I was even giving examples of how we saved and
hosted the Jews during the Holocaust or how the extended family stand together
in crises.
However,
what I see today in Tunisia is none of our culture, spirit or grandma stories
about the 50s and 60s.
Under two
dictatorships, people were exiled, jailed, tortured, oppressed by those in
power but NEVER assassinated. Though all the frustration it has been through
these last two years, the Tunisian society has started to take a political
shape, from over 100 emerging parties in 2011 to three major blocs today, from
bullshit discussions and unknown figures on media outlets to diverse
constructive debate, solid views and interesting figures and leaders'
positions, from a very weak and submissive civil society to an empowered one,
from traditional biased media to citizen journalism. Then, yesterday,
everything is back to square one...
When
journalists are arrested because they've taken photos for their articles, we
ask where is freedom of expression? When everything is denied accessibility we
ask where is transparency? When the corrupt hands are out of jail, we ask where
is accountability? when political leaders are assassinated because of their
positions, what shall we ask?
Alike,
living under oppression and violations for years, Tunisians never had resort to
violence as response to any form of oppression or crisis. The demands have
always been through hunger strikes, peaceful protests and rallies that of
course have always been successfully shut down until the revolution. However,
today, people denounce for terror and violence and the extreme minds call for
division.
I wonder who
can be happy, by the end of the day, because of incitation to violence,
contribution to killing, chaos or division! What I am sure of , it can be
anyone but a real Tunisian patriot who loves Tunisia's soil, hold its flag and
chant its anthem by heart!
This article is translated to Polish by Fundacja Afryka Inaczej check it out http://afryka.org/afryka/morderstwo-jako-skrajna-forma-cenzury,news/
This article is translated to Polish by Fundacja Afryka Inaczej check it out http://afryka.org/afryka/morderstwo-jako-skrajna-forma-cenzury,news/
I agree that assasination is not something Tunisians use to do in Tunisia. And I also believe it is not in the interest of the islamists in the government to do something like that and destabilise their government and their country...
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, assasination is something very usual for Mossad and destabilizing arab countries is very usual for the state of Israel...
Are you guessing that behind this assassination is Israel?
ReplyDeleteWho else wants the arab countries of the region to be destabilized and weak? And their record is talking by itself, they are the world champions of assasinations:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_assassinations
Israel has no interests in Tunisia! then the Maghreb is full terrorists and extermists more than ever before! but in Tunisia's case we still have the former regime loyals that may have interests to unstable the country and also the concerned people of the last declarations Chokri made on TV before his death "allah yarhamou"
ReplyDeleteYoung lady, I think that you are very naive, if you believe that Israel has no interests in Tunisia. There was always and there is still a jewish community in Tunisia. And it is very much the interest of Israel, if all the arab countries of the region (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia) are weak and chaotic... The survival of the state of Israel depends on how strong and united are its arab neighbors. If they are not strong nor united, that means that Mossad and its local agents are doing a good job...
ReplyDeleteMy dear "Anonymous", Israel has more interest in the Middle East and its neighbors than in North Africa and for the same reason you said that we've had a Jewish community since the Holocaust and we live with them since then! Israel didn't wake up right now to make chaos in Tunisia, it has a lot more to deal with than thinking about a country that it is already in alert situation, chaotic and in transition!! I think if only you knew about Chokri Belaid and everyday life in Tunisia since the revolution which is a` continuous unrest and regular protests and rallies, you wouldn't make the same observation.
ReplyDelete