Thousands in Tunisia protest Islamist extremism

Tunisians wave flags and shout slogans during a demonstration on Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis on January 28, 2012. Several thousand people demonstrated to "defend freedom" following a series of incidents involving radicals from the Salafist movement. / FETHI BELAID/AFP/Getty Images

TUNIS, Tunisia — More than 8,000 Tunisians marched Saturday through the capital denouncing violence committed by ultraconservative Islamist groups in recent months.

Since the fall of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's secular dictatorship in a popular uprising a year ago, small groups of ultraconservative Muslims known as Salafists have risen in Tunisia calling for greater piety, attacking unveiled women and secular intellectuals and occupying universities.

Organized by two leftist opposition parties, the demonstration was one of the largest marches in the country since a moderate Islamist party swept elections last year. Not far away, several hundred Islamists held a counter-protest.

"Make a common front against fanaticism," read one of the posters carried by demonstrators in the main rally, many of whom were women. "We got rid of totalitarianism, and we don't want it back," read another banner.

Tunisia's long-oppressed moderate Islamist party, Ennahda, won October's elections and formed a government with two secular parties. Ennahda has taken pains to calm the fears of Tunisia's secular elite that it would turn the country into an Islamic state.

The party has been repeatedly embarrassed by the actions of the Salafists, who appear to be justifying the warnings of secular parties such as the Progressive Democratic Party that radical Islamists are trying to change the country.

PDP leader Maya Jribi attended the demonstration and called for a "tolerant and pluralistic Tunisia where the citizens are respected in face of the death threats we hear these days."

Critics of the government say it is not doing enough in the face of the Salafi actions, which included occupying a university and preventing students from taking exams because of the institution's policy against the religious face veil.

"I came to denounce the violence and say that the government has to take responsibility for applying the law against those who are violent," said demonstrator Aicha Naboltane, 29.

The incident that appeared to have really galvanized people was an attack on secular intellectual Hamadi Rendissi and newspaper editor Zied Krichen by Salafis outside a courthouse Monday.

The two men were attending a civil trial against a television station owner for airing the award-winning Iranian animated film Persepolis on charges he "violated sacred values."

The three-kilometer long march passed through Avenue Bourguiba in the heart of Tunis, where demonstrators brought down the dictatorship a year earlier.

[EmeenDuh]

is this a joke ? eight thousands protesters lol !!! to sum it those who lose the elections including the pro old regime who used to make money from corruption want to give a bad image of tunisia to distabilize the economy and make investors run away, all this fuss was because a journalist got aggressed and the aggresor got arrested days ago and what is funny is that this journalist zied krichen used to bow down to the dictator ben ali now pro ben ali became revolutionaries thank you cbs and another funny thing the public media in tunisia is in the hand of the losers and is making a well studied propaganda war

[technocoffee]

VERY GLAD to see people stand up against their fellow muslims and insist they stop their violent, repressive 13th century ways. ALL religions should do that with the knuckleheads who try to go too far with the edicts just so they can control everyone & everything. The GOP is seeing their wacko extremist bunch of fundamentalists ruin their party & cost them elections for President in 2008 and 2012.

[sirmarion-2009]

SO are islamic zealots harmful or peaceful,Obama says Islam is a peacful religion so let him and his family move there.

[Lerianis4]

When someone tries, in any way/shape/form to force their personal religious values on other people? That person should be locked up in a mental institution for the rest of their life.

You do NOT have the right to force your personal morality, sexual or not, on other people.

[KampungHighlander]

Religion and Politics go together like Excrement and Ice Cream.

[sepa2]

and Obama under Zarkozy and Camron direction facilitate the same in Libya

[you_MAY_be_right]

Huh?

Please post a source for your comment.

[usunus]

Arab Spring enthusiasts in the West will dismiss these demonstrations on some account or other.

[P0STING_AWAY]

by ill-gor January 28, 2012 1:53 PM EST
Islamist extremists have much in common with Progressive Liberals in America. I think there is a bond there, with too much already shared & learned from each other.
Both must be defeated.
==============================================================
The ones that will be defeated are you M0R0NGELICAL christians.
You cockroaches will be squashed FLAT.

[rheola-2009]

Another example of the many evils of religon, both historically and to the present day.

All religon is about using lies and fear against the gullible in order to build a power base.

Those who object to my statement, please be good enough to supply some factual evidence of the existance of a God, and for the existance of that greatest lie of all, the existance of an afterlife.
Please do not use hypothesis, as that would be totally meaningless.

[vermejo]

i cant think of any factual evidence......

[rheola-2009]

vermejo

Bit hard to supply factual evidence of a non existant entity.

[abby_del_abbey]

it is very difficult to stand up to extremism especially when extremists will do anything and everything to gain control over others. wishing them well in their efforts.