Tunisia: Understanding Conflict 2012 - Johns Hopkins School of ...

Laïque Secularism
Laïque secularism emerged out of a specific historical process within Tunisia. Latifa
Lakhdhar best exemplified this type of secular belief structure through her discussion visà-vis
the niqab affair that occurred at Manouba University. She felt that wearing a niqab
was problematic in school for academic and security reasons. She stated that wearing the
niqab in public places was not a sign of liberty, but rather it is imprisonment (SAIS
Group Meeting, 26 January 2012).
The way that this idea was construed was not anti-religious, but rather that laïque
secularism seeks to maintain the established way of being Muslim in Tunisia. The laïque
secularists are against changing the separation of religion from state and seem to believe
that this separation brings a more “enlightened” society. Additionally, the sentiment
exists that a large part of the religious change occurring is imported from Saudi Arabia
and other Gulf countries. These countries fund salafists to come into Tunisia and create a
movement toward salafist Islamic interpretation, creating tension within Tunisia. Thus,
the shift away from secularism is not perceived as an innately Tunisian phenomenon.
Both Professor Lakhdhar and Colonel Mohamed Salah Hedri, a leader in a religious
Muslim party (SAIS Group Meeting, 24 January 2012), touted this belief in our meetings.
Additionally, Hatem Bourial discussed the fact that there is money coming in to
elementary education seeking to shift the ideology in Tunisia over the long-run (SAIS
Group Meeting, 25 January 2012). The principal difference between the two types of
secularism is the interpretation of religion’s role in society and most basically what
Tunisian society should be. Both Professor Lakhdhar and Colonel Mohamed Salah Hedri
very much ascribed to the historical tradition of the Malikis. However, Professor
Lakhdhar felt very strongly about the importance of women’s rights and the historical
process that liberalized and secularized Tunisia. Important for these laïque secularists is
that secularism is not a rejection of religion, but a separation of religion from the public
sphere. It is the idea that there is a separate civil code that has emerged, which should be
the basis of law-making.
In this sense, there is a high importance of the Tunisian social contract whereby the
rights of religious minorities are protected. The result of laïque secularism, however, is
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