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

laws are either supported directly by, or do not contradict, the Quran. On a more
philosophical level, he notes that almost all Tunisians are Muslim, and he wants to
preserve the Muslim-Arab consciousness.
While answering questions about fears of the potential role of Islam in a future
Tunisia, a member of the American Tunisian Association explained that when
Ghannouchi says “Tunisia’s religion is Islam,” he is describing a reality, not a vision to
be imposed. The reality he describes is one in which laïcité is incompatible with Tunisian
culture—instead, Tunisian secularism must incorporate and respect religion. As many
Tunisians don’t necessarily see a contradiction between Islam and democracy, and would
rather not choose between the two, Ennahdha argues that its movement provides them a
practical way for them to avoid making that choice.
The Hopeful Followers
The Nahdha youth, still obviously elated by their new found freedoms post-dictatorship,
expressed pragmatic views regarding their support for Ennahdha and their vision of a
Tunisian democracy incorporating some form of what they might call “Islamism.” While
many voted for Ennahdha because their families had always supported the party, or
because Ennahdha had been persecuted by Ben Ali, their vision of the role of Islam in a
future Tunisian democracy was almost universally expressed in terms of religious
freedom. The Nahdha youth seemed to define democracy as a set of political behaviors,
or a certain political culture, and felt no inherent contradiction between democratic
behavior and enshrining certain aspects of Islamic ideology into a Constitution. Thus,
they inherently accepted the implications of the meaning of majority and opposition
within a democratic framework. Similar to the Islamist leaders, the younger generation
remarked on their desire for new legislation and institutions to have a “référence
islamique” in all domains, such as in Islamic finance. Despite this, they also spoke
passionately, especially among the women, of the importance of personal freedom of
practice within Islam, and the personal choice they each had taken to wear the hijab
despite the risks. Thus, it seems that members of the Islamist youth in Tunisia envision a
genuinely democratic framework in which Islam is present and respected, but practice is
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