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

Constituent Assembly should keep this sentiment in mind as it constructs the
Constitution.
• Religion and Identity: A national conversation, in various forms, about the
Tunisia-specific definitions of laïcité, secularism in general, and Islamism would
be helpful in Tunisia’s process of redefining its identity post-Ben Ali. Such a
conversation could take place in fora of the swiftly growing Tunisian civil society—
such as in think tanks, research centers, and online forums.
• Societal understanding: Formal and informal dialogue between religious
moderates and the secular leftists should be encouraged to bridge the gap of
understanding between the groups. Organizations such as CEMAT, or any of the
newly flourishing NGOs can provide the forum for such dialogues.
• Youth: The youth should be integrated as much as possible into the planning of
the new constitution. Not only were young Tunisians at the forefront of the
revolution (many of the speakers admitted that as adults living their lives under Ben
Ali, they only felt compelled to protest after seeing the fearlessness of the youth), but
many espouse progressive and tolerant values and some appear to genuinely embody
the combination of Islam and modernism of which Ghannouchi speaks.
• Extremists: The government should react swiftly and clearly to breaches of the
law or displays of extremist ideology. The lack of such firmness and timeliness in
responses to episodes such as the salafist protests at Manouba University influenced
many of our interviewees’ complaints against the current government. A human
rights activist with whom we spoke argued that the salafists at Manouba as well as
those who greeted Ismail Haniya at the Tunis airport with anti-Semitic chants
constitute an important component of Ennahdha’s political base, which it is loath to
marginalize. Multiple times we heard pleas for fast government reaction and strong
verbal condemnation of expressions of intolerance.
• Safeguards against abuse: When incorporating religious interests into any legal
framework, the potential for future abuse should be kept in mind. The legal structure
should be tight enough to prevent any hijacking by extremists. Appropriate
checks can take the form of a strong judiciary and rule of law as well as various
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