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

Ghannouchi, meanwhile, seems to believe that the presence of women in his party
is proof that his party is pro-women. The first time I asked him about his answer to
skepticism about his party’s position on women’s rights, he responded, “Islam guarantees
equality between men and women. Since 1998, we have recognized the Code of Personal
Status….Out of the 49 female representatives in the Constituent Assembly, 42 belong to
Ennahdha. Some are veiled, some are unveiled” (SAIS Group Meeting, Washington, DC,
1 December 2011). According to these statements, the presence of unveiled women is
proof enough that the party is pro-women. Many find issue with this stance; Lakhdar,
citing comments by certain female Ennahdha representatives, explained: “Forty-two
women from Ennahdha is not a victory for women because they aren’t feminists; they are
misogynist and anti-feminist” (SAIS Group Meeting, 26 January 2012). For example,
Souad Abdul Rahim, an unveiled party member who has been praised for her moderation,
recently expressed her disapproval of women who have children outside of wedlock,
stating, “Women are to be given freedom within limits and without violating divine
rules” (Al-Hilali, 13 November 2011). Such comments are much more conservative than
the opinions the Ennahdha leadership claims to hold.
The second time we met with Ghannouchi, I attempted to press him on his
assertion that the “presence of women” means “pro-women” when I asked how his party
would answer to the widely varying demands of the women in his party. Ghannouchi’s
response in January was similar to his response in December:
Competitors tried to consider Ennahdha as an enemy of women’s rights,
but the election proved that Tunisian women do not accept this
condemnation. We convinced women that we are the main guarantor of
Tunisian women’s rights and this is clear in the Constituent Assembly
because 42 of the 49 women are from Ennahdha. Some do not wear the
hijab, and none wear the niqab…We challenged the secular parties to
present a woman with a hijab and they could not, so we convinced people
that our party is more tolerant than other parties because we represent all
kinds of choices. (SAIS Group Meeting, 24 January 2012)
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