The new regime has said it will not impose Sharia. It looks as if it doesn’t have to. It is already there. “Tunisian jailed for desecrating the Koran,” from Reuters, April 12 (thanks to The Religion of Peace): (Reuters) – A Tunisian court has sentenced a man to four years in prison for desecrating the […]
Tunisia: Islamic supremacists destroy crosses in cemetery, smear feces on church fresco, demand that priest convert to Islam or pay jizya
“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” — Qur’an 9:29 […]
Tunisia’s “moderate” president supports jail terms for insulting Islam
Even though Ennahda has promised not to impose Sharia, Tunisia is sliding toward it anyway. I tried to tell you: “Tunisia president supports conviction for Islam insult,” from Gulf News, April 8 (thanks to Maxwell): Tunis: Two men have been convicted and sentenced to prison in Tunisia for posting on Facebook images of the Prophet […]
Two Tunisians get seven years in prison for cartoons of Muhammad
Arab Spring Democracy on the march! “Tunisians jailed for Facebook cartoons of Prophet,” by Tarek Amara for Reuters, April 6 (thanks to David): (Reuters) – Two young Tunisians have been sentenced to seven years in prison for posting cartoons of the prophet Mohammad on Facebook, in a case that has fuelled allegations the country’s new […]
Tunisia’s new Islamic supremacist leader rules out normal ties with Israel
Ghannouchi has promised that there will be no Sharia in Tunisia — we’ll see about that — but even if he is sincere in that promise, that doesn’t mean he is the Western-looking democratic pluralist of media myth. I tried to tell you: “Tunisia Islamist leader rules out normal ties with Israel, from AFP, April […]
Tunisia: Islamic supremacists attack actors and smash musical instruments on World Theatre Day
Tunisia continues to slide toward Sharia. These people were attacked on Islamic grounds. Islam forbids music, although this law is often ignored, and doesn’t think much of stage acting, either. “Salafists attack Tunisia’s stage actors,” by Yasser Seddiq for Ahram Online, March 31 (thanks to The Religion of Peace): A group of Salafists and their […]
Tunisia: Thousands rally to demand Sharia law
At another recent rally, we saw some signs of self-delusion about what they would be getting under Sharia. Many others, however, know exactly what they want to impose on the country. “Thousands rally in Tunis to demand Islamic law,” from Agence France-Presse, March 25: At least 8,000 Islamists staged a mass demonstration in central Tunis […]
Tunisia: “Our Qur’an is our constitution”
More Friday fun in Tunisia. Remember when this was supposed to be a tiny, harmless, marginal sideshow of a minority of extremists? Even here, however, we see the self-deception that Sharia somehow isn’t what it is and won’t execute (sometimes quite literally) the Qur’an’s own prescribed punishments: “The secularists would have one believe that Islam […]
Tunisia: Women march to call for caliphate
They act as though they are going to get ready-made good government in a box if they opt for the caliphate. First, they would need to find a caliph. Beyond that, if they suppose that the caliphate is going to be immune to cronyism, a lack of transparency, misappropriation of resources, and other symptoms of […]
Tunisia: “This emerging movement of believers known as Salafis has seemingly appeared out of thin air”
Only if one were proceeding on ill-informed assumptions. In Iraq, policymakers were surprised at how flimsy the veneer of tolerance and modernity turned out to be. In Afghanistan, they expected tolerance and modernity if we just peeled away a veneer of Talibanization. In both cases, they were wrong. In Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt, little seems […]