Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TUNIS1428
2006-06-12 12:11:00
SECRET
Embassy Tunis
Cable title:  

GOT ISLAMIC CREDENTIALS UNDER ATTACK

Tags:  SOCI KDEM PGOV PTER TS 
pdf how-to read a cable
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PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTU #1428/01 1631211
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 121211Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0952
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 7223
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 8159
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
S E C R E T TUNIS 001428 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG - LAWRENCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2016
TAGS: SOCI KDEM PGOV PTER TS
SUBJECT: GOT ISLAMIC CREDENTIALS UNDER ATTACK


Classified By: AMBASSADOR WILLIAM HUDSON FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d)

S E C R E T TUNIS 001428

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG - LAWRENCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2016
TAGS: SOCI KDEM PGOV PTER TS
SUBJECT: GOT ISLAMIC CREDENTIALS UNDER ATTACK


Classified By: AMBASSADOR WILLIAM HUDSON FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: A series of allegations and rumors that the
GOT is violating basic Islamic principles have spread
throughout Tunisia this spring, forcing the government to
take aggressive action to prove its Islamic bona fides. In
June, a human rights group alleged that prison officials had
desecrated the Quran while torturing a prisoner. While the
GOT issued an unusual public and local denial of this
allegation, Tunisians are increasingly discussing the role of
Islam in the state, given reports of veiled women being
prevented from entering universities and a false rumor that
identification cards will be required to enter mosques.
Senior GOT officials have actively defended the state's
Muslim credentials, but are privately worried about the
potential for an Islamist revival. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) DESECRATION OF THE QURAN: On June 1, the Bizerte
branch of the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH) issued a
statement alleging prison officials had tortured a prisoner
and desecrated the Quran on May 4. In reports to his family,
who informed the LTDH, the prisoner alleged that officials
beat him with the Quran before throwing it on the floor and
kicking it. On June 3, the GOT arrested LTDH Bizerte
President Ali Ben Salem and three other members. According
to an official GOT statement, following an investigation, Ben
Salem was charged with publishing false information. LTDH
President Mokhtar Trifi told Poloff that the GOT response
indicated regime weakness and disorganization, as "any normal
state" would have launched an investigation into the
individual named, rather than investigating the LTDH. Trifi
reported that the GOT had removed and interrogated the
official involved, however, instead of announcing the results
of the inquiry, GOT officials and loyal journalists chose to
denounce Ben Salem for spreading false rumors.


3. (C) HIJAB DISCRIMINATION: In late May, local journalists
reported that veiled university students were prevented from
taking their annual exams and had their student identity

cards seized. During a visit to a Tunis campus, PolFSN
witnessed veiled students grouped outside the gates of the
institute, apparently unable to enter. While cases of
individual harassment or pressure not to wear the veil are
often reported in Tunisia, this appears to be the first case
of widespread application of such a policy across university
and college campuses. These reports have caused some
Tunisians to surmise that the GOT may be moving toward
reinstating the 1981 circular that forbids the wearing of
"sectarian dress" in public institutions. While there is no
evidence that this official policy is being enforced,
President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and Religious Affairs
Minister Boubaker El Akhzouri have both asserted in the past
year that the "hijab" is foreign dress.


4. (C) MOSQUE ID CARDS: Additionally, a rumor about GOT
efforts to control access to mosques by requiring citizens to
acquire mosque identification cards has also been
recirculated. This story, which surfaced on the Internet
nearly a year ago, includes an inaccurate report that the
Minister of Interior Hedi M'henni -- a former Minister who is
now the ruling RCD party Secretary General -- announced the
ID cards would be a means of "rationalizing prayer". While
several GOT officials, including M'henni and Presidential
Advisor Abdelaziz Ben Dhia, have dismissed these rumors,
their continued circulation indicate Tunisians can imagine
the state taking such action, even if there are no reports of
individuals being unable to access mosques without the
"official" ID cards.


5. (S) GOT CONCERNS: While the GOT continues to deny these
rumors and other allegations that suggest Tunisia is not a
truly Muslim state, the fear of Islamist populism has spurred
additional action. An embassy contact reported in May that
the ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) party had
convened a meeting of GOT-loyal and quasi-independent civil
society entities (including labor, business, women's and
children's entities) to discuss how to combat the increasing
numbers of women wearing the veil. While the contact did not
share the outcome of the meeting, he said the GOT
increasingly feared that religious conservatives could be
infiltrating GOT educational, social and health entities.
Given the historical role of these institutions as
greenhouses for political leadership, the GOT is increasingly
concerned that Islamists could gain influence throughout the
government and society.


6. (S) COMMENT: All of this comes as Tunisia's banned
Islamic party an-Nahdha marked the twenty-fifth anniversary
of its founding on June 6. During an interview with
al-Jazeera broadcast on June 10, exiled an-Nahdha leader
Rached Ghannouchi said that "every Muslim wants Islam to
rule." While the pre-recorded interview did not discuss
recent events in Tunisia, the tension between the GOT and the
devout segment of the Tunisian public provides a potential
impetus for Islamist political action. To date, the GOT
response has focused on reaffirming Tunisia's religious
heritage, with which most Tunisians are satisfied. The
current popularity of Islamist activism remains limited due
to the GOT's active political and security stance. However,
if allegations of corruption were to become as widespread as
allegations of anti-Islamic behavior, the combination of the
two could become a true threat to the regime. END COMMENT.
HUDSON