Introduction
For a long time, People have known Tunisia as the country that is the most European in the North African region. This country has a relatively large number of people in the middle class.
The country has also welcomed gender equality. It has also embraced liberal, social norms as well as welcoming the Mediterranean beaches. These traits are associated with the European, and this makes people consider this country as “European country”.
However, in Jan 2011, Tunisia assumed the central point that initiated the revolt that enveloped the Arab world. Tunisia has numerous modern traits, yet it harbors a form of governance that is most exploitive in the North African region.
These things became unbearable once the economic depression that engrossed southern Europe, eventually, reached the country (Hamdi 23).
In December 2010, the uprising began. It was sparked by Mohamed Bouazizi, a fruit vendor. This man set himself ablaze to complain about his lack of chance in the country. He was also complaining about the disregard that the police had for the poor.
The police had confiscated his goods, and he was left with nothing with which to earn a livelihood. His frustration with the government spread to other citizens, and a wave that set to liberate Tunisia from such incidents began. This started the Arab Spring in the country.
In what people came to term as the Jasmine Revolution, an abrupt and volatile wave of street demonstrations ousted the dictatorial president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.
This president had ruled Tunisia with an iron hand for 23 years. On January 14, the president, Ben Ali, left Tunisia. He had tried to calm down the demonstrators with promises of elections, but he had failed.
State/Islam relations
The State/Islam relation is a variable in the wave of the political influence of Islamists in Tunisia. Like many North African Countries, Tunisia struggles to decipher the role that Islam will take in public life (Hamdi 29). This role will either make or break the country.
The government seems to have some favoritism for Islam, and many people have raised concerns over these issues; there are many thuggish behaviors by hard-line Islamists who go unpunished. For instance, some die-hard Islamists have gone ahead to torch police stations and attack bars that sell alcohol.
This makes people feel that the government favors Islamists more than other groups of people. Therefore, this relation between the state and the Islamists make the Islamists feel powerful to control the country.
However, many people suffer, and this relationship should be reviewed; the rule of the law should prevail.
The more sophisticated Tunisians living along the rich coast worry about the new regime. This regime is led by Ennahda party (the moderate Islamist’s party), and these people feel that the party is unwilling to hold the conservative Islamists to the decree of law.
These people feel that the government should advance democracy in this country, and Muslims should be taught the importance of following the law of the country, for the good of all people (Noueihed and Alex 58).
On the other hand, Salafists feel that the state should do more to ensure that a religious way of life is enforced. These people feel that Sharian law should be introduced to guide the lives of the people.
They believe that this law could produce justice for all people, including non Muslims. They also claim that violence is unacceptable, but people react only when provoked. Therefore, people should have a peaceful coexistence and avoid inciting each other.
However, a lot of hope hovers over Tunisia. For instance, the National Constituent Assembly has been looking into the articles of a new constitution.
These articles are likely to give Tunisia a new constitution, and this will be a wake up call to all Tunisians, Muslims and otherwise, to follow the rule of a set law for all people.
Tunisia post Ben Ali
It is still very early to proclaim that the Tunisian Post Ali era to be a Muslim Democracy. This is because the things that made Ali ousted from power have not yet been addressed.
Many people are still dissatisfied by the running of public institutions, trade, and other related areas that concern the livelihood of Tunisians. Evidently, the unemployment rate of the Tunisian youth is still very high, and this will take some time to rectify.
Therefore, a lot has not been achieved, and the current government must put these issues in to top priority before the current state of affairs change (Noueihed and Alex 74).
Tunisians had demonstrated since a lot of leaders led ravish life styles while the people suffered. However, things did not improve even after Ali left the throne. The leaders continued to lead ravish life styles, and this indicates that things have not changed.
After the revolution, Mohamed Ghannouchi, the PM, created an administration of unity. However, in February 2011, demonstrations continued, and he resigned. This was a response to claims that the PM was a close ally of Mr. Ben Ali. Beji Caid Essebi replaced the PM.
This man was chosen since he had built a reputation of seeking to change the dictatorial leadership of Ben Ali. Mr. Essebi’s concierge government was faced with lots of protests by many groups.
This left the police force, the provincial administrations and the judicial system badly weakened; the ousted regime still had a lot of influence on these institutions.
The members of Ennhahda were accused as subversives or terrorists by the Ali regime. They faced two decades of exile, torment, and prison. This suffering established their credibility in the country’s politics, and it gained a lot of followers.
Most of these followers are the conservative inhabitants of the country’s rural areas. The agenda of these people is to revolutionize Tunisia, but they focus mainly on the religious aspects of that country.
These people will not help Tunisia achieve democracy for all people since many people will be left out in the quest for democracy.
Conclusion
A lot of issues that face Tunisia can be best solved without the religious link attached to them. This is because the state should tackle issues depending on the degree to which those issues affect the people; religious inclination should be abandoned.
The people of Tunisia need jobs, good housing, good education and other services essential to the growth of any society. The state should provide these services to all people.
The Tunisian authorities have a chance of rectifying these things in order to make this country a democracy where the needs of all Tunisians will be met.
Works Cited
Hamdi, Mohamed. The Politicisation of Islam: A Case Study Of Tunisia. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2000. Print.
Noueihed, Lin & W. Alex. The Battle for the Arab Spring: Revolution, Counter Revolution and the Making of a New Era. New York: Yale University Press, 2012. Print.