Polemical public figures who provoke protests upon their arrival or an outpouring of public response to their ideologies and work are as telling of the values and issues precious to Tunisian public opinion as they are of the controversial figures themselves.
Why has Ennahdha signed on with controversial American PR firm Burson-Marsteller?
Ennahdha’s lack of transparency around its agreement with Burson-Mersteller gives rise to inevitable suspicion that the transaction, contrary to encouraging «free and fair elections in Tunisia» might in fact undermine them. Ambiguity around the financial aspect of the deal (“Fees and expenses to be determined at a later date,” reads the official registration document) is a particular concern after political parties’ financial mismanagement in past elections.
Reporting Through the Grapevine: Western and Tunisian Media on “Foreign Fighters” in Syria
Even if it is for the lack of up-to-date and relevant data produced and diffused by Tunisian government institutions, that Tunisian media draws from foreign mainstream reports without questioning the validity of the data, analysis, or sources used–reporting through the grapevine, as it were–is a practice that diminishes rather than enhances the quality of dialogue on current issues. Noteworthy, for example, is the number of news agencies that have referenced the recent CNN International study and imprecisely or incorrectly attributed it to the Washington-based non-profit Pew Research Center.
Political Islam/Political Prudence: Ennahda in the First and Second Elections of Transition
Taking an inventory of reports over the past two weeks that convey the clamor and chaos of Tunisia’s party politics gearing up for elections in October, one can appreciate a newfound irony in the attribution of—and the granting of an award for—’consensus’ to the Ennahda (or, for that matter, any other political) party.
Why the UK Home Office’s “Pro-Islamic” Blog Study is Wrong
CONTEST is the United Kingdom’s counter-terrorism strategy, with a stated aim to “reduce the risk to the UK and its […]
Tunisian media is becoming more “Islamized”
In a recent report that surveyed radio listeners in Tunisia, the Sigma Consulting Center found that “Zaytouna” – a private religious radio station – topped the list with 12.1 percent audience share throughout the country. Private variety radio station Mosaic came close with 11.3 percent, followed by government-backed radio station […]
Intellectuals’ responsibility in the collapse of the democratic process in Tunisia
Needless to say, there are in Tunisia, just like everywhere else, many historians, writers, and poets, filmmakers, who have never signed a single petition against torture or corruption, while considering themselves in private as democrats. Should we blame the collapse of the democratic process on them ? May be they have not to be blamed because they are not intellectuals at all.
You Still Can’t Write About Muhammad
Starting in 2002, Spokane, Wash., journalist Sherry Jones toiled weekends on a racy historical novel about Aisha, the young wife […]
“Islam Is a Religion, Not a Political Agenda”
Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari is one of the world’s most important contemporary Shia clerics. In this lengthy interview with Fatma Sagir, […]
Le rapport WIA 2008 de l’Université de Washington sur le blogging dans le monde musulman
L’Université de Washington vient de publier une étude portant, entre autres, sur la nature du contenu du blogging dans les pays à forte majorité musulmane. Cette étude dresse par ailleurs le tableau peu glorieux des persécutions des blogueurs dans ces différents pays.