Tunisia’s leading light
More cartoons online at Shannon Ebrahim is the Foreign Editor for Independent Media
THE ARAB world should take a leaf out of Tunisia’s book, as the Ennahda party has provided all the essential lessons in making Islam compatible with inclusive democracy.
Those who criticised the rise of a Muslim party to power in Tunisia following the Arab spring uprising of 2011, tried to say it would mean “one man, one vote, one time”.
But the Ennahda party debunked that myth. What it proved was that a Muslim party can evolve into a remarkably progressive political force that safeguards democracy, human rights, women’s equal participation and is for the separation of state and religion. Ennahda’s political track record since 2011 suggests it has a workable strategy.
Ennahda’s objectives have been transitional justice, the reform of state institutions, economic reforms to spur growth, a multidimensional approach to fighting terrorism and good governance, which sound similar to the principles that underlie the agenda of our own government.
So does Ennahda’s commitment to compassionate capitalism, which is meant to balance free enterprise with the ideals of social justice and equal opportunity.
Its efforts to curb unemployment by making education a path to work and not a bridge to joblessness, is something we have heard time and again from our ministers of education.
Who would have thought a Muslim party in Tunisia would call for equal gender representation on all party lists for the country’s local elections in March, next year?
Ennahda has even fought for something we should replicate – a banking system reform to make it easier for businesses and individuals to access financing to bring the informal economy into the mainstream.
Ennahda has also taught us something important in calling for a culture of entrepreneurship – something the Chinese are also pushing for as a strategy to promote growth in the global economy.
But perhaps one of the most important lessons the Arab world can learn from Tunisia’s Ennahda party is that “the only way to conclusively defeat extremism – particularly groups like Islamic State, is to offer a hopeful alternative to millions of young Muslims”, Rached Ghannouchi, leader of Ennahda said.
In the Arab World, there are increasing levels of social exclusion and oppression and fewer opportunities for young people. As Ghannouchi has pointed out, the frustration of the Arab world’s youth is being exploited by Islamic State.
He has argued that repressed youth left with no reference point for mainstream, moderate Islamic thought are likely to turn to extremism.In an effort to curb extremism in Tunisia, the Ennahda party has come up with a number of important policy guidelines that the rest of the Middle East would do well to take note of.
It has stipulated that its party cadres can no longer preach in mosques or take leadership positions in civil society groups or religious and charitable organisations.
The party hopes this will prevent officials from using faith-based appeals to manipulate the public.
It also believes that no political party should claim to represent religion, and that imams should undergo specialist training. Ghannouchi has pointed out that only 7 percent of Tunisia’s imams have undergone such training.This could explain why some mosques in Tunisia have become breeding grounds for extremist thought, which has made Tunisia a soft target for Islamic State recruitment.
In 2013, violent Salafist extremists carried out a series of attacks which led to a period of instability, which culminated in the Islamic State-inspired terrorist attacks that rocked Tunisia last year.In the wake of terror attacks, Ennahda gracefully conceded loss at the 2014 elections to a centre-right party founded in 2012, but remains a junior partner in a coalition government.
Despite the security challenges which face the country, Ennahda has pushed for amendments to the counter-terrorism laws to ensure suspects have access to legal advice. It has also called for a comprehensive national security strategy that addresses the complex causes of extremism. The result of these progressive policy-proposals has been the establishment of the National Anti-Torture Commission and legislation for the protection of the rights of detainees.
If one is surprised that a Muslim party can be the driving force behind such progressive policies, it is interesting to note that the origins of the party were that of an Islamist movement, similar to that of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
The oppression of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is exactly what the Ennhada party went through under a series of dictatorial regimes in Tunisia, which would not allow it to operate as a political party and forced it underground.Today the Ennahda party is one of the most influential and progressive political parties in the Arab world, and that says a lot.