Foundation Islamic Union
Tunisia
Official Name: Republic of Tunisia (TN)
Capital : Tunisia
Important Cities: 23 governorates; Ariana, Beja, Ben Arous, Bizerte, El Kef, Gabes, Gafsa, Jendouba, Kairouan, Kasserine, Kebili, Mahdia, Medenine, Monastir, Nabeul, Sfax, Sidi Bou Zid, Siliana, Sousse, Tataouine, Tozeur, Zaghouan.
Area: 163,155 km²
Population : 12,019,000 (2021)[1]
Ethnicity: Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%.
Language: Arabic, French
Religion: Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%.
Geography: It is located in North Africa, on the Mediterranean coast, between Algeria and Libya. It has a temperate climate in the north and a desert climate in the south.
Mountains in the north, dry and hot plains in the centre, and the Sahara desert in the south.
Natural Resources: oil, phosphate, iron, lead, zinc, salt
Mode of Government: Presidential Republic
Political Parties: Democratic Constitutional Unity Party: It is the continuation of the Socialist Düstur (Constitution) Party founded by the former dictator Bourguiba and held power in Tunisia for a long time. It has a Westernist and socialist approach.
Unificationist Democratic Unity Party: It advocates Arab tribalism and an ideology similar to the Baathist ideology that prevails in Iraq and Syria.
Progressive Socialist Unity Party: It has a tribalist and leftist approach.
Socialist Democrats Movement: It is a socialist party which is one of the leading opposition parties.
Reform and Innovation Party: It is the continuation of the former Tunisian Communist Party. This party, which dates back to the 1920s, is the weakest of the political parties in Tunisia in terms of mass base.
Justice and Development Party: This is a continuation of the former Istiqlal Party. It has a socialist and liberal understanding. Since the parties law in Tunisia does not allow the establishment of political parties with Islamic aims, the parties on the scene always represent the liberal or socialist understanding.[2]
History: After half a century in power, the dictatorial government of Tunisia finally collapsed in the wake of the riots that broke out in that country after an unemployed university graduate committed suicide by self-immolation. Tunisia's last dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was forced to flee his country after 23 years in power following widespread and comprehensive popular opposition. The Tunisian government, which had made economic progress in these years, was seen as a secular organisation that was developing in accordance with the Western model. In recent years, Tunisia has become a country much admired by European travellers. The tourism market in this country experienced very hot days. Tunisian airports welcomed thousands of Europeans, especially the French, every minute. On the face of it, Tunisia was a very calm country among Arab and African countries and was even described as the island of stability and peace in North Africa.
Meanwhile, the attitude of the American and European countries towards the events in Tunisia is very interesting. It is well known how and to what extent these countries, which claim to defend human rights, supported the Tunisian dictator, but when they saw that this government was at the end of its term, they suddenly changed their attitude and pretended to defend the rights of the people. This event should be a lesson for those who are fond of the Western government's slogans of freedom and democracy, and at the same time for those who maintain their dictatorships on the basis of these slogans. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was known as a reliable ally of the West, especially France. He began his rise to power by studying at the military and intelligence academies of France and the United States, and later became an aide to the former Tunisian dictator Habib Bourguiba. It was under the totalitarian president that Ben Ali learnt the lessons of eradicating Islam from Tunisia, and for many years, as head of Tunisia's Intelligence Organisation, he served in line with Bourguiba's ideals.
In 1987, after Bourguiba's amnesia due to Alzheimer's disease, Ben Ali rose to power in the country of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a coup d'état with the support of the West, especially France.
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's government was able to survive for 23 years with the financial, political and military support of the United States and the European Union. Under the dictatorship, political parties were not allowed to operate and political opponents were sent to prison or exile. During these 23 years, despite all the restrictions and limitations in Tunisia, Western governments and institutions claiming to defend human rights did not raise any objection against Ben Ali's government. The Ben Ali dictatorship was a reliable ally for the Western powers to secure their political and economic interests. In 2004, when Ben Ali met W. Bush in the White House, the American President said that Ben Ali was Washington's ally in the fight against terrorism and praised the freedom of the press in Tunisia.
In 2008, French President Nicolas Sarkozi made similar remarks. Sarkozi described Tunisia as an 'Atmosphere of Freedom' at a time when human rights violations in Tunisia were at their peak.
Under the government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia became a member of the World Trade Organisation with the support of the USA and Western countries. The EU also signed a free trade agreement with Tunisia. However, growing dissatisfaction with the restrictions, mischief and discrimination initiatives of the Ben Ali government erupted like a volcano when an unemployed young man took his own life. Realising that the era of Ben Ali was over, the Western countries immediately turned their backs on their ally and sided with the Tunisian people.
US President Barak Obama has praised the courage and bravery of Tunisians and called on the country's authorities to organise free and fair elections.
EU officials also reacted to the developments in Tunisia, claiming that the EU defends the Tunisian nation and its democratic aspirations. The British Foreign Minister Vilyam Hig welcomed the Tunisian demand for elections, while the Foreign Ministers of Italy and Germany wished for the establishment of democracy in Tunisia and for the people to live in peace.
France reacted differently. France, known as the closest ally of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, did not allow him to enter this country while he was fleeing from Tunisia. 'The Tunisian people have expressed their democratic demands,' Sarkozi's office said in a statement.
The fact that the Western governments suddenly turned their backs on the anti-democratic government they had supported has once again shown that words such as democracy and freedom mean nothing more than a tool used by the Western governments to achieve their political and economic goals. Even if a government is anti-democratic, as long as it acts in the direction of the goals and interests of western governments, it turns a blind eye to all undemocratic initiatives, and the moment its expiry date expires, it opportunistically turns its back and pretends to support democracy and freedom under the guise of protecting human rights.
When the Western governments realised that they could no longer withstand the uprising of the people, they left the dictator Ben Ali alone. Because they realised that he could no longer protect the interests of the Western powers. Therefore, in order to control the people's movement awakened in Tunisia, as if they had just realised that Ben Ali was a dictator, they suddenly turned into the biggest critics of him and criticised him.
Internal Problems: Even in recent years, there has been no talk of even the slightest unrest in the small country of 12 million inhabitants, but everything has suddenly changed. The unemployed young man, a university graduate, took his own life because he could not find a job, which started the spark of the great apocalypse. In Tunisia, known as the land of Jasmine, peace was suddenly replaced by protests and a tsunami of popular protest put an end to the dictatorial government. This event showed that behind the seemingly modern and beautiful cities of Tunisia, a nation has been hiding from the totalitarian government for half an age.
External Problems: Suspended relations with Sudan on the grounds that it allegedly supported Islamic movements. In June 1993, at the African Union summit held in Cairo, it took part in the front formed against Sudan.
Tunisia's most important internal problem is the political problems arising from the repressive policy of the government. This repression forced many Tunisian citizens to leave their country and seek political asylum in different countries. Especially the heavy pressure on the Islamic movement drew the country into political events similar to those experienced in the last periods of Bourguiba.
Islamism in the country: The most important Islamic movement in Tunisia today is the Nahda (Resurrection) Movement, which initially emerged as the Islamic Orientation Movement. The Islamic Orientation Movement was founded in 1969 under the leadership of Rached Ghannouchi and Abdul-Fattah Moro. The Tunisian government did not enter into a conflict with the Islamic Orientation Movement during its first years of establishment. However, when it saw that it started to gain strength, it resorted to a violent repression against this movement. In 1981, when the Islamic Orientation Movement applied to the Ministry of Interior for the right to organise itself legally, 106 prominent members of the movement were arrested. After Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali took power, he allowed the exiled members of the Islamic Orientation to return to Tunisia and promised to allow the movement to organise politically. In order to work in harmony and compromise with the government, the leaders of the Islamic Orientation changed the name of their movement to Nahda (Resistance). Soon, however, the government changed its attitude completely and resorted to violence against Nahda. It arrested many members of the movement. It forced most of the prominent members of the movement, including its leader Rashid Ghannouchi, to leave their homeland. It completely stopped broadcasting and educational activities. Commercial organisations known to support this movement were closed down.
Ben Ali did not specialise his persecution of Islamic studies only to the Nahda movement. He banned all Islamic activities. It has forbidden the wearing of headscarf in official organisations, even for any work. Due to all these practices, no serious Islamic work can be carried out in Tunisia today. Since the people are under heavy pressure, they are extremely reluctant to show interest in Islamic activities. On the other hand, most of those found to be related to the Nahda movement are either in prison or in exile. The Nahda movement is close in thought to the Islamic National Front in Sudan.[3]
Economy: Agricultural products: Olives, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruits, meat, sugar beet.
Currency: Tunisian Dinar (TND)
National Income per Capita: 3,688 USD (2021)[4]
Export products: Textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural products, hydrocarbons
Export partners: Germany 28%, France 22%, Italy 17%, Belgium 5%, Libya 4% Import products: Machinery and parts, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food
Import partners: France 23 per cent, Germany 23 per cent, Italy 15 per cent, Belgium 3 per cent
Industry: Petroleum, mining, tourism, textiles, footwear, food, beverages
Energy: Electricity production: 9.173 billion kWh (1999)
Transport: Railways: 2,168 km, Roads: 23,100 km (1996)
Pipelines: Crude oil 797 km; petroleum products 86 km; natural gas 742 km
Ports: Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, Zarzis
Airports: 32
Education: Literacy rate: 74.3%
International Organisations and Institutions: UN, OIC[5], (Black Sea Economic Cooperation),
[1] www.ticaret.gov.tr(November-2021 Access)
[2] www.enfal.de(November-2021 Access)
[3] www.endal.de (Accessed November-2021)
[4] www.ticaret.gov.tr (November-2021 Access)
[5] www.oic-oci.org.
