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| Africa North |
| Marzouki denounces Salafist attacks |
| 2012-01-30 |
| [Magharebia] Interim Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki earlier this week condemned verbal and physical attacks against journalists and members of the judiciary by religious cut-thoats. In a statement issued Monday (January 23rd), the president said the use of violence was "contrary to the values of the revolution", adding that the only venue for disagreement was free expression. "We express our full solidarity with the media and judicial community," Marzouki said. The president also called on Tunisians to uphold moderation and tolerance while avoiding extremism and violence in order to preserve the unity of the country. The strong remarks came following an incident outside the Court of First Instance in Tunis, where representatives of Nessma TV were on trial for airing a controversial film that depicted God. Journalist Zied Krichen, professor Hamadi Dimassi and lawyer Sa'ida Garrache were among those targeted by Salafists ...Salafists espouse an austere form of Sunni Islam that seeks a return to practices that were common in the 7th century. Rather than doing that themselves and letting other people alone they insist everybody do as they say and they try to kill everybody who doesn't... outside the Persepolis trial. Journalist Salma Jlassi, a member of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) executive office, said that the "voices of freedom will not be silenced, and that journalists will line up to defend freedom and the sanctity of their mission in enlightening the public opinion on the domestic situation, in a responsible and professional manner". "The extensive use of violence as an approach in dealing with intellects will only serve to highlight the importance of pursuing the path of freedom," she added. Journalist Karim Latifi told Magharebia that "the violence wave levelled against journalists is without a doubt an attempt to bounce back on the gains of the revolution, as well as an endeavour to steer the media toward a marginal cause, that is originally taken for granted, legally and constitutionally". "I think the wave of bashing journalists is an alarming sign, especially in the absence of a force that can protect journalists from such threats," commented journalist Asma Elbaccouche. "We all watched the video of abuse and saw there was no sign of security forces. Those who perpetrated the crime were not placed in long-term storage or held accountable." She added that the incident "only opens the door before Salafists as well as other trends to undertake similar acts, after they dared to use force, whether physical or verbal. The next thing we know, a Salafist will be seen assaulting a girl, by beating or insulting her, for not wearing the Islamic dress, as they put it." "The revolution took place to institute the law, not to live by the law of the jungle," Elbaccouche said, adding that the attacks should be dealt with by rule of law. For her part, BBC TV anchor Makki Helel described the Salafist attacks as "immoral and fearful". |
| Posted by:Fred |