Tunisia relies heavily on tourism as its source of foreign exchange. As such, the sputtering industry is giving cause for concern across the country. The beaches are fairly empty, even on weekends, and the hotels (of which there are many) rest nearly vacant. Tourists are still afraid to come to come to Tunisia due to reports of unrest, and this image is propagated in the news both in the United States and abroad. However, the news that is presented doesn't give a clear depiction of the state of things in Tunisia.
As far as I can see (given my 2 weeks of expert knowledge and participatory observation) the unrest is generally divided regionally. It tends to plague the poorer zones in the northwest near the Algerian border and the inland areas to the south, west and east. There are constant issues along the border with Libya, but that has been the case for years. The religious unrest largely stems from a resurgence of fundamentalism that has been allowed to flourish following Ben Ali's ousting. Ben Ali made sure that religious extremism, and really any overly-demonstrative religious actions were suppressed. He worked hard to prove Tunisia was friendly to the west, and to him this meant religious stifling. Now that people are free to act as they please, more and more Islamists are appearing throughout the country.
The Islamists (from what I have gathered through multiple conversations) want to institute Shari'a (holy law) law into the constitution. This would ban the sale of alcohol, require stricter control over women's rights, actions and appearances, and would put in power a religious regime. As such, the riots in the north led to several liquor stores being burned down as well as rioting a police station.
The problem, however, is that Tunisia wants its tourists back. There is work and money in tourism, both of which are desperately needed. So, the attacks don't help as the only serve to reinforce perceptions that Tunisia is still dangerous (which it isn't in the bigger cities and tourist zones). Furthermore, the insistence on holy law would effectively ban the sale of alcohol, of which tourists are in hot pursuit. They come to vacation here to drink on the beach 7 months a year, not just see the sights. Moreover, hostility towards women in a region that relies heavily on beach activities limits women's comfort in public. It is really just a bad idea.
So, the random upsurges of violence and drama are really misplaced ideals that have been suppressed for too long and are now bubbling over. Islam is about peace, my friend Bilel tells me, and the people who are rioting unfortunately taint the image of a peaceful and intellectual religion. But things are safe in general here. I just won't be vacationing in Libya any time soon.
As far as I can see (given my 2 weeks of expert knowledge and participatory observation) the unrest is generally divided regionally. It tends to plague the poorer zones in the northwest near the Algerian border and the inland areas to the south, west and east. There are constant issues along the border with Libya, but that has been the case for years. The religious unrest largely stems from a resurgence of fundamentalism that has been allowed to flourish following Ben Ali's ousting. Ben Ali made sure that religious extremism, and really any overly-demonstrative religious actions were suppressed. He worked hard to prove Tunisia was friendly to the west, and to him this meant religious stifling. Now that people are free to act as they please, more and more Islamists are appearing throughout the country.
The Islamists (from what I have gathered through multiple conversations) want to institute Shari'a (holy law) law into the constitution. This would ban the sale of alcohol, require stricter control over women's rights, actions and appearances, and would put in power a religious regime. As such, the riots in the north led to several liquor stores being burned down as well as rioting a police station.
The problem, however, is that Tunisia wants its tourists back. There is work and money in tourism, both of which are desperately needed. So, the attacks don't help as the only serve to reinforce perceptions that Tunisia is still dangerous (which it isn't in the bigger cities and tourist zones). Furthermore, the insistence on holy law would effectively ban the sale of alcohol, of which tourists are in hot pursuit. They come to vacation here to drink on the beach 7 months a year, not just see the sights. Moreover, hostility towards women in a region that relies heavily on beach activities limits women's comfort in public. It is really just a bad idea.
So, the random upsurges of violence and drama are really misplaced ideals that have been suppressed for too long and are now bubbling over. Islam is about peace, my friend Bilel tells me, and the people who are rioting unfortunately taint the image of a peaceful and intellectual religion. But things are safe in general here. I just won't be vacationing in Libya any time soon.
