Abdullah Nafoussi was sitting at his bookshop in Bab Bahr, in downtown Gabès (southern Tunisia) accompanied by friends of different ideological and cultural orientations, who consider the shop the only place to exchange views, discuss the country’s affairs or simply remember the good old days.

Displayed in his window is the newspaper “Contre Le Pouvoir” published by Taoufik Ben Brik, a journalist who was a prominent critic of the former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and is now an outspoken critic of the Islamists’ rule.

Abdullah Nafoussi was sitting at his bookshop in Bab Bahr, in downtown Gabès (southern Tunisia) accompanied by friends of different ideological and cultural orientations, who consider the shop the only place to exchange views, discuss the country’s affairs or simply remember the good old days.

Displayed in his window is the newspaper “Contre Le Pouvoir” published by Taoufik Ben Brik, a journalist who was a prominent critic of the former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and is now an outspoken critic of the Islamists’ rule.

Islamists also blame Nafoussi for displaying the books of Mohamed Talbi, an Islamic scholar who calls for a modern reading of the Holy Quran and for the abolition of Sharia, since it contains provisions issued in a bygone era and is incompatible with human rights – some extremists oppose his thoughts and even deem him a kafir (an infidel).

Nafoussi explained that the threats were implicit and direct: “Four imams came to the bookshop and warned me that they would bear no responsibility, ‘If one of those zealots of Islam torched the place.’”

These threats however do not scare Nafoussi whose position has been clear and explicit. “I sold the then banned Al-Fajr Islamic newspaper under Ben Ali, even when the Islamists themselves were afraid to read it,” he said. “Therefore, I do not mind selling newspapers opposing the Islamists and their government now.”

Perhaps what worries some is that this shares all of what he finds in Tunisian and international newspapers, which often publish progressive ideologies. Nafoussi copies these articles and displays them in the bookshop window, which attracts people’s attention.

Place for progressive thought

Among Nafoussi friends is Ghazlan Azria, a septuagenarian Jew who has come from Paris to his hometown of Gabès to spend rare, happy moments with Nafoussi.

“Nafoussi’s bookshop is one of the few cultural places in Gabès, which call for the spread of progressive thought and the promotion of values of tolerance among religions,” said Ghazlan. “We, the Jews and the Muslims, used to live in Gabès without any problems and the issues of takfir or discarding any person of different ideologies were non-existent. Why has everything changed for the worse?” he wondered.

For 37 years, Nafoussi’s bookshop has played a key role in bringing together different residents of like minds.

“When I bought the place from a Jew and turned it into a bookshop in 1975, I used to sell 40 copies of the French newspaper ‘Le Monde’. Ten were sold to some French customers and the other 30 copies to some cadres of Gabès. Nowadays, however, I sell one copy only,” said Nafoussi ironically with a touch of bitterness. “Can you see the paradox?”

He then said as if he had been answering himself: “Perhaps the Internet has made the youth less inclined to reading.”

This matter hurts the bookseller who wishes that his city’s youth read all languages, especially French. “He who reads French is a progressive human being and more educated because he who writes French is more open-minded and freer in writing since he is not restricted with sacred matters and taboos,” he explained.

This is not the only thing that makes Nafoussi feel injustice; reading and writing in Tunisia has been “deteriorating”, especially since the revolution. “Even Tunis International Book Fair, which we used to wait for in order to see the new releases, no longer satisfies what we need. The displayed books are obsolete, like the yellowed books that intensify extremism and obscurantism. While the other international fairs forbid the display of old books shown in previous fairs, we offer books from the previous century.”

“The culture of death and torment of the grave have overshadowed the culture of life and progressive thought,” he said. “Reading and perusing global literature have become rare things in Tunisia and the Arab countries.

He believes that translation is the only way that makes people read new ideas that pump the bloods of life, illuminate the path of intellect and baulk any obscurant though.

Strangely enough, Nafoussi believes that progressive and enlightening thought was more widespread during the past century. He has become knowledgeable thanks to the books he has lived amongst. This, he says, have made him an open-minded person who respects all and all respect him.

“Today, it is as if we went back to square one. Obscurantists deem all those who disagree with them disbelievers, which has made his country experience a conflict between those who consider themselves “God’s successors on earth” and the only ones qualified to interpret Islam, and those who oppose them.”

“In spite of all this gloominess, I am optimistic about a better future when authors have a prestigious place because they are the only ones who will enlighten our path with science.”