Nineteen-year-old Amina Alsubaie quickly went viral when her topless picture, bearing the words “We don’t need your democracy,” was published on social media sites. On May 19, Alsubaie was arrested on the backdrop of writing Femen, the name of a Ukrainian-based women’s protest movement that uses nudity, on the fence of one of the graveyards in Kairouan, south of Tunis.
Nineteen-year-old Amina Alsubaie quickly went viral when her topless picture, bearing the words “We don’t need your democracy,” was published on social media sites. On May 19, Alsubaie was arrested on the backdrop of writing Femen, the name of a Ukrainian-based women’s protest movement that uses nudity, on the fence of one of the graveyards in Kairouan, south of Tunis.
After the arrest of Amina, three other European females, also members of the Femen organization, were arrested after staging a topless protest outside a Tunisian court. They were sentenced to 4 months of suspended imprisonment and ordered to leave Tunisia.
Only 20 days after her release from prison, Amina announced that she is quitting Femen.
Q: What made you join the Femen feminist organization?
A: In the beginning, I was influenced by the Hippie Movement, a subgroup of the 1960s counter culture that began in the United States and spread to other countries of the world. It is a movement that rejects traditional values and tries to change the prevailing lifestyle. I joined Femen in September 2011 and the organization made me freer and helped me accept my body as it is, without the psychological complexities which society imposes on us and which restrict our freedom.
I found in the ‘topless movement’ organized by Femen a message expressing our rejection of these outdated values that make a woman’s body either a commodity for sale or an object of sexual pleasure. With this movement, we wanted to undermine these ideas.
Q: What were the rules which the organization asked you to follow?
A: They asked us to be disciplined and not to laugh, especially when we expose our bodies, to show that we are serious and that our aim is not to stir instincts. They also force us to exercise in order to be able to run away from the security forces. But honestly, I did not practice sports because I am too lazy.
Q: Why did you choose to be active with Femen in particular?
A: I chose Femen because the struggle of the feminist movement in Tunisia is still very restricted and these movements are still not strong enough, i.e. they haven’t yet dared to shake some of the existing traditions which are restricting the freedom of women, especially under the rule of this hardline government. This is what I consider as one of the weaknesses of the Democratic Women Organization, for example, although I respect that organization and its struggles.
Q: You recently announced that you have withdrawn from Femen. What are your reasons?
A: I did so not because the organization is hostile to Islam but because of its suspicious sources of funding and the way it deals with Islamist and militants. It is so hostile to them and this provides them with the opportunity to emerge victorious. For example, I am against the way Gilman makes fun of some of Islamic rituals and beliefs. For example, they say Femen is Akbar (Femen is great) instead of Allahu Akbar (God is great). I am also against the way they burn the flag of unity carrying the slogan “There is no true god but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God.” This provokes and hurts the feelings of Muslims.
Q: You mean that you regret this experience because it is insulting to Islam?
A: First of all, I am not a Muslim. I am an agnostic person who holds the view that there is no proof about the existence or non-existence of any deity. And this is why it is difficult for me to take a decision to embrace any religion. I have been influenced by my environment and all my friends are like me. They believe in the same philosophy although I was raised in a Muslim family. I do not have any problem with Muslims or Islam. My major problem is with the Islamists and the religious extremists.
Q: So what made you suspect the funding sources of the organization and what are your reservations regarding this funding?
A: I asked the organization many times about its sources of funding, but I didn’t get any convincing answers. I believe that the organization is receiving money from suspicious sources: Israel or imperialist countries, such as the USA. This is something that I can’t accept. Since I was young I’ve been hearing about the Palestinian cause and the suffering of the Palestinians. It became my own cause.
Q: Are you going to join any other organization or are you going to stop your activism in the field of women’s rights?
A: Currently, I do not have any intentions to join any organization, but I will not stop my struggle for defending human rights in general and women’s rights in particular.
Q: Does this mean you could undress in public again?
A: I will not do that again although I do not regret it. We want to find other means to protest. We want means that are capable of shocking people such as that of the ‘topless’ scene. But there are many means to do this other than bare breasts. We have many ideas but I don’t want to disclose them now. However, I am very much concerned about the conditions of rural women in Tunisia and I am seriously considering doing something on this level.
Q: What about your prison experience?
A: I intend to hold a press conference soon to expose some of the practices considered a violation of human rights perpetrated against female prisoners such as beatings and insults. These violations have encouraged me to establish an association to monitor these crimes against humanity and to fight against them.
Q: Do you want to bring down the current government?
A: I do not have a problem with this particular government, but my problem and the problem of most of my friends who share the same ideas is with the system as a whole. My problem is bigger and deeper. For me, the government and the opposition are so similar to each other.
