While most Tunisians celebrate the 2011 democratic uprising that toppled Ben Ali, the very activists who helped spur the revolution on the ground are today being arrested on charges of “burning security centers” and “destroying public property” during that time period. Suspects run the gamut, from a 14-year-old to 70-year-old Anes Bint al-Nawi, whose lawyer […]

Mustapha Ben Jaafar, the president of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) (the Tunisian parliament) and the Secretary General of the Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties (Et-Takatol), speaks about the legislative priorities of NCA after the end of the constituent period, the future electoral alliances of his party, his stances regarding the political scene in […]

“My income is not enough to cover my living expenses,” said a distraught displaced Libyan mother of three in Tunisia. “Many Libyan families beg for money in front of mosques to pay for their childrens’ school fees.”  This mother—who preferred not to be named and is registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) […]

Like most other Tunisian journalists, Safaa Mataallah was on Habib Bourguiba Avenue the morning of January 13, 2013 covering the annual revolutionary celebration that followed the fall of Ben Ali’s regime in 2011. The Leagues for the Protection of the Revolution (LPR) were also holding demonstrations and speeches on that day.  Like most other Tunisian […]

During a celebratory normally full of music and dancing, the secondary students at Hay al-Hadiqa Institute in Tunis raised the flag of al-Qaeda and posted pictures of Osama Bin Laden and members from Ansar al-Sharia- a banned organization in Tunisia- during their dakhla, or exam kick off, celebrations. Ayman— a student there also known as […]

The young Prime Minister Mahdi Jumaa, often seen with a calm smile on his face— in a country where officials rarely smile— has managed to make alliances with almost all factions in the current interim government, only 100 days since becoming prime minister. Still, neither Jumaa, former Minister of Industry, nor any of his ministers, […]

Mukhtar Lamushi, an MP respresenting Ennahda in the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) , was sitting on a sofa next to the independent NCA member Mohamed Najib Hosni and NCA member of the Reform and Development Party Mohamed Naji Gharsli. At first, this scene seems plausible enough, since they are all political Islamists. Yet their pasts […]

Perez Tarabulsi was 24 years old when he took over Al-Ghribah synagogue, an ancient site located on the Tunisian island of Djerba. That was in 1964, and in all the years since Tarabulsi inherited the responsibility from his father, Al-Ghribah Synagogue has remained the destination for Jews making a pilgrimage (this year from May 13 […]

In 1910, a French company built a train to be used by the Beys of Tunisia (the monarchs from 1705 – 1957) to travel between their palaces on the outskirts of the capital and their offices in its center. The train is known as the ‘red lizard’, others call it the ‘red rat’ and some […]

In an exclusive interview with Correspondents, Ennahda’s enigmatic and controversial leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, sheds light on his party’s legacy in Tunisia and likens it to the political movement led by the late South African icon Nelson Mandela. In an exclusive interview with Correspondents, Ennahda’s enigmatic and controversial leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, sheds light on his party’s […]