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The Ministry of Health says a 66-year-old Tunisian man has died after being infected by the coronavirus following a visit to the Gulf. This is the first such case in Tunisia as the virus slowly spreads beyond the Middle East, according to the Ministry of Health’s National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, known by [...]

Amira Masrour | 21 May 2013 | 0 Comments

Two More Soldiers Injured by Land Mines in Hunt for Terrorists

Two members of the armed forces were injured in a land mine explosion this morning near the Algerian border. This followed multiple injuries caused by land mine explosions last week near Chambi Mountain, where security forces are searching for a terrorist group. The two officers were immediately brought by helicopter to the regional hospital of Kasserine [...]

Amira Masrour | 06 May 2013 | 2 Comments

Dean Acquitted of Assaulting Veiled Student

The dean of a Tunisian university accused of assaulting a veiled female student was acquitted Thursday. Two female students, including Fatouma Haji, the one who accused him of assault, were convicted of damaging the dean’s property and each received postponed four-month sentences. In a press conference following the verdict’s announcement, Dean Habib Kazdaghli said he thanked [...]

Asma Smadhi | 02 May 2013 | 5 Comments

Ennahdha Approves Mixed Political System

The Shura Council of the Ennahdha ruling party approved the creation of a mixed parliamentary/presidential system for Tunisia’s future government during an emergency meeting held yesterday, Fathi Ayadi, chair of the Council, told Mosaique FM. The new system of government would balance power between the president and prime minister. It was proposed by a key parliamentary committee [...]

Amira Masrour | 29 April 2013 | 1 Comment

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Category: Opinion

Working Towards an Innovation Society

Op-ed Contributor | 01 April 2012 | 6 Comments

By Montasser Ghachem The Tunisian Revolution was a golden opportunity for us, Tunisians, to reflect on our society and ask ourselves: Are we doing everything we can to be an innovative society? Are we properly using our human resources to drive social and economic prosperity? Unfortunately the answer to these questions is no! Our culture still [...]

Tarek Maaroufi: Tunisia’s Most Notorious Jihadist, Returns Home

Op-ed Contributor | 01 April 2012 | 14 Comments

By Aaron Y. Zelin Last weekend, thousands of Salafis filled the streets of Avenue Habib Bourguiba demonstrating in support of the Qur‘an. It was overshadowed though by the actions of some climbing the clock tower and confronting a theater group staging a separate event at the Municipal Theater nearby. Some news that went unnoticed though [...]

The Malian Coup: Decades of Rebellion and One Night of Gunfire

Megan Radford | 23 March 2012 | 5 Comments

Early Thursday morning, March 22, 2012, Malian President Amadou Tomani Toure fled the Presidential Palace when the Malian military took control of the capital city, Bamako. The leaders of this renegade military group, who call themselves the National Committee for the Return of Democracy and the Restoration of the State (CNRDR), went on state television at [...]

This Independence Day, Tunisians Must End Dependence on France

Op-ed Contributor | 20 March 2012 | 17 Comments

By Rafik Ouerchefani Habib Bourguiba signed Tunisia’s declaration of independence on March 20th, 1956 terminating 75 years of what is still confusing most Tunisians. Many are still unsure which term they should use to describe the French presence in their country: occupation, colonialism or protectorate. Tunisia maintained a very strong relationship with France after independence. [...]

A Tunisian Love Story

Op-ed Contributor | 11 March 2012 | 37 Comments

By April Parker Times like this make my soul hurt for Tunisia. I wake up in the morning and do my Fajr prayer, asking Allah to protect us all, and to bring people towards him from the bottom of their hearts, not because of a political or social benefit. I remind myself of the thoughts [...]

Scandalous Flag Incident at Mannouba University: A Wake-up Call

Op-ed Contributor | 11 March 2012 | 7 Comments

By Dr. Douja Mamelouk The March 7th events at the University of Mannouba in Tunis drew my attention this week: could this be a wake-up call? A salafi who is not a student at the university took down the Tunisian flag from the rooftop of the university and replaced it with the salafi black flag [...]

Honoring Women in an Age of Participation

Op-ed Contributor | 09 March 2012 | 4 Comments

By Melanne Verveer As we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, we must renew the call for action, investment, and commitment to women’s equality. We are at a moment of historic opportunity. Secretary Clinton has referred to this era as “the Participation Age”. This is a time where every individual, regardless of gender or [...]

No Quick Fix for the Tunisian Economy

Adam Le Nevez | 04 March 2012 | 4 Comments

For a country that went into revolution on the back of endemic poverty and unemployment a little over a year ago, the recent unemployment data in Tunisia make for sobering reading. 738,400 Tunisians are out of work, up from just over 700 000 six months earlier. The unemployment rate is now 18.9%, a half-yearly rise [...]

The Rocky Road for Freedom of Press in Tunisia

Op-ed Contributor | 04 March 2012 | 6 Comments

By Douja Mamelouk When I turned on the Tunisian radio station mosaique fm at six o’clock in the morning in Knoxville, Tennessee, I was almost delighted to hear Mr. Nasr Eddine Ben Saida on ‘Midi Show’. After eight days spent in prison because his newspaper, Attounisiya, published a partially undressed picture of Lena Gercke, Sami Khedira, [...]

Tunisia: The Difficulties of the Coalition

Op-ed Contributor | 03 March 2012 | 0 Comments

By Hamadi Redissi On October 23rd, Tunisians elected a National Constituent Assembly charged with drafting a constitution and forming an interim government. Two months later, the country is being led by a Islamist-secular coalition. The idea is good. Unfortunately, the option has quickly polarized political life. It has not impressed foreign donors, nor has it [...]

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