"Obama We Are All Osama" Chant 1000s of Tunisian Salafists At Rally

Thousands of Salafi Muslims gathered in Tunisia in a bizarre 'show' of force, at an Ansar Al-Sharia event on May 20. It seems they wanted to send a message to the world that jihad is great and they're coming- for us, I presume.

And they definitely don't like Barack Obama. At the beginning of the video we hear them chanting "Obama, Obama, we are all Osama". Like that isn't quite obvious enough.  Ironic, since other than giving the go-ahead to kill Osama Bin Laden - a terrorist - Obama has been a champion of Muslim causes. Then again, these ordinary Tunisians (some bearded, some not) obviously have terrorist sympathies, which just makes them terrorists, too.

Then Tunisian cleric Mokhtar Jbeli starts preaching:

"Some Tunisians and some Muslims are afraid of the jihadist. We must ask: how come? Because the enemies have distorted the image of the jihadists, presenting them as the enemies of the Muslims. We say: no! Every Muslim is a jihadist. The enemies of Islam want us to be like sheep, to act like women. They want to deprive us of our will. They plundered Palestine, and other lands and holy places. They want jihadists behind bars. Why? So that the holy places will not be liberated. We are all jihadists, supporting Jerusalem and elevating the word of Allah. Let us all cry "Allah Akbar" together, so that Obama the ape can hear us. All together now! Say "Allah Akbar.! Allah Akbar!" Let America hear us. "Allah Akbar!'

That goes on for a while, and then shouts of "We are coming! We are coming!"

More Allah Akbars, and "Hear us Obama! Say Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar!"

The video switches to a wussy, ninja fight demonstration, and to the obligatory threats to Jews. "Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Mohammed is returning."

At the end some other speaker says: "We wan to convey a clear message, one that will reach the heavens. Say Allah Akbar!"

We don't want you to act like sheep or women, Mokhtar, we just want you to act civilized. And yes, we want jihadists behind bars, so you can't go around blowing people up.

And they wonder why some in the West have a problem with Islam?

Tunisian Group's Anti-Niqab Video Causes A Ruckus

Although there are some subservient fools who believe that the niqab (full Islamic face veil with just a slit for the eyes) makes them more pious, there are others who are rallying to make sure it doesn't become the norm in their country.  Some women with an organization called Egalité et Parité  (Equality and Parity) in Tunisia, a country that is battling to ensure Salafists don't impose their ultra conservative ways on what once was a secular nation, produced an anti-niqab video (see below) which is, naturally, causing a ruckus.

In their campaign, Equality and Parity used niqab-shaped stickers and put them in bathroom stalls, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, and dressing rooms in malls. They filmed the reaction of women to the niqab stickers on the mirror, and turned them into a short film that is making its rounds on the internet.

Equality and Parity hopes that through this sticker campaign they can educate women and Tunisians in general on the severity of being forced to wear a niqab.

Ousted dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali banned the niqab when he was in power, and since his departure there have been protests, including one at Manouba University, advocating for the niqab.

Ben Ali treated those who were outwardly religious with extreme suspicion. During his time in power, it was not uncommon for police to stop women in the street and order them to unveil. The niqab has found itself at the epicenter in the Salafi-secularist debate.

Suspicious with good reason, considering the ultra religious want to establish Sharia law and force everyone to become as religious as they are.

Members of Equality and Parity stated in a press release that:

“We are fighting with and for all Tunisians from all regions, including those living abroad, who are also involved in our cause. We commit to define each of our goals based on a preliminary analysis of the current sociopolitical situation, which seems to exclude Tunisian women, especially in decision-making bodies, means of mass communication and the public space,”

They also stated that they will not hesitate to protest or plan sit-ins if women's rights are violated. Their mission statement on their Facebook Page says they will:

Fight to combat the weak representation of women in decision making bodies, be they political, social, economic or cultural.

Take action
to establish full citizenship (for women),
to eradicate all discrimination,
to ensure equality between men and women,
to make sure Tunisia joins all International Conventions favoring human rights, and in particular the lifting of reservations on the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW).

Not suprisingly, the usual suspects (both the religious Muslims and liberals) have been highly critical of the video.

Tunisia's Islamist Government Wants Bikini-Clad Tourists

Tunisia needs tourism for its economy to thrive. 7 million people visited the world famous pristine beaches, desert and  historical/cultural sites in 2010, but only 5 million in 2011 after the Islamists overwhelmingly won control of the parliament. That's a loss of over one third of tourist dinars, and the Islamists are worried. So Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali (of the Ennahda Party) wants to reassure potential tourists that nothing will change under an Islamist leadership, and that they can bring their bikinis and suntanable bodies to his country with no problems.

“We will respect the traditions of our visitors in their food, and clothing and lifestyle,” Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali said at a conference to promote tourism held on the island of Djerba, known for its white sandy beaches and luxury spas. "Unfortunately, some want to paint Tunisia as a jungle and sow fear of the Ennahda government but this does not reflect reality and the proof is that these critics speak freely."

He even allowed alcohol at the opening ceremony, just to prove he was sincere. But Ennahda has an obvious public relations problem considering most Islamists are not moderate (if there's such a thing), and most of us, when we think of Islamists, think of Sharia and all its ugly trappings. But Jebali wants the world (and his own people) to know that they have no intention of establishing Sharia law in Tunisia.

“We want to reassure everyone and even our own people that there is nothing to fear from freedom and democracy."

Of course, there are still hard-core Islamists who are fighting to impose Sharia, and will probably continue to do so until they get their way. But here's hoping those tourist dollars are important enough to stave off the total Islamization of Tunisia. 

7 Years In Jail For Blasphemy For Two Tunisian Men

 Since the Arab Spring, and the resulting rise of Islamism in the region, there seem to be more cases of jail time for 'blasphemers'.

Yesterday, a young Egyptian Christian teen was sentenced to three years in prison for mocking Islam on his Facebook page.  Now we hear of two Tunisians,  Ghazi Beji and Jabeur Mejri (both late twenties) who were fined approximately $800.00 each and sentenced at the end of March to seven years in jail.  According to the justice ministry spokesperson Chokri Nefti,

“They were sentenced, one of them in absentia, to seven years in prison, for transgressing morality, defamation and disrupting public order.”

Disrupting public order?

What's most troubling is that Mejri  and Beji (an atheist), like the young Egyptian, had posted their 'blaspehmous content'  on social networking sites. 

Beji wrote a book called “the Illusion of Islam”, discussing his views about Islam and religion. Mejri, also wrote a book. “Dark Land”, where he “cursed the government, Islamists, and expressed his hatred towards Arabs.“

Beji, a biotech food engineer, lucked out and fled to Greece, seeking asylum. When interviewed by Tunisia Live, Beji said,

  “After the Revolution, in March 2011, I said to myself Tunisia is a free and democratic country now and I should try to publish my book. I contacted several book publishers in Mahdia but they all refused to publish it. So I opted to upload it online.”

Not sure why he thought that a country that is now predominantly Islamist would not take offense to his writings, but I suppose hope springs eternal.  Not so, unfortunately, when you are dealing with religious fanatics. But it is interesting to note how many ex-Muslims there are who are atheists.  Plenty of them on Facebook.

On the other hand, Mejri, who is an English teacher, wasn't so lucky and is currently in police custody waiting to serve his seven years.

Human Rights Watch in Tunisia made their obligatory statement- that the sentencing was  “an attack on freedom of expression and freedom of belief.”   Not that any of the officials would care what HRW has to say about 'freedom', since there is no freedom of expression or belief in non-secular Muslim majority countries.