Tunisia: The Free Destourian Party begins an open sit-in in front of the headquarters of the Union of Muslim Ulemas
The Free Destourian Party in Tunisia started a sit-in yesterday in front of the headquarters of the International Union of Muslim Scholars in the center of the capital, to demand its closure.
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The sit-in participants raised banners such as: “We will not give up”, “Together to close the headquarters”, and “No to extremist ideology”.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the sit-in, Moussi accused Tunisian President Kais Saied of “protecting” this organization, which she described as “extremist”.
The head of the Free Destourian Party said: “This organization is not a development institution or organization, and the sit-in will not disrupt its work, but rather it is a den of extremist thought whose aim is to undermine Tunisian sovereignty”, she said. “We will continue the sit-in, and we will not retreat until it is closed.”
Moussi had called the day before yesterday for an open sit-in in front of the headquarters of the Union of Muslim Scholars in Tunis branch in the Tunisian capital.
“Political violence against constitutionalists during the black decade… To where?”. It warns the existing authority against attacking party supporters and closing down access to them or attacking them, she said.
Moussi told her supporters that the sit-in will be open until the existing authority responds to their demands, namely closing the headquarters, banning its activities and classifying it as a terrorist organization. This would automatically reflect on Ennahdha’s designation as a terrorist organization in its turn, as one of the founders of this organization, she said. Moussi accused the Tunisian state of sponsoring terrorism, violence and foreign suspicious organizations.
On Sunday, the World Union of Muslim Scholars called on the Tunisian authorities to protect its office, after the head of the Free Destourian Party announced the return to the sit-in in front of its headquarters, to put pressure on the authorities to close it.
Last March, the Union condemned in a statement the storming of its headquarters in Tunis by Moussi and her supporters, describing it as “a scandal for the Tunisian state”.
The Free Destourian Partycarried out its first open sit-in in front of the headquarters of the Union of Muslim Scholars in November 2020, only to return again in March 2021.
Last year, the Tunisian judiciary rejected a lawsuit filed by the party to stop the union’s activities in the country.
The International Union of Muslim Scholars was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Doha. “It was accused, especially when it was headed by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who issued a fatwa authorizing suicide attacks, spreading extremist ideology, and defending radical Islamist organizations including the Muslim Brotherhood”.
These moves come a few days before Tunisians celebrate a new date for the Revolution Day, after the Tunisian President decided to delete January 14 from the official holiday calendar and compensate him on December 17, the date of Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation in protest against his harsh social conditions.
