Two dead, 14 wounded, over 230 arrested — this was the initial toll of the confrontations that erupted on Sunday in the Tadamun district in west Tunis between security forces and members of the Ansar Al-Sharia, a jihadist Salafist group. The violence broke out at around 11am and began to escalate when ordinary people in the neighbourhood began to join in. Security forces responded with tear gas, then with rubber bullets. They also raided a number of homes in the course of which they arrested a large number of Salafi militants and confiscated knives, Molotov cocktails and other weapons. The clash occurred at a time when attention had been focussed on Kairouan, located 160km south of the capital, where the Ansar Al-Sharia had organised their third annual conference without having obtained a permit in advance, as required by law. In its resolve to be firm in enforcing the law, the Ministry of Interior mobilised forces throughout the city in order to prevent Salafist delegations from entering the city. They also conducted sweeping identity checks, especially of bearded men, arresting dozens and ordering many others to leave the city. There are conflicting reports as to who initiated the violence. An Interior Ministry spokesman claimed that the Salafis started the skirmishes by throwing stones. The Ansar Al-Sharia deny this and insist that they had preserved the peaceful nature of their assembly, but that some parties sought to exploit the situation and instigate spiralling violence. Eyewitnesses confirm that other people, apart from the Salafis, had taken part in the confrontations against police in both the Tadamun district of Tunis and in Kairouan. They believe that those people were expressing their opposition to the security agencies' attempt to prevent peaceful assemblies and what they felt was a reversion to the repressive practices of the former regime. Because of the security measures that had put into effect in Kairouan, the Ansar Al-Sharia changed the venue of their conference to Tadamun at the last moment. As soon as security forces learned this, they sent reinforcements into that district, demonstrating their determination to prevent the meeting, by force if necessary. The clashes erupted and spiralled, as many had anticipated, leaving Tunisians once again appalled and dismayed by scenes of violence, bloodshed and the burning of security headquarters, and fearful that chaos, destruction and vandalism might spread again throughout the country. Tadamun was the first district of the Tunisian capital to move into action during the protest drive that eventually toppled the Bin Ali government on 14 January 2011. This reputation has led many Tunisians to predict darker days ahead, especially after the Ansar Al-Sharia announced that they had postponed their conference to this or the following Sunday, following negotiations with government officials. Foremost among these officials is Interior Minister Lotfi Bin Jeddou who has vowed to enforce the law with respect to the organisation of conferences and seminars. According to the ministry, anyone wishing to hold a conference must obtain a permit in advance and adhere to a number of conditions, one of which is to be accountable for the actions of the participants in the meeting. Ansar Al-Sharia hold that they have no need to apply for such a permit because they “solicit permission directly from almighty God”. They also believe that the permit requirement is “an unwarranted pretext prompted by political motives with the aim of eliminating Salafis and jihadists”. They insist on their right to exist, organise, and to assemble, and maintain that their meetings are peaceful, and they condemn the harassment to which they have been subjected and which they suspect is driven by the intent to eliminate the Salafis in deference to foreign pressures. While their meetings may be peaceful, the same can not necessarily be said of the Jihadi Salafist organisation itself. In the course of their clampdown on militants on Sunday, police arrested a young bearded man in his early 30s who was in possession of documents, maps and equipment to manufacture bombs and hand grenades. The evidence is said to confirm the link between Ansar Al-Sharia and recent events in Mount Shanabi in the Kasserine governorate. Tensions began to mount in this border region several weeks ago when an antipersonnel mine exploded, injuring several National Guard officers, one of whom lost both legs. As search operations began, three more mines blew up in succession. Additional National Guard and army forces were brought in to conduct a sweep operation in the course of which several caves and grottos were raided. Several weapons caches were discovered but no one was apprehended. A Defence Ministry spokesman said that Al-Qaeda of the Arab Maghreb that had been fighting French forces in Mali had probably taken refuge in Mount Shanabi and neighbouring mountains which are located on the Tunisian-Algerian border. Tunisia is coordinating efforts with Algeria to apprehend members of the Qaeda-affiliated organisation, but these efforts have not yet yielded tangible results. Against this alarming backdrop, Tunisians are of divergent opinions with regard to the Salafis. Some believe that this phenomenon is alien to the country and that groups such as the Ansar Al-Sharia are in the pay of some Arab Gulf states which seek to disseminate the ultraconservative Wahabi doctrine in Tunisia and elsewhere in the Arab world, which would drag these countries back to the dark ages. Others counter that these Salafis are Tunisian citizens who, along with all other citizens, should have the right to peaceful assembly. The problem is that the Salafis themselves do not recognise the state or its constitutions and laws. They hold that they derive their legitimacy “directly from God”. The attitude complicates the question of how to handle them. If they are released and allowed to operate freely, they will occupy houses of worship and threaten and intimidate all who do not believe and act as they decree. The effect on tourism and the economy would be disastrous. However, to clamp down on them could drive the country to civil strife and warfare, which would be more disastrous. Some analysts suggest that the only way out of this dire predicament is to ban all who refuse to recognise the rule of law.
