Category: Tunisia

Minbar at-Tawḥīd wa’l-Jihād presents seven new Fatāwā from Shaykh Abū al-Mundhir al-Shanqīṭī

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


Click the following links for safe PDF copies:
Shaykh Abū al-Mundhir al-Shanqīṭī — How Should the Brothers in Tunisia Act With the New Regime?
Shaykh Abū al-Mundhir al-Shanqīṭī — What is the Ruling to Participate in the Election of the Libyan National Congress? (A Set of Questions)
Shaykh Abū al-Mundhir al-Shanqīṭī — What is the Ruling On Taking Part in the Elections Between Mursī and Shafīq or the Abolition of Ones Voice?
Shaykh Abū al-Mundhir al-Shanqīṭī — Anṣār al-Sharī’ah in Tunisia and Issues Related Thereto
Shaykh Abū al-Mundhir al-Shanqīṭī — What is the Ruling on Fighting With the Free (Syrian) Army Until Identifying a Monotheistic Group?
Shaykh Abū al-Mundhir al-Shanqīṭī — What is Your Comments on the Storming and Burning of the Bars in Tunisia?
Shaykh Abū al-Mundhir al-Shanqīṭī — What is the Ruling on Targeting of Peaceful non-Muslim Communities in Syria?
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To inquire about a translation for these fatāwā for a fee email: [email protected]

As-Saḥāb Media presents a new video message from al-Qā’idah's Dr. Ayman al-Ẓawāhirī: "Oh People of Tunisia Support Your Sharī'ah"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

UPDATE 7/17/12 10:01 AM: Click here for an English translation of the below Arabic video message and transcription.
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UPDATE 6/12/12 11:09 AM: Here is an Arabic transcription of the below video message:

Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Dr. Ayman al-Ẓawāhirī — “Oh People of Tunisia Support Your Sharī’ah” (Ar)
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To inquire about a translation for this video message for a fee email: [email protected]

al-Malāḥim Media presents a new audio-visual message from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula's Shaykh Abū Sufyān al-Azdī (Sa'īd al-Shehrī): "Greetings and Support for the Mujāhidīn in Somalia and the Islamic Maghrib"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

UPDATE 7/27/12 11:29 AM: Here is an English translation of the below Arabic audio-visual message and transcription:


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UPDATE 5/24/12 1:37 PM: Here is an Arabic transcription of the below audio-visual message:

Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Shaykh Abū Sufyān al-Azdī (Sa’īd al-Shehrī) — “Greetings and Support for the Mujāhidīn in Somalia and the Islamic Maghrib” (Ar)
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al-Ma’sadat Media Foundation presents a new article from Abū Sa'd al 'Āmilī: "The Mūwaḥidūn (Monotheists) of Tunisia: Between the Challenges of the Present and Future Prospects"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Abū Sa’d al ‘Āmilī — “The Mūwaḥidūn (Monotheists) of Tunisia- Between the Challenges of the Present and Future Prospects”
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To inquire about a translation for this article for a fee email: [email protected]

Check out my new piece for Jamestown Foundation's Militant Leadership Monitor: "Missionary at Home, Jihadist Abroad: A Profile of Tunisia’s Abu Ayyad the Amir of Ansar al-Shari‘ah"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


Unfortunately, this article, which can be found here, is behind a pay wall. If one is interested in reading it, send me an email ([email protected]) and I can probably get you a copy.

Check out my new Sada Journal article co-authored with Erik Churchill: "A Balancing Act: Ennahda's Struggle with Salafis"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


On a day when organizers had called for a peaceful protest to honor the Qur’an, most Tunisians will remember the images of young protesters who climbed a clock tower at Tunis’s main intersection to raise a black and white flag inscribed with the shahada, the Muslim testament of faith: “There is no god but God and Muhammad is His Messenger.” On that day, March 25, a small group of protesters also attacked and harassed a troupe performing in front of the city’s municipal theater. These controversial and heavily covered events raise questions over how the Tunisian government, led by the Islamist party Ennahda, will handle growing conservative movements.
While much of the Tunisian and Western press has focused on the debate between Ennahda and the secular opposition, Tunisia’s ruling party has also faced criticism both from within its own party and from more conservative Salafi groups. Ennahda’s approach to instilling Islamic values in society contrasts sharply with that of Salafi trends: while the party believes that society should gradually, and through democratic institutions, adopt the principles it once lost under colonialism and secular dictatorships, many Salafis assert that democracy infringes on God’s sovereignty by establishing humans as legislators. This intra-Islamist debate may prove to be the true battleground in the ongoing transition.
Click the following links to read the rest in English or Arabic.

Check out my new article at Tunisia Live: "Tarek Maaroufi: Tunisia’s Most Notorious Jihadist, Returns Home"

Posted on 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 was the return of Tarek Maaroufi, a Tunisian who had recently been released from Belgian prison after serving for a number of terror charges, who arrived and also attended the Salafi show of force last Sunday.
According to Sayf Allah bin Hussayn (better know as Abu Ayyad al-Tunisi), who co-founded the Tunisian Combat Group (TCG) with Maaroufi in June 2000 and currently the leader of the salafi-jihadi group Ansar al-Shari‘ah in Tunisia (AST), in an interview this past Friday with the Tunisian Le Temps newspaper, Maaroufi’s stay would only last ten days. Though it is possible that Maaroufi may be visiting family, he lived his entire adult life in Brussels and was stripped of his Belgian citizenship while imprisoned in January 2009. Therefore, it is highly unlikely Maaroufi will be returning to Belgium. This raises two important questions: (1) does Maaroufi still believe in the global jihadi worldview and (2) where does he plan to go after his stay in Tunisia (if he even decides to leave)? Answering these two questions may help determine what his future course is and what it may mean for Tunisia.
Click here to read the rest.