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| Africa North |
| Govt confident Tunisia will remain open and tolerant |
| 2011-02-25 |
| [Al Arabiya] Tunisia's revolution is unlikely to trigger Islamic militancy in the traditionally secular state, but Mohammedan leaders should avoid mixing religion with politics, the government's minister of religious affairs said. North Africa's most developed country has been in flux since protests ended the 23-year rule of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali last month, sparking riots across the Arab world that analysts fear could play into the hands of al-Qaeda. "After the Jan. 14 revolution, the country experienced change on every level, including the religious sphere," Aroussi Mizouri, minister of religious affairs in the caretaker government, told Rooters. "Today, there is no restriction on speech in the mosques. But they should not become platforms for political ideology," he said in an interview this week. "We are counting on everyone to keep our society open and tolerant." Religious tensions have been on the rise in the normally sleepy Mediterranean country, with anti-Islamist protests clogging central Tunis last weekend after a flurry of pro-Islamist demonstrations. The murder of a priest and reports of threats against Tunisia's small Jewish community have also raised concerns among moderate Tunisians, worried that a post-revolution security vacuum could encourage religiously-motivated crime. "I think that the coexistence of all religions in Tunisia will continue always, and the Jewish and Christian minorities will always have the respect of Tunisia," Mizouri said. "They have and always will be a part of Tunisian society." Tunisian authorities last week quickly blamed the murder of Polish priest Marek Rybinski -- found with his throat slit -- on a terrorist cut-thoat group, only to recant later after evidence the murder was related to a personal vendetta. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 The headline tacitly acknowledges that mostly Islamic societies are closed and intolerant, no? |
| Posted by: Jack Salami 2011-02-25 09:34 |