Dokument #1225023
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
The Mouvement de tendance islamique (MTI),
which became the al-Nahdha movement (Renewal) in 1989, was founded
in Tunis on 31 May 1981 (L'Afrique et l'Asie modernes Spring
1990, 136). Among its founding leaders were Rachid Ghannouchi and
Abdel Fattah Mourou (ibid.). According to Religion in Politics:
A World Guide, MTI's founders were originally members of the
Tunisian Qu'ranic Preservation Society, which itself was founded in
1970 (1989, 268).
According to the author of an article
published in L'Afrique et l'Asie modernes, the Islamic
endeveour in Tunisia dates back to the late 1960s, and was
originally inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt
(Spring 1990, 136). However, in the early 1980s several MTI members
who favoured the use of political violence broke away from the
movement to set up the pro-Iranian Islamic Jihad (Revolutionary
and Dissident Movements 1991, 342; Islam and Islamic
Groups 1992, 247).
Before the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2
August 1990, the International Organization of Muslim Brotherhood
(IOMB), strongest in Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, Jordan, Yemen,
Kuwait and Tunisia, was then dominated by the Egyptian Muslim
Brothers (Arabies Mar. 1992, 19). This tendency within the
world Islamic movement was less radical and less militant than the
Iranian tendency based in Teheran (ibid.).
However, after the Iraqi invasion of
Kuwait, there was a split within the IOMB; the Egyptian faction
condemned the invasion while the Sudanese faction, led by Sudan's
President Hassan al-Tourabi, supported the Iraqis (ibid.). The
al-Nahdha movement was also divided on the issue; exiled leader
Rachid Ghannouchi supported the Iraqi cause while Abdel Fattah
Mourou and other party leaders in Tunisia sided with Saudi Arabia,
which provided funds to the movement (ibid.; Revolutionary and
Dissident Movements 1991, 342).
This split within the organization also
reveals the existing tensions between the radicals and the
traditionalists on the issues of Islamic practice and Islamic
nationalism (ibid.). According to Radio France International, Abdel
Fattah Mourou and a group of followers dissociated themselves from
the structures of the al-Nahdha movement in order to create a new
political group which would stand for a more moderate vision of
Islam (27 Oct. 1991). On the other hand, a Lawyers Committee for
Human Rights (LCHR) report states that al-Nahdha's exiled leader
Rachid Ghannouchi has become increasingly associated with radical
Islamic leaders from Iran, Sudan and other countries noted for
their poor human rights record (Oct. 1993, 6).
According to Country Reports 1993,
al-Nahdha remains an illegal movement which has been unable to
reorganize since the 1992 conviction of its entire leadership for
involvement in a conspiracy to overthrow the government (1994,
1297). Rachid Ghannouchi, the "nominal" leader of the movement
sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment in 1992 for his alledged
role in the conspiracy, was able to obtain refugee status in the
United Kingdom in 1993 (ibid.). An article published in
Arabies states that since the movement was decapitated in
1992, al-Nahdha has had no Emir (chief) inside Tunisia and has been
deeply divided (Nov. 1992, 25). According to The Jerusalem
Post, the Tunisian prime minister said that although the
al-Nahdha movement would not be allowed to nominate candidates for
the spring 1993 elections, Islamists would be authorized to run as
independents (24 Mar. 1993). The following information was provided
to the DIRB in a 26 May 1994 telephone interview with a professor
of political science specializing on the Mahgreb who teaches at
Laval University in Quebec City.
The Al-Nahdha movement is not affiliated to
the Iranian Islamic revolution; it is autonomous in its orientation
and objectives and propagates its own brand of Islamic
fundamentalism in a country of Sunni Muslims. As an organization
promoting qu'ranic rule, this organization gets some financial and
technical support from Teheran, but also from Saudi Arabia and
Sudan. Following accusations of fostering a conspiracy to overthrow
the Tunisian government in 1991, the movement is being severily
repressed and most of its leaders, including Abdel Fattah Mourou,
are now in jail. As a result, al-Nahdha remains a clandestine
organization and little is known on its current structures and
activities in Tunisia. Although al-Nahdha professes to respect the
rules of democracy, exiled leader Rachid Ghannoussi has once stated
in London that the notion of democracy is not mentioned in the
Qu'ran. The organization also advocates the death penalty for
apostasy and considers Muslim women who marry non-moslems to be
apostates. This response was prepared after researching publicly
accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time
constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be,
conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee
status or asylum.
L'Afrique et l'Asie modernes
[Paris]. Spring 1990. No. 164. Delphine Henry. "Le président
Ben Ali et les islamistes."
Arabies [Paris]. November 1992.
No. 71. Jean Dabaghy and Naji Khlat. "Opposition : le miel et le
vinaigre."
_____. March 1992. No. 63. Antoine
Jalkh. "Des « Frères musulmans » aux groupes
radicaux: un feuilleton à épisodes."
Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices for 1993. 1994. United States Department of State.
Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Islam and Islamic Groups: A Worldwide
Reference Guide. 1992. Edited by Farzana Shaikh. Harlow, Essex:
Longman Group UK Ltd.
The Jerusalem Post. 24 March
1993. Nissim Rejwan. "North Africa Confronts Iran-Sudan Islamists."
(NEXIS)
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights
(LHCR). October 1993. Promise Unfulfilled: Human Rights in
Tunisia since 1987. Washington, DC: LCHR.
Professor of political science
specializing on the Mahgreb, Laval University, Quebec City. 26 May
1994. Telephone interview.
Radio France International [Paris, in
French]. 27 October 1991. "Ennahdha Founder to Form Moderate
Islamist Party." (FBIS-NES-91-213 4 Nov. 1991, p. 47)
Religion in Politics: A World
Guide. 1989. Edited by Stuart Mews. Harlow, Essex: Longman
Group UK Ltd.
Revolutionary and Dissident
Movements: An International Guide. 1991. 3rd ed. Harlow, Essex:
Longman Group UK Limited.
L'Afrique et l'Asie modernes
[Paris]. Spring 1990. No. 164. Delphine Henry. "Le président
Ben Ali et les islamistes," pp. 135-49.
Al-Hayah [London, in Arabic]. 16
November 1993. "Ghannouchi Denies Report of Terrorist Role."
(FBIS-NES-93-221 18 Nov. 1993, pp. 25-26)
_____. 4 February 1993. "North African
Fundamentalists Deny Iran Link." (FBIS-NES-93-024 8 Feb. 1993, pp.
5-6)
_____. 15 December 1991. "Ghannouchi
Emphasizes Nonviolent Intentions." (FBIS-NES-91-243 18 Dec. 1991,
pp. 17-18)
Al-Safir [Beirut, in Arabic]. 13
July 1992. "Al-Nahdah Leader Ghannouchi Interviewed."
(FBIS-NES-92-141 22 July 1992, pp. 12-13)
Al-Sha'b [Cairo, in Arabic]. 4
January 1994. "Al-Nahdah leader Views 'Zionist' Plans."
(FBIS-NES-94-010 14 Jan. 1994, p. 23)
Al-Shirah [Beirut, in Arabic]. 15
February 1993. "Al-Nahdah's Ghannouchi on Domestic, Foreign
Affairs." (FBIS-NES-93-031 18 Feb. 1993, pp. 18-20)
Amnesty International. October 1992.
Tunisia: Heavy Sentences After Unfair Trials. (AI Index: MDE
30/23/92). London: Amnesty International Publications, pp. 2-4.
Arabies [Paris]. November 1992.
No. 71. Naji Khlat. "Ben Ali : un quinquennat au goût de
cendre," pp. 16-22.
_____. November 1992. No. 71. Jean
Dabaghy and Naji Khlat. "Opposition : le miel et le vinaigre," pp.
23-25.
_____. March 1992. No. 63. Antoine
Jalkh. "Des « Frères musulmans » aux groupes
radicaux : un feuilleton à épisodes," pp. 16-19.
_____. March 1992. No. 63. Joseph
Bahout. "Gilles Kepel à « Arabies » : «
Les divers modes de réislamisation ».", p. 27.
_____. March 1992. No. 63. Monique
Chauvel. "L'intégrisme « vert » vu des
Etats-Unis," pp. 24-26.
_____. March 1992. No. 63. Fayçal
Jalloul. "L' « Islamintern » de Khartoum un an
après," pp. 20-23.
_____. March 1992. No. 63. Naji Khlat.
"20 figures de proue," pp. 28-29, 31.
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 20
April 1987. "North Africa: In Brief; Tunisian Opposition Movements
Condemn 'Repression'." (NEXIS)
Chicago Tribune. 28 September
1987. National edition. "7 Sentenced to Hang for Tunisia Plot."
(NEXIS) The Christian Science Monitor [Boston]. 20-26 April
1987. Louise Lief. "Tunisia: Islamic Activists Go Into Hiding," p.
A9.
_____. 6-12 April 1987. Louise Lief.
"Tunis Claims Iran Is Stirring Up Trouble," p. A1.
The Herald [Glasgow]. 15 November
1993. Ken Smith. "Tunisian Terrorist's Asylum to be Raised by MP."
(NEXIS)
Human Rights Watch. 1992. Human
Rights Watch World Report 1993. New York: Human Rights Watch,
pp. 344-46.
Islam and Islamic Groups: A Worldwide
Reference Guide. 1992. Edited by Farzana Shaikh. Harlow, Essex:
Longman Group UK Ltd, pp. 246-50.
The Jerusalem Post. 24 March
1993. Nissim Rejwan. "North Africa Confronts Iran-Sudan Islamists."
(NEXIS)
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.
October 1993. Promise Unfulfilled: Human Rights in Tunisia since
1987. Washington, DC: LCHR, pp. 4-14.
Mahgreb-Machrek [Paris].
April-June 1989. Rémy Leveau. "La Tunisie du
président Ben Ali."
Mena [Cairo, in Arabic]. 15
February 1993. "Minister on Sudanese 'Interference' in Domestic
Affairs." (FBIS-NES-93-031 18 Feb. 1993, p. 18)
_____. 22 May 1991. Foreign Financing of
Al-Nahdha Movement Reported." (FBIS-NES-91-009 22 May 1991, p.
6)
Le Point [Paris]. 29 August-4
September 1992. Philippe Aziz. "Islamisme: la stratégie de
Ben Ali," pp. 38-39.
_____.18-24 February 1991. Philippe
Aziz."Le complot islamiste," pp. 32.
_____. 18-24 February 1991. Sylvain
Attal. "L'effet Saddam," p. 31
_____. 18-24 February 1991. Philippe
Aziz. "Interview : Abdelfattah Mourou," p. 33.
_____. 18-24 February 1991. Philippe
Aziz. "Interview : Abdelfattah Mourou," p. 33.
_____. 3 April 1989. Mireille Duteil.
"La marche des islamistes.", pp. 30-31.
Radio France International [Paris, in
French]. 27 October 1991. "Ennahdha Founder to Form Moderate
Islamist Party." (FBIS-NES-91-213 4 Nov. 1991, p. 47)
_____. 23 May 1991. "Ennadha Leader
Refutes Allegations." (FBIS-NES-91-100 23 May 1991, p. 16)
Religion in Politics: A World
Guide. 1989. Edited by Stuart Mews. Harlow, Essex: Longman
Group UK Ltd, pp. 268-69.
Resalat [Teheran, in Persian]. 20
December 1992. "Al-Nahdah Leader Views Situation, Aims."
(FBIS-NES-92-004 7 Jan. 1993, pp. 18-20)
Reuters. 27 March 1987. AM Cycle.
Charles Dick. "Tunisia-Iran Rift Spotlights Trail of Fundamentalist
Attacks." (NEXIS)
Revolutionary and Dissident
Movements: An International Guide. 1991. 3rd ed. Harlow, Essex:
Longman Group UK Ltd, pp. 340-43.
Tunisian Republic Radio Network [Tunis,
in Arabic]. 22 May 1991. "Interior Minister Reveals Coup Attempt
Details." (FBIS-NES-91-100 23 May 1991, pp. 14-15)
_____. 22 May 1991. "More on News
Conference." (FBIS-NES-91-100 23 May 1991, pp. 15-16)
The United Press International (UPI). 15
October 1987. AM Cycle. "Foreign News Brief." (NEXIS)
_____. 8 October 1987. PM Cycle. "Moslem
Extremists Executed." (NEXIS)
_____. 2 October 1987. AM Cycle. "Prime
Minister Sacked." (NEXIS)
Voice of the Oppressed [Ba'labaak
(Lebanon), in Arabic]. 8 October 1993. "Hizballah Group Visits UK,
Meets Tunisia's Ghannouchi." (FBIS-NES-93-202 21 Oct. 1993, p.
53)
The Washington Post. 26 September
1987. Final edition. Edward Cody. "Dissidents' Trial Tests Tunisia;
Government Asks Death sentences for Foreign Service." (NEXIS)