Tunisian salafist announce al-Qaeda support

 

Tunisian salafist announce al-Qaeda support

By Monia Ghanmi in Tunis for Magharebia - 21/03/13

 

http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/features/2013/03/21/feature-02

 

 

Tunisian salafist jihadists announced their allegiance to al-Qaeda this

week, accepting the group's invitation to wage a holy war.

 

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's call on Sunday (March 17th) to fight the

French, westerners, secularists and other so-called "enemies" was welcomed

by Tunisian salafist jihadists, the movement's leader, Mohamed Anis Chaieb,

told Assabah.

 

"The statement posted by AQIM calls for the preservation of the gains of the

Tunisian revolution and the salafist jihadist movement will heed this call

and defend these gains," the movement's leader, Mohamed Anis Chaieb told

Assabah.

 

He added that the "onslaught of secularism" is what made sheikhs and

al-Qaida urge young people in the Maghreb not to leave their countries

because "these lands had become vulnerable".

 

This was the first time for Tunisia's salafist jihadist groups to officially

announce their allegiance to al-Qaeda, though some of their leaders were

known to be linked to the terrorist organisation.

 

This is the case of Ansar al-Sharia leader Saif Allah bin Hussein (aka Abou

Iyadh), who is currently being investigated by security services.

 

Since the overthrow of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in early

2011, security forces clashed on more than one occasion with gunmen

belonging to militant religious movements.

 

"Tunisians see the phenomena as a threat to the way of life of the

majority," President Moncef Marzouki said in November, warning against those

extremists who try to "impose their law by force in some mosques and

neighbourhoods in the country".

 

This is "a scheme by the salafists to establish an Islamic emirate in

Tunisia, similar to what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan", former Interim

Prime Minister Hamadi Jebai said.

 

For secondary school teacher Neila Makhlouf, al-Qaeda's "call for support is

an indication of its defeat and disintegration, as well as a decline in its

popularity after the Arab revolutions".

 

But the organisation will try to take advantage of the prevailing insecurity

in the region, she added.

 

"They want to fight secularism with violence, murder and sabotage. Yet I

tell them that there is another way to confront and combat secularism, which

is with knowledge and science," she said.

 

"They support al-Qaeda in the fight against France and secularists but do

not support the economy of the country or the poor and orphans. Fighting

France and secularism is not the solution for Tunisian people, because arms

and the subsequent terrorism are a problem and not a solution," Fourat

Yahmadi said.

 

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