Political Islam in Tunisia : the history of Ennahda

"Political Islam in Tunisia uncovers the secret history of Tunisia's main Islamist movement, Ennahda, from its origins in the 1960s to the present. Banned until the popular uprisings of 2010-11 and the overthrow of Ben Ali's dictatorship, Ennahda has until now been impossible to investigate. This is the first in-depth account of the movement, one of Tunisia's most influential political actors. Based on more than four years of field research, over 400 interviews, and access to private archives, Anne Wolf masterfully unveils the evolution of Ennahda's ideological and strategic orientations within changing political contexts and, at times, conflicting ambitions amongst its leading cadres. She also explores the challenges to Ennahda's quest for power from both secularists and Salafis. As the first full history of Ennahda, this book is a major contribution to the literature on Tunisia, Islamist movements, and political Islam in the Arab world. It will be indispensable reading for anyone seeking to understand the forces driving a key player in the country most hopeful of pursuing a democratic trajectory in the wake of the Arab Spring."--The dust jacket. Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half-title 5 Title 7 Copyright 8 Contents 9 Glossary 13 Acknowledgements 15 A note on transliteration 17 ‘Who’s Who?’ in Ennahda 19 Introduction 31 1. Beyond the Secular Myth 41 Early reforms 42 Resisting innovation? 45 Thriving pan-Islamism 47 Temporary unity 50 A leadership struggle 52 2. Tunisia’s Muslim Brotherhood? 57 The fall of the religious elite 58 Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya 61 Towards a countrywide movement 66 Campus wars 72 The Progressive Islamists leave the movement 75 The Iranian factor 78 3. Plotting Against the Regime 83 The failure of reconciliation 84 Islamism thrives despite repression 87 A short amnesty 91 Escalating violence 93 Ben Ali: The beginning of a new era? 96 Fooled again 100 The ‘plot’ 103 Mourou’s turnaround 106 4. The Struggle for Survival 109 The experience of prison 110 The plight of Ennahda women 113 The exile movement 116 Information warfare 119 Embracing non-violence 123 Rachid Ghannouchi: a ‘democratic Islamist’? 125 Allying with secular forces 128 The 18 October Movement 131 Towards reconciliation with Ben Ali? 133 5. An Islamic Revival 137 A religious tide 138 Carrots for Muslims, sticks for ‘Islamists’ 141 War against the hijab 143 Ennahda’s underground movement 144 Reorganising the student wing 149 The rise of Salafism 152 Fighting the regime 155 6. Reshaping Tunisian identity 159 Ennahda’s comeback 160 Dominating politics 164 The struggle over Islam 168 Freedom of expression or blasphemy trials? 172 Salafis unchained 173 Contesting campuses 177 The temptations of jihadism 179 The fall of the Troika 182 Towards post-Islamism? 186 Conclusion 193 Appendix 1: Ennahda Electoral Programme 2011 199 Appendix 2: Statute of the Ennahda Movement, July 2012 205 Appendix 3: Final Declaration of the Eighth Congress of Ennahda, May 2007 219 Appendix 4: Final Declaration of the Seventh Congress of Ennahda, 3 April 2001 229 Appendix 5: Account of an Ennahda Campaign Event in the Electoral District of Tunis 239 Appendix 6: Selected Interviews 241 Notes 251 Select Bibliography 281 Index 287 Annotation Political Islam in Tunisia uncovers the secret history of Tunisia's main Islamist movement, Ennahda, from its origins in the 1960s to the present. Banned until the popular uprisings of 2010-11 and the overthrow of Ben Ali's dictatorship, Ennahda has until now been impossible to investigate. This is the first in-depth account of the movement, one of Tunisia's most influential political actors. Based on more than four years of field research, over 400 interviews, and access to private archives, Anne Wolf masterfully unveils the evolution of Ennahda's ideological and strategic orientations within changing political contexts and, at times, conflicting ambitions amongst its leading cadres. She also explores the challenges to Ennahda's quest for power from both secularists and Salafis. As the first full history of Ennahda, this book is a major contribution to the literature on Tunisia, Islamist movements, and political Islam in the Arab world. It will be indispensable reading for anyone seeking to understand the forces driving a key player in the country most hopeful of pursuing a democratic trajectory in the wake of the Arab Spring Political Islam in Tunisia uncovers the secret history of Tunisia's main Islamist movement, Ennahda, from its origins in the 1960s to the present. Banned until the popular uprisings of 2010-11 and the overthrow of Ben Ali's dictatorship, Ennahda has until now been impossible to investigate. This is the first in-depth account of the movement, one of Tunisia's most influential political actors. Drawing on more than four years of field research, over 400 interviews, and access to private archives, Anne Wolf masterfully unveils the evolution of Ennahda's ideological and strategic orientations within changing political contexts and, at times, conflicting ambitions amongst its leading cadres. She also explores the challenges to Ennahda's quest for power from both secularists and Salafis. As the first full history of Ennahda, this book is a major contribution to the literature on Tunisia, Islamist movements, and political Islam in the Arab world. It will be indispensable reading for anyone seeking to understand the forces driving a key player in the country most hopeful of pursuing a democratic trajectory in the wake of the Arab Spring. __Political Islam in Tunisia__ uncovers the secret history of Tunisia’s main Islamist movement, Ennahda, from its origins in the 1960s to the present. Banned until the popular uprisings of 2010-11 and the overthrow of Ben Ali’s dictatorship, Ennahda has until now been impossible to investigate. This is the first in-depth account of the movement: one of Tunisia’s most influential political actors.Based on more than four years of field research, over 400 interviews, and access to private archives, Anne Wolf masterfully unveils the evolution of Ennahda’s ideological and strategic orientations within changing political contexts and, at times, conflicting ambitions amongst its leading cadres. She also explores the challenges to Ennahda’s quest for power from both secularists and Salafis. As the first full history of Ennahda, this book is a major contribution to the literature on Tunisia, Islamist movements, and political Islam in the Arab world. Introduction -- Beyond The Secular Myth -- Tunisia's Muslim Brotherhood? -- Plotting Against The Regime -- The Struggle For Survival -- An Islamic Revival -- Reshaping Tunisian Identity -- Conclusion. Anne Wolf. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Mode Of Access: World Wide Web.