Home Institution
George Washington University
Publication Date
Spring 2015
Abstract
Ennahda’s many compromises during Tunisia’s transition have prompted assessments that the party has alienated its base, especially by not taking more traditionally Islamist stances on issues like sharī‘a. This paper draws on interviews with young Tunisian Islamists and assesses how they have responded to Ennahda’s compromises. Although some young Islamists are disappointed that Ennahda did not pursue more hard-line Islamist stances, many actually share the leadership’s progressive position on certain religious issues. Interestingly, young Islamists were far more angered by Ennahda’s compromises on ‘revolutionary’ issues than they were by its compromises on ‘religious’ ones. This paper ultimately argues that Islam’s role in Tunisian Islamism (although significant) should not be overstated, and that Ennahda and its constituents’ other non-religious priorities, like identity and basic self-preservation (manifested as revolutionary zeal), are often of equal or greater importance.
Disciplines
African History | African Studies | Community-Based Research | History | Islamic World and Near East History | Political History | Politics and Social Change | Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
Recommended Citation
French, Sawyer, "Tunisia’s Young Islamists: Religious or Revolutionary Zealots?" (2015). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2064.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2064
Included in
African History Commons, African Studies Commons, Community-Based Research Commons, Islamic World and Near East History Commons, Political History Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons