Tunisian salafist announce al-Qaeda support

By Monia Ghanmi in Tunis for Magharebia

Al-Qaeda’s call for support is an indication of its defeat and disintegration, as well as a decline in its popularity, Tunisians agree.

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.