TUNIS: A Salafist imam has declared war on Tunisia’s Islamist ruling party during a television talk show, with the interior minister countering that such talk was responsible for blood being shed. “I am going to make war on these people because the interior minister and the leaders of Ennahda have chosen the United States as their god - it is the Americans who are writing the laws and the new constitution,” Nasreddine Aloui said in a Thursday night appearance by video link on Ettounsiya television.
Aloui has taken over as the new imam of the Ennour mosque in the Tunis suburb of Manouba, although he has not been sanctioned by the state, which holds the right to make appointments.
His predecessor died on Thursday of wounds sustained when he took part in a Salafist attack on two police posts earlier this week. Interior Minister Ali Larayedh and Human Rights Minister Samir Dilou, both members of Ennahda, were on the programme and replied sharply.
“This sort of talk is partly responsible for the bloodshed. You do not realise that your words are like bullets,” Larayedh said. Dilou said: “You are not worthy to be an imam. This talk is an incitement to hatred.” Religious Affairs Minister Nourredine Al Khadmi went further, saying during a press conference yesterday that Aloui had not been appointed by his ministry and was therefore illegitimate.
Meanwhile, Abu Iyed, speaking for the Salafist group Ansar Al Sharia, sought to defuse the controversy in radio remarks, saying Tunisia is not the place for holy war. “Tunisia is a country for preaching and not jihad,” Abu Iyed said on Express-FM radio, while also arguing that the “Salafist movement is the victim of systematic repression.”
Obama renews Sudan sanctions
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama has renewed 15-year-old US sanctions on Sudan, acknowledging that Khartoum has resolved disputes with South Sudan but warning that Darfur and other conflicts remain serious obstacles to normal ties, the State Department said yesterday.
“The ongoing conflict in Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur continue to threaten regional stability, and the human rights and humanitarian crises there - including the lack of humanitarian access - are very serious,” the department said in a statement. Obama signed the executive order on Thursday night.
The order maintains several sets of US sanctions that have been imposed on an annual basis since 1997. The sanctions restrict US trade and investment with Sudan and block the assets of the Sudanese government and certain officials.Agencies
Salafist cleric ‘declares war’ on Tunisia’s Ennahda
TUNIS: A Salafist imam has declared war on Tunisia’s Islamist ruling party during a television talk show, with the interior minister countering that such talk was responsible for blood being shed. “I am going to make war on these people because the interior minister and the leaders of Ennahda have chosen the United States as their god - it is the Americans who are writing the laws and the new constitution,” Nasreddine Aloui said in a Thursday night appearance by video link on Ettounsiya television.
Aloui has taken over as the new imam of the Ennour mosque in the Tunis suburb of Manouba, although he has not been sanctioned by the state, which holds the right to make appointments.
His predecessor died on Thursday of wounds sustained when he took part in a Salafist attack on two police posts earlier this week. Interior Minister Ali Larayedh and Human Rights Minister Samir Dilou, both members of Ennahda, were on the programme and replied sharply.
“This sort of talk is partly responsible for the bloodshed. You do not realise that your words are like bullets,” Larayedh said. Dilou said: “You are not worthy to be an imam. This talk is an incitement to hatred.” Religious Affairs Minister Nourredine Al Khadmi went further, saying during a press conference yesterday that Aloui had not been appointed by his ministry and was therefore illegitimate.
Meanwhile, Abu Iyed, speaking for the Salafist group Ansar Al Sharia, sought to defuse the controversy in radio remarks, saying Tunisia is not the place for holy war. “Tunisia is a country for preaching and not jihad,” Abu Iyed said on Express-FM radio, while also arguing that the “Salafist movement is the victim of systematic repression.”
Obama renews Sudan sanctions
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama has renewed 15-year-old US sanctions on Sudan, acknowledging that Khartoum has resolved disputes with South Sudan but warning that Darfur and other conflicts remain serious obstacles to normal ties, the State Department said yesterday.
“The ongoing conflict in Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur continue to threaten regional stability, and the human rights and humanitarian crises there - including the lack of humanitarian access - are very serious,” the department said in a statement. Obama signed the executive order on Thursday night.
The order maintains several sets of US sanctions that have been imposed on an annual basis since 1997. The sanctions restrict US trade and investment with Sudan and block the assets of the Sudanese government and certain officials.Agencies
