Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

From an old article I have selected some points that are still relevant today after 10 years of the beginning of the Tunisian ‘revolution’. In fact, the situation today is worse than in 2014. None of the social aspirations that sparked its December 2010 uprising have been fulfilled. Was bringing the Islamists into the political fold a gamble that paid off? Yes for those who maintained that their coming to power would not be irreversible. Yes also for their enemies, who predicted that once they were in power, they would reveal their obsession with identity and religion, and the limitations of their economic and social policy. “With [the Islamists] we are pre-Adam Smith and David Ricardo,” Hamma Hammami, spokesman for the leftwing Popular Front, told me. ‘The Muslim Brothers’ political economy is a rent-based economy; it’s about parallel trade. It isn’t about production, or wealth creation; it isn’t about agriculture, industry or infrastructure; and it isn’t about reorganising education

I think the part about ‘scarcity of water’ is misleading. How our precarious climate shaped the Arab spring Related Water in the Middle East

The author here does not consider the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt or Ennahda in Tunisia, for instance, part of the counter-revolution–socially and economically. He does not mention how and why they got support from the major imperialist powers, either. It is also a liberal journalistic piece that does not mention the class character of the Islamist parties even once. The end of political Islam as we know it

 In Tataouine

 Critical Political Economy of the Middle East and North Africa

  Why the ‘Arab Spring’ failed

  Decolonising Maghreb history

Why Tunisia, Africa Must Demand French Apology [and Compensation]

  Man can drop part of name denoting slave ancestry

Note that Morocco and Tunisia are not in the “Middle East.” How are Middle Eastern countries coping with climate change?

  لا لتوظيف التسامح الديني كمطية  للتطبيع مع الكيان الصهيوني Using “religious tolerance” as a springboard to normalisation with the Israeli state

Queer Festival postponed due to coronavirus I think the writer is not aware of the following fact:  The anti-homosexuality law is not a religious-based law. "As noted by Tunisian Law Professor Sana Ben Achour,  the criminalization of homosexuality  in Tunisia began with the passage of 1913 Penal Code, imposed by colonial authorities during the French protectorate. Previous iterations of the Tunisian penal code, such as the Qanun Al Jinayat Wal Ahkam Al Urfya (قانون الجنايات والأحكام العرفية), issued in 1860’s  under the Husainid dynasty , included no provisions criminalizing homosexuality..." [like in today's South Korea's constitution, for example] In the 1860s by the way Tunisians were Muslims! A similar law was passed by the French in Lebanon. Similar policies were either passed or encouraged by Victorians in the colonies. Even Muslim writers adopted the Victorian language of "perversion" in their literature. The British criminalised homosexu

A good summary "Arab Workers and the Struggle for Democracy" Related The article above lacks a radical appraisal

Rise in domestic violence Related UK domestic abuse Drop in crimes—a report

Extractivism and resistance in North Africa A paper available in Arabic, French and English

لَذَّةُ القَلَق The Pleasure of Distress

The Fallagah's fight against the French A documentary

2019 presidential elections A funny photo of the liberal candidad Mohamed Abbou with the slogan, "A Strong and Just State". Two unachievable objectives. There are two women running for the presidency.

Tunisia Gay politician is running for president The article has ignored a crucial background that proves that the anti-homosexuality law is not religious -based law. "As noted by Tunisian Law Professor Sana Ben Achour, the criminalization of homosexuality in Tunisia began with the passage of 1913 Penal Code, imposed by colonial authorities during the French protectorate.  Previous iterations of the Tunisian penal code, such as the Qanun Al Jinayat Wal Ahkam Al Urfya (قانون الجنايات والأحكام العرفية), issued in 1860’s  under the Husainid dynasty , included no provisions criminalizing homosexuality..." [like in today's South Korea's constitution, for example] In the 1860s by the way Tunisians were Muslims! A similar law was passed by the French in Lebanon. Similar policies were either passed or encouraged by Victorians in the colonies. Even Muslim writers adopted the Victorian language of "perversion" in their literature. The British criminalised

Just compare how the media has been reporting about suicide bombings in Tunisia where one person was killed and  the 80 migrants killed "by the evil Mediterranean sea"