Riot police in Tunis used tear-gas on Oct. 9 to disperse hundreds of young Islamists who fought back with stones, knives and sticks. At least 40 were arrested. The Islamists were protesting against Tunisia's long-standing ban on university enrollment by women who wear the niqab, or full-face veil, as well as a TV station's plan to broadcast animated film Persepolis [2], which they say denigrates their faith. Tunisians will vote in an Oct. 23 election for an assembly to draft a new constitution. The Islamist Ennahda party is expected to win the biggest share of the vote, alarming secularists. (AP [3], Reuters [4], Oct. 9)
See our last posts on Tunisia [5], the Maghreb [6] and the Arab revolutions [7].
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