It is too easy after last week’s atrocities in Tunisia (Report, 23 March) to start speculating. Is Tunisia “next”? Is Tunisia “safe”? Tolerant local forms of Islam have been prevalent in Tunisia for centuries. Nevertheless, it is oft cited in the media that many Tunisians have fled to fight in Syria (3,000, apparently). Between the lines, we are expected read this as some indicator of the extent of religious fervour in Tunisia. The reality is that these people have left Tunisia to fight their cause precisely because Salafism is an alien import and does not sit comfortably in Tunisia. Last week’s attack should be understood as akin to those in Sydney and Paris: individuals rallying to the calls of Islamic State, to find targets and attack them. They will pop-up in any given place: from Brighton to Boston, from Marrakech to Moscow, from Toronto to Tunis. A primary driver for young and educated individuals to become radicalised in Tunisia has been an ailing economy and high unemployment. Tunisia needs visitors now, more so than ever before, especially the types of visitors who would visit the Bardo museum. If we respond by withdrawing our support, we inadvertently contribute to the economic malaise and the plight of the disenfranchised: we ultimately stoke the embers of radicalism.
Farès Moussa
Edinburgh
