The book begins by taking readers through the origins of Islamic political activism in the
campuses of Tunisian colleges. 1967 would be a pivotal year, as many Tunisians sought answers
for the Six-Day War and the failures of Arab nationalism. Rachid Ghannouchi, who was
enamoured with Nasser would find his self-identity shattered by the Six-Day War and would look
towards theology to reclaim a new identity. During this time he was a student in Syria and joined
the Syrian Islamic Brotherhood. From Damascus he went for advanced studies in Paris. Another
defining event for Ghannouchi is the 1979 Iranian Revolution, from which he began to derive a
philosophy of organizing Islamist groups under constitutional framework. This framework
included:
Majlis al-Shura, small parliament or legislative branch made up of 14 members;
Executive bureaus run by an amir (leader);
Ummal, which are provincial leaders selected by the amir;
Wukala, bureaucrats who run day to day provincial affairs;
University division, that works solely in recruitment and organizing campus activities and
demonstrations;
Secondary Schools division, that plans activities within schools;
Cells, that train would-be members for three years before granting full membership, the
curriculum is indoctrination into the ideals of the Islamic brotherhood.
When analyzing key manifestos of the Tunisian Islamic movements, embedded language
such as a rejection of violence to bring about change, a rejection of the one-party system and
support for trade unions. On its face, Ghannouchi may sound reasonable but careful analysis
shows such clauses such as liberating the Muslim conscience from the civilizational defeat by the
West and a commitment to assist liberation movements around the world. He argues that non-
Muslims in a Muslim polity gain the right to practice their faith but give up their rights for political
leadership. Ghannouchi writes that an independent judiciary and free press is necessary to serve
as a check on the Islamic executive. Make no mistake however; such mixture of liberal
democratic ideas within a Tunisian Islamist framework betrays the fact that Ghannouchi draws his
inspiration from Islamic militant leaders. He dedicates his book Civil Liberties and the
Islamic State to the Sudanese Sheikh Hassan Al-Turabi and the late Palestinian Sheikh
Abdullah Azzam both have mentored Usama Bin Laden.
Take time to read Hamdi's work and understand Rachid Ghannouchi who represents the
moderate face of Islamic militancy. His ideas will no doubt be used as a means of political
discourse between jihadists and the government they wish to topple whether by force or using the
electoral system in place.
2004, Foreign Area Officer Association
Herndon, Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org
