Tunisian parliament discusses classifying Ennahda as terrorist movement

Sarah Rashad

A Tunisian MP Fatima Al-Massadi is seeking to discuss in parliament the inclusion of Ennahda, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Tunisia, on the terrorism list.

The MP said that she discussed the proposal with a number of members of parliament and found wide acceptance among parliamentarians, but she is afraid the decision will be blocked because of Ennahda’s control of state institutions and its significant presence in the parliament.

This comes amid a regional and international trend to include the Muslim Brotherhood on terrorism lists. There are French parliamentary movements calling for President Emmanuel Macron to include the Brotherhood on the terrorism list and dissolve its affiliated organizations in the country as part of a campaign to counter extremism.

In response to this campaign, Tunisian politicians said that Ennahda felt the danger of the possibility of the Brotherhood being included on the terrorism list by France and the impact of such a decision. Therefore, Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi visited Paris to denounce terrorism and confirm the civilian face of his movement.

Ennahda is the primary sponsor of political Islam in Tunisia. However, according to sources, the movement is currently facing internal challenges before the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, but the Tunisian parliament will have a hard time adding Ennahda to the terrorism list.

Earlier this month, the Libyan parliament included the Muslim Brotherhood on its terrorism list, thus tracking the economic and charitable institutions of the Brotherhood.