Femen activist Amina condemned by Tunisian Islamic fundamentalists

March 27, 2013 ·
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FEMEN

A 19-year-old Tunisian woman has received multiple threats as a result of pictures posted on Facebook in association with the feminist group, Femen.

Amina and international women’s group Femen:

Femen is an organisation founded in 2008 in Ukraine, headed and founded by leader Inna Shevchenko. This international group encourages women to spread the word of gender equality, by taking pictures of themselves posing topless with activist slogans written on their chests.

Though Ukrainian based, Femen is starting to receive recognition throughout the European and Middle Eastern World. Femen’s ideologies have appealed to women in Tunisia namely that of 19-year-old activist, Amina. Amina posted a picture of herself topless with the Arabic words written across her torso saying ‘My body belongs to me and is not the source of anyone’s honour’[1]. She had posted this on Facebook’s Femen-Tunisian fan page over a week ago.

Reform:

Tunisia has often been viewed as progressive with regards to gender issues in comparison with its neighbouring countries. However, recently there have been issues around inequality present in certain fields of Tunisian society, particularly hardship in Tunisia’s legal system. Furthermore, it appears difficult to find a harmonious balance between the extreme and conservative views of Islamic public figures in Tunisia, with those who agree with a more modernised ideological approach to society.

National and International Reaction:

Since this Facebook post, the Tunisian reaction has been explosive. The Femen-Tunisian facebook page has been hacked by various parties who have placed Qur’anic verses on the site, in order to show their traditional, strong Islamic sentiment.

Furthermore, an Islamic preacher known for his extreme conservative views towards gender equality has reacted by condemning Amina to severe punishment. Adel Almi is the head of an organisation called the Moderate Association for Awareness and Reform whose aims are to impose a more primitive version of Islamic law that retains ‘decency’ in Tunisian society[2]. He condemned Amina by stating that her actions were deserving of 80-100 lashes, and death by stoning. He also stated that Amina’s ideologies were harmful to other women and could lead them astray.

On the contrary, there has been an unprecedented level of global support for Amina. Many of her supporters have called out via Facebook and Twitter to support Amina and protect her from Tunisia’s legal system and the attacks of religious fundamentalists. Many feminist activists and other notable public figures including Richard Dawkins have used social media sites to show their support for Amina along with Change.org starting a petition to ensure her safety.

Amina’s Safety:

Recent reports from the web have surfaced regarding Amina’s whereabouts. There were reports from the head of Femen, Inna Shevchenko that she has recently gone missing after being in close contact with her over the past few weeks. There were also other reports suggesting that Amina had been admitted to a psychiatric ward by her parents for her behaviour. However, according to Tunisia Live today, Amina’s lawyer Bouchra Bel Haj Hmida has now refuted these reports saying that she was never missing and is safe. Therefore, perhaps earlier reports were fabricated to ensure her safety from those opposing her[3].

Amina’s Future:

At the start of the week, it was understood that Tunisia’s legal system might see Amina prosecuted with a two-year prison sentence for her ‘offence’. However, according to her lawyer, it is most likely that the penal code can inflict a six-month sentence on Amina for indecent public exposure.

In the meantime, Amina’s biggest threat is that of the extreme Islamic preachers in Tunisia, in particular Adel Almi. If his strong opinions are able to gain popularity and momentum, there will be a more serious problem of severing the ties between Tunisian liberalists and conservatives, silencing the people’s call for reform in Tunisia.

For more information on supporting Amina, please visit the Femen-Tunisian fan page: http://www.facebook.com/femens.tunisie

[1] www.change.org

[2] www.tunisia-live.net

[3] www.tunisia-live.net

Photo credit: Yaroslav Debelyi via Wikimedia Commons

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