What Lies Beneath? (Tunis, Tunisia)

[Author's Note: I arrived in Tunis on September 10^th, 2010 and left two months later. The Arab Spring began in Tunisia on December 18^th, 2010, a day after the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi. I missed the festivities by about a month or so. Some would say I dodged a bullet but I cannot help feeling like I missed the boat. How often do you have the chance to watch history unfold from the front row? It is interesting for me to go back and read about my experiences at the time. Yes, I could almost taste repression in the air but if you told me the powder keg was about to ignite I would have been incredulous in the extreme. Yet, there it was boiling just beneath the surface. Keep this in mind when reading my Tunisia posts. It makes for a fascinating subtext.]

Sept 28^th, 2010 - I saw a man walking on the street wearing a t-shirt pronouncing: I'm drunk. She's fat. It's on. Charming. Another chap was sporting a hat that read simply: Fuck In The Box, presented in the logo style of the fast food chain Jack In The Box. I need one. 

I must admit that Tunisia has captured my attention just as much for what it is as for what it is not. The dynamics of Tunisian society are rather complex, starting with its history and due in no small part to the throngs of interlopers that have called modern day Tunisia home at one time or another. The Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Berbers, Byzantines, Turks, Arabs, Spaniards, and French have all left their mark. It can be somewhat dizzying to keep track of all the influences. 

First you have the arrival of the Phoenicians that eventually established ancient Carthage (now a suburb of Tunis). Their defeat in Third Punic War at the hands of the Romans saw the end of the Carthaginian Empire and their dominance over the western Mediterranean. Next came Roman hegemony followed by a short period of control by the Vandals, the rise of the Arabs, a brief interval of Spanish dominance, the rise of the Ottoman Empire, the colonial French era, and finally independence. And don't forget the Berbers that were here for the duration. Simple.

Nowadays, most folks would define themselves as Arab and profess to be followers of Islam (about 98% are Sunni Muslims). In light of this it may be somewhat surprising to discover that there is a rather pungent air of tolerance and understanding, at least in Tunis. How deep does mutual acceptance go? From my stand point thus far it is difficult to draw my own conclusion. I am not sure if professed tolerance masks practical discrimination. I do know that there are small populations of Jews (less than 1%) and Christians (about 1%) still living in the country, mostly in the Tunis area if I am not mistaken. The island of Djerba is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world (they've been there for over 2,500 years) and is an important pilgrimage site. Although there appears to be tolerance for Jews in general I am not quite sure about people's attitude toward Israeli Jews in particular. My intuition leads me to believe a fair amount of resentment exists.