Tunisia 2022
Published 03/23/2023 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written
by Sabiya Ahamed |
03/23/2023
An oasis in the middle of the Sahara desert. An island with a rich history floating in the Mediterranean Sea. A bustling city with hectic traffic and a sprawling bazaar - flowing garments, bags, shoes, scents. An ancient city founded in the 9th century BCE - ruins wondrously displayed as if it were suddenly possible to walk through a history textbook. The sounds of the call to prayer - melodious, beautiful, a reminder to all to make their way to their Lord. People filling the streets, hailing taxis. Shopkeepers calling your attention to come take a look. Cats roaming the streets - their home.
All of these scenes belong to the same country, and I had the privilege of visiting this beautiful country, Tunisia, in November 2022. Tunisia is a country with an extensive history. And, like many of its neighbors in the Middle East and North Africa, it has lived through the harsh consequences of colonialism and imperialism. Tunisia gained its independence from France in 1956. Like many countries with a colonial past, elements of the former colonial power are still present within everyday society - perhaps most notably in Tunisia, that is the pervasiveness of of the French language. Many Tunisians speak both Arabic and French - at least many of the Tunisians that I met during my trip.
As a Muslim woman traveler to Tunisia, I was especially curious to learn more about the ways in which Muslim women in Tunisia express their faith. Like many countries around the world, Tunisia has a history of regulating what women wear. In 1981, the Bourguiba regime issued an administrative ban on women from wearing hijab (colloquially known as a headscarf) in schools and state offices.1 The Ben Ali regime, which followed, stiffened the hijab ban even further.2
Now, more than 10 years after the start of the Tunisian revolution, the treatment of women and hijab appears very different than what I would imagine the situation would have looked like under previous governments. Of course, I as a tourist, cannot speak for the experiences of Tunisian women and their daily lives. However, I witnessed women in hijab in various sectors of Tunisian society - working, living, practicing their faith.
As a Muslim woman who wears a hijab, I am often aware of my surroundings and of how others may perceive me, whether that’s in my home country of the United States or somewhere completely new to me. In Tunisia, I felt a sense of comfort and safety with my hijab. Many Tunisian women wear the hijab and many do not. People in Tunisia are used to seeing women wear hijab.
An oasis in the middle of the desert, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, an ancient city of ruins, the bustling bazaar -- for the most part, I comfortably wore my hijab in these places. More comfortably than in societies where people generally view the hijab as foreign, or even oppressive. The places where I was more hyper aware of my hijab were some of the more touristy places in Tunisia. For example, I felt more hyper aware of my hijab during my stay at a resort hotel for two nights on the island of Djerba.
Tunisia overall has a rich history when it comes to religious practice. I had the privilege of visiting one of the oldest mosques in the world, the Great Mosque of Kairouan. The mosque was founded in 670 CE3 - that’s less than 40 years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)! The mosque was rebuilt in its current iteration in the 9th century.4 Exploring the mosque grounds was incredible. I made a point to go on a Friday, when Muslims join together to listen to a religious sermon followed by a congregational prayer. Fridays to Muslims are essentially what Sundays are to Christians. The mosque was filled with worshippers. I sat amongst the women with my friend. We prayed in congregation in the same place where so many before me, for more than a thousand years, have prayed. It was such an incredible experience. After the prayer, the congregants recited the 36th chapter of the Holy Qur’an in unison, which wasn’t something I was used to doing after Friday prayers. It was beautiful.
On the island of Djerba, I visited El Ghriba Synagogue, known as the oldest synagogue in Africa. El Ghriba Synagogue is believed to have been founded after the destruction of King Solomon’s temple in 586 BCE.5 It is possible, however, that El Ghriba was actually founded after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.6 Nonetheless, El Ghriba is an important historical and religious site. I had the privilege of entering the synagogue and seeing its beauty firsthand. My friend and I were also shown around the synagogue by a keeper of El Ghriba. He showed us the dormitory area where pilgrims are hosted for an annual event that takes place in the spring. He showed us jasmine flowers growing within the synagogue’s grounds. He plucked some flowers from the tree and gave them to us. It smelled amazing. I marveled at the unique experience we were given.
In the city of Tunis, we visited the Zaytuna mosque which dates back to the 8th century and which has existed in its current state since being rebuilt in the 9th century.7 Today, it stands tall in the middle of the bustling capital city of Tunis. Its call to prayer can be heard far and wide, including from the balconies of my hotel room just a 6-minute walk away.
I was incredibly taken with the religious sites and religious history of Tunisia. It is a reminder to me of the power of religious expression, whether through personal dress or through architecture. Religious expression is how many can tell the world about who they are and about what is important to them. It is through promoting religious expression that we can truly get to know one another on a deeper level. It is through this type of understanding that we can begin to promote a better, more meaningful life for ourselves and for those around us.
The Great Mosque of Kairouan
1 https://www.ictj.org/news/tunisia-women-speak-out-religious-discrimination-TDC
3 https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/great-mosque-of-kairouan
4 https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/great-mosque-of-kairouan
5 https://carthagemagazine.com/el-ghriba-synagogue-djerba-tunisia/
6 https://carthagemagazine.com/el-ghriba-synagogue-djerba-tunisia/
7 https://www.britannica.com/topic/Al-Zaytunah