conservatives after airing a film based on the novel “Persepolis” by Iranian-French author Marjane Satrapi.
The film, which portrays the fall of the Shah’s regime through the eyes of Satrapi when she was a little girl, contains a drawing of God as an elderly, bearded man speaking to Satrapi. The portrayal offended many Muslims who believe that, according to the tenets of Islam, God should not be depicted at all.
In Iran, some news coverage asserted the protesters objected to the film’s criticism of the Iranian revolutionary government. But that was not an element in the protests, which were purely religious.
About a 100 men armed with Molotov cocktails, knives and swords firebombed the home of Nessma TV’s owner, Nebil Karoui, last Friday. Karoui was not home and his family was able to escape unharmed.
Two weeks of protests followed the airing of the film October 7. The rallies climaxed when thousands of protestors, mostly Salafists, marched to the center of the capital and chanted slogans against “miscreants, atheism and freemasons.”
“The soldiers of Muham-mad will return!” shouted some of them, including burqa-clad women.
“Separate!” yelled some of the organizers, disturbed at the male and female protestors mingling during the march. “Mixing of men and women is prohibited,” shouted one of the Salafist protestors as he attempted to divide the protestors.
Tunisia’s largest Islamist party, Ennahda, which is expected to place first in the country’s October 24 parliamentary elections, condemned the attack on Karoui’s house, but also accused him of “blasphemy” and “provocation.” Political analysts said the party was concerned that the protests might drive moderate voters to other parties. Ennahda portrays itself as a moderate Islamist party and is not liked by the radical Salafists who staged the protests.
The government also condemned, in the same breath, both the violent protests and the airing of the film. “The government condemns violence and abuses of sacred tenets,” read a statement from the prime minister’s office.
The government also announced an investigation into Nessma TV. A judicial official who chose to remain anonymous said the investigation was launched after lawyers and members of the public complained about the film.
Karoui has already admitted to a faux pas in showing the film and has apologized for the mistake.
“On behalf of Nessma, I apologize to the Tunisian people,” he said on a local radio broadcast. “It was a mistake to broadcast the part where God is depicted…. We are Muslims, like the majority of Tunisians.”
But Karoui was not without his supporters. Human Rights Watch issued a statement calling on the Tunisian government drop the probe into Nessma TV, asking it to honor the station’s right to free speech.
Furthermore, thousands of Tunisians angered by the protests poured into the streets of Tunis Sunday in support of Nessma TV and to denounce the Salafists.
Marchers chanted slogans in support of freedom of expression, and condemned what they perceived as a climate of intolerance rising in the country. This march appeared to draw more people than the Salafist protests.
Social media had a role in both the pro- and anti- protests. As soon as Nessma’s plan to air the documentary became public, Tunisians on Facebook denounced the station and, according to Human Rights Watch, called for a march on the channel’s station.
On the other hand, the protestors supporting Nessma were also answering calls made on Facebook to support freedom of expression.
The film “Persepolis” is based on the graphic novel by Satrapi published in 2003. The author, who was nine years old at the time of the revolution, tells the story through her own childhood view of the world.
The book was made into an animated film by Satrapi and colleagues in 2007. It won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival that same year.