Post on 20-Jul-2015
INTERVIEW 1
With Huda M. About Racial Discrimination
Q 1 : W H Y D O YO U C O N S I D E R YO U R S E L F
A S A M I N O R I T Y ?
I consider myself as a tunisian black person. So, I belong to an
ethnic minority.
Q 2 : H AV E Y O U E V E R F A C E D R A C I S T A C T S I N T U N I S I A ?
H O W D I D Y O U R E A C T ?
I was both verbally and physically attacked. It has eased a little bit
with time and after the revolution, I was a victim of Islamophobia
because of my Hijab.
My reaction was anger in both cases: racism and Islamophobia. I
exiled myself in Libya because my life became hell as a journalist in an
environment that I consider quite Islamophobic because it rejects
veiled women in the media.
Q 3 : W H A T I S T H E S I T UA T I O N O F B L A C K
P E O P L E I N T E R M S O F H U M A N R I G H T S I N
T U N I S I A ?
Tunisian blacks remain an invisible minority which
theoretically enjoys its rights but in practice they are second-class
citizens if I compare them to their Libyan confreres, which are
more visible in Libyan society (politics, culture, TV etc).
Q 4 : D O E S T H E T U N I S I A N L AW D E F E N D YO U
A G A I N S T R A C I S M A N D A G G R E S S I O N ?
From a legal point, nothing in the old and new constitution
discriminates black people but the practice leaves much to be desired.
Q 5 : W H AT S O L U T I O N S AG A I N S T R AC I S M
I N T U N I S I A D O YO U S U G G E S T ?
solution? In my opinion, we need to change attitudes through
education from kindergarten to college.
We also need tougher laws against discriminatory acts.
Q 6 : D O Y O U T H I N K T H E T U N I S I A N E D U C A T I O N
I N C I T E S D I S C R I M I N A T I O N ?
Tunisian education does not give importance to the fight against
discrimination. Tunisians often speak about discrimination abroad
and turn a blind eye to discriminatory practices in Tunisia (denial
of the existence of such a problem).
No, I don’t think the Tunisian education incites discrimination but
there are cases of racist educators.