In this article, Eline Gordits discussing how 19 year old Amina Tyler has created widespread controversy in her home country of Tunisia by posting topless pictures on Facebook. The photos were part of a topless campaign by FEMEN and showed Tyler with “Fuck your morals” and ” My body belongs to me, and is not the source of anyone’s honor” written in Arabic across her chest. In reaction, Islamist hacked Tunisia’s FEMEN fanpage and replaced its photos with Quranic verses. Adel Almi, an Islamic preacher, also spoke out against Tyler stating she should be stoned to death or lashed 80-100 times. Threats to Tyler’s well-being have raised concern for her sacftey, and several news outlets reported her either missing or admitted to a mental hospital by her parents. Tyler however, was recently reported as safe. While Tunisia passed many laws which allowed for equality between the sexes, discrimination against women is still very much a reality in the country. Worries about the position of women have only increased in Tunisia after the rise to power of the Islamist En-Nahda party last year. When asked why she posted the pictures, Tyler’s answered she wanted to ” make the voice of Tunisian women heard and protect them from suppression”.
Shannon