Ni Allah, Ni Maître: Tunisian Filmaker, Nadia El Fani, Faces Islamist Wrath.

  

 This film has been met by  a hate campaign by Tunisian Islamists.

Franco-Tunisian filmmaker, Nadia El Fani is known for her political engagement on issues that are at the same time controversial. Her latest film Ni Allah ni Maître (Neither Allah nor Master) focuses on secularism in Tunisia, a majority Muslim country, at the height of the revolutions taking place in North Africa.

With the release of the film, she has been the object of rather vicious Internet attacks. In opposition to these attacks, an online petition in support of Nadia El Fani outlines its position on the issue of secularism and freedom of conscience.

Below is a transcription of a recent interview with Nadia El Fani by Mohamed Kaci on Le Journal International TV5Monde and the Petition (which follows), both translated from French to English by Beti Ellerson.

More  Here.

The Nouvel Observateur has just published this by Séverine Labat:

Franco-tunisien film-maker  Nadia El Fani, is the victim of the return of obscurantism in Tunisia. 

A few months after the fall of Ben Ali it seems that freedom of belief and the right to publicly defend atheist views is under threat. 

After  “Ouled Lenine” (Lenine’s Children“) which deals with the lives and destinies of Tunisian Communists, Tunisians, such as her father, Nadia El Fani, has returned with “Ni Allah ni maître” – Neither Allah nor Master (which will be shown at the Cannes Festival on the 18th of May).

After a programme about the film on  Hannibal TV,  she has stirred up the hatred of Islamists, whose reaction has begun to create serious fears in Tunisia. 

Web and Facebook*  sites attacking her have flourished.  One (with a claimed 33 000 supporters). The principal one has  a profile picture of Osama Ben Laden. These sites promise Nadia the “fires of hell”, if not simply a “bullet in the head“. 

Her crime? To openly declare she does not believe in god

Other  cinéastes such as  Nouri Bouzid, have also had death threats  from activists of the Islamist party  En-Nahdha (the so-called ‘liberal’ Islamists invited to speak on British Television and address left meetings**).

(Adapted and translated  from  here. )

More information from Rue 89  here.

An important Petition in Nadia’s support is here.

” La cinéaste Nadia El Fani fait l’objet d’une vaste campagne de violences verbales et de menaces physiques sur certaines pages facebook. Nous, citoyen-ne-s tunisien-ne-s attaché-e-s à la liberté de conscience, de croyance et de culte, déclarons par la présente notre soutien inconditionnel à Nadia El Fani.”

“Following her public statements on Hannibal television, filmmaker Nadia El Fani has been the object of an extensive campaign of verbal and physical threats on certain Facebook pages. We, Tunisian citizens committed to the freedom of conscience, belief and worship, declare by this, our full support of Nadia El Fani.”

Full text on site.

* A relatively mild one here.

** Notably in the shape of this man – here.

 

Update: HERE