Tunisia turns eight preachers of the Gulf

TUNIS, June 7, 2013 (AFP)

Tunisia Friday eight repressed Muslim preachers from the Gulf to deliver sermons throughout the country, the Ministry of the Interior said on his Facebook page.

"The Ministry... prohibits the entry of eight people who had come from the Gulf to conduct religious activities," the statement read, without giving
more details.

News websites suggested the eight men were Saudi preachers who intended to travel to several mosques through the Tunisia to deliver sermons.  Since the popular uprising which overthrew the regime of Zine El Abidine Ben
Ali on January 14, 2011, a number of foreign preachers visited the country to proselytize.

The coming to power of the Islamist party Ennahda in October 2011 has allowed the creation of several Islamic associations, which occasionally invite Saudi and
Preachers Egyptian to give conferences and deliver lectures.

But the President Moncef Marzouki has warned against foreign preachers of the
World Arabic spread of extremist ideologies.

"We are not opposed to the Tunisian preachers, but those who come from elsewhere. "We have enough preachers to win the battle against extremism", he said, May 11.

The political opposition in Tunisia has accused these preachers of trying to impose radical ideologies, foreigners on the traditions and the Tunisian culture.