With Huda M. (A Tunisian Citizen) About Racial Discrimination

1. INTERVIEW 1
With Huda M. About Racial Discrimination

2. Q1: WHY DO YOU CONSIDE R YOURSE L F
AS A MINORITY ?
 I consider myself as a tunisian black person. So, I belong to an
ethnic minority.

3. 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.

4. Q 3 : W H AT I S T H E S I T UAT I O N O F B L AC 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).

5. 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
AG A I N S T R AC I S M A N D AG 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.

6. Q5: WHAT SOLUTIONS AGAINST RACISM
IN TUNISIA DO YOU SUGGE ST?
 solution? In my opinion, we need to change attitudes through
education from kindergarten to college.
 We also need tougher laws against discriminatory acts.

7. Q 6 : D O YO 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.