Matin Research Journal

Matin Research Journal

Investigating how the Tunisian government faced the victory of the Iranian Islamic Revolution

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 PhD student in Sociology of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini and Islamic Revolution Research Institute, Tehran, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Revolutionary Sociology Department, Imam Khomeini Research Center and Islamic Revolution, Tehran,Iran
3 Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
This article examines how the Tunisian government engaged with the victory of the Iranian Islamic Revolution. The main objective of the article is to analyze the actions and strategies of the Tunisian government during the periods of Bourguiba and BenAli in confronting the impacts of the Islamic Revolution on internal Islamist movements and preventing the spread of revolutionary ideas in the country. Accordingly, the primary question is: How did the Tunisian government deal with the Islamic Revolution, and what measures did it take to control Islamist movements and mitigate the effects of the Islamic Revolution?

The research findings, utilizing the diffusion analytical framework and historical method, demonstrate that the Tunisian government, given its secular and authoritarian nature, countered the effects of the Islamic Revolution through repressive, security, and cultural measures. Bourguiba, by suppressing the activities of Islamists, imposing religious restrictions, and promoting secularism, sought to prevent the influence of revolutionary ideas. Ben Ali continued the repressive policies, severely limiting the activities of Islamists and utilizing security tools and anti-terrorism laws to suppress opponents. However, these measures did not entirely prevent the impact of the Islamic Revolution on Tunisia’s movements, and ultimately, with the 2011 revolution, Islamists came to power.
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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 12 March 2025