Salaam
Surprised nobodies posted this yet. Important
Tunisia's Ben Ali flees amid unrest
Parliament speaker becomes interim leader after president of 23 years, facing a mass uprising, lands in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has said that Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia's president for more than 23 years, and his family are in the kindgom, a day after they fled a mass uprising in their country.
The departure came as a dramatic climax to weeks of violent protests against Ben Ali's rule in the north African nation and as the army struggled to tackle groups marauding through Tunis, the capital, setting fire to buildings and attacking people and property.
The unrest continued on Saturday even as Tunisia's Constitutional Court announced that the speaker of parliament, or Chamber of Deputies, Fouad Mebazaa, had been appointed the country's interim president.
Mebazaa has up to 60 days to organise new presidential elections under the Tunisian constitution.
Ben Ali had delegated Mohamed Ghannouchi, the prime minister, to act as head of state before leaving the country.
The Constitutional Council, Tunisia's highest legal authority on constitutional issues, also announced that the departure of Ben Ali was permanent.
Fethi Abdennadher, the council's president, said Ben Ali had left power for good.
Earlier, a statement released by Saudi monarchy said the decision to welcome Ben Ali was based on appreciation of the "exceptional circumstances" in Tunisia.
"Out of concern for the exceptional circumstances facing the brotherly Tunisian people and in support of the security and stability of their country... the Saudi government has welcomed President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family to the kingdom," the statement said.
Al Jazeera's special correspondent in Tunisia said that things were extremely quiet on Saturday morning as people went about their daily business.
"Last night the curfew was in place and the army was telling the people that it was there to protect them," she said.
Our correspondent said the feeling there was that "people had indeed woken up to a new era, after 23 years of Ben Ali's rule".
"There is a lot of apprehension, but at the same time total euphoria about the next step towards the democracy that they fought for so much."
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/af...616298850.html
Thousands of Tunisians have publicly organized congregational prayers days after a historic revolution ousted former president Zine El Abidin Ben Ali from power.
Reports say the religious gatherings and prayers were held peacefully at mosques and open spaces in various parts of the country.
Meanwhile, some Tunisian TV channels have resumed broadcasting Adhan five times a day by cutting their continually-run programs.
Ben Ali had pursued strict anti-Islamic agenda during his rule over the North African country.
"He (Ben Ali) was against broadcasting Adhan, holding Friday prayers in mosques during his rule," the Arabic language Al-Mofakirat Al-Islam website said in a report about religious freedom.
In an attempt to imitate the Western countries, the Ben Ali dynasty also imposed strict laws against the Islamic dress code.
The ousted president was also "bitterly opposed to hijab (Islamic dress code) and imposed a ban on many veiled Muslim women," Al-Mofakirat Al-Islam said.
A vast majority of the country's population is Muslims and committed to Islamic values.
Ben Ali's 23-year of dictatorship, which was marred by repeated human rights violations and torture, ended earlier this month after weeks of street protests.
JR/PKH/AKM
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/160812.html
For those who are interested, contrast the way mainstream western media has reported the protests against their Ally Ben Ali with the way they reported the disputed elections in Iran.