Draft:Habib Allouz

Habib Allouz
Habib Allouz
	File:Habib Allouz.jpg
Personal Details
Birth Place	Tunisia
Religion	Islam
	v; t; e;

Habib Allouz was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Tunisia. He joined the Islamic group Muslim Brotherhood in 1976. In the 1970s, he worked as a contractor, then devoted himself to preaching and teaching, and was always present in the mosques of Sfax Governorate.

The Call of the Brotherhood

The Muslim Brotherhood movement in Tunisia emerged in the late 1960s after liberation from French occupation under the name (Islamic Group) in Tunisia and began calling and recruiting, holding its first organizational meetings secretly in April 1972. The group's activity was initially limited to the intellectual aspect, establishing circles in mosques and participating in Quran memorization associations. Initially, the group's activities were implicitly welcomed by the Constitutional Socialist Party (a party at the time), which saw the Islamic movement as a support against the left prevailing over the opposition at that time.

In 1974, members of the Islamic Group were permitted to publish the magazine (Al-Ma'rifa), which became the real platform for the movement's ideas. The founding conference of the Islamic Group was held secretly, where its constitution was approved, upon which the organization's structure was built. On 18 July 1981, authorities arrested the movement's officials and leaders to be brought to court on charges: membership in an unauthorized association, undermining the dignity of the president, spreading false news, and distributing hostile leaflets. The movement participated in the legislative elections in April 1989 with about 13 percent of the votes. In 1990, security forces began severe suppression of the movement's members and supporters, and the number of detainees reached 8,000. In August 1992, a military court sentenced 256 leaders and members of the movement to life imprisonment. In the following years, amidst widespread criticism from human rights associations, authorities continued to prosecute individuals affiliated with the movement, and the movement's activity was completely banned in Tunisia.

Expansion of the Ennahda Movement Thought

The thought of the Ennahda Movement spread especially in Tunisia, and in 1985, the movement established its third executive office chaired by Rached Ghannouchi and Abdelfattah Mourou as Secretary-General, with membership of Messrs. Hamadi Jebali, Habib Allouz, and Habib Souissi, and this movement was officially recognized by the government with the formal welcome of Prime Minister Mohamed Mzali.

When the Tunisian Revolution on 14 January 2011, succeeded in removing Ben Ali from power, the country witnessed the consequences before the end of the year, namely the Constituent Assembly elections in which Ennahda obtained 40 percent of the assembly seats.

Activities

Habib Allouz worked as a contractor in the 1970s, then devoted himself to preaching and teaching and was often present among the mosques of Sfax Governorate.
He left the country following the arrest campaign launched by authorities following the announcement of the establishment of the Islamic Tendency Movement, of which he was one of the founding members.
From 1983 to 1984, he supervised the activities of the Ennahda Movement in France. From 1984 to 1987, he supervised the activities of the Ennahda Movement in the city of Sfax.
He was a member of the Ennahda Movement Shura Council.
Member of the Political Office of the Islamic Tendency Movement, then became the official spokesperson of the movement.
In 1988, he was appointed President of the Ennahda Shura Council.

Return to Sfax City

In 1988, he returned to Sfax after years of hiding and was welcomed there by more than 10,000 citizens. On 5 June 1991, he assumed the position of Deputy of the Ennahda Movement and then the Presidency of the Movement, then in September 1991, he was arrested in Bizerte as part of an arrest campaign that affected about 30,000 movement activists.

Conviction

He was once sentenced to 11 years in prison and left Tunisia for Algeria until 1983 CE. Again, in 1992 CE, a military court sentenced him to life imprisonment, and the prosecution sought his execution. He spent more than 16 years in prison, most of it in solitary confinement, which led him to discover a new method in Quranic exegesis based on the structure of the Quran, and he wrote a book on this subject, which was confiscated. He went on a hunger strike in prison which lasted more than 45 days. He was released from prison on 5 November 2006 CE. Then he was elected as a member of the National Constituent Assembly, elected on 23 October 2011 CE, following the success of the Tunisian Revolution, representing the Ennahda Movement in the "Sfax Constituency". He secured third place in the movement's leadership elections after Professor Rashid Ghannouchi and Dr. Sadiq Chourou. He was known for his commitment to teamwork, his enthusiasm for consultation (shura), and standing by the decisions of the institutions to which he belonged _even if they differed from his personal opinion_. Since joining the Islamic movement in Tunisia, he faced many hardships, arrests, and security persecutions, and after the 1981 CE crisis, he was sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison, and for this reason, he went to Algeria. Then in 1984 CE, after his mother's death, he returned to Tunisia. Despite the extensive security surveillance imposed on him, this did not prevent him from participating in street movements, including gatherings in support of the Palestine cause prior to the 14 January 2011 CE Revolution.

Political Views

In his view, the Ennahda Movement must enter politics with its religious capacity after the revolution and defend the Arab-Islamic identity in the state, and he opposed changing the movement's name. He saw the movement as necessary. He knew that the real battle, before being a political battle, is an identity battle. He called for the formation of a Popular Defense Assembly.
The issue of Syria is a contemporary crisis that afflicts Arab nations, and he was not distant from it, rather he shouldered their concerns and considered resistance the solution.
Regarding the attack on Gaza, he also said: "It is not befitting for the people of Israel to attack Gaza and for imams to refrain from praying for our brothers in Gaza on the pretext that this is a political issue".
Domestically, in response to those calling for the formation of a National Salvation Government, he says: "National Salvation Government or national interests, all are propaganda that has no basis and Ennahda and the Troika will not pursue it".
He added: "We will continue in the same government that has had many achievements and in the coming days we will complete this path to implement what it promised in the election campaigns".
In this assembly, he emphasized the necessity of Tunisians' commitment to unity of ranks and not dragging into conflicts that enemies seek by creating discord among the people of Tunisia and Salafis.
Regarding Islam and the civil state, he says: The civil state is a correct Islamic principle that no one has preceded in human civilizations and this meaning was established by the Messenger of God.

His Views on Women

Regarding women, he says thus: I have relied on hadiths and verses from the Holy Quran and emphasize the complete equality of women and men, and I explained that the integration between them lies in social roles, and I provided examples of this such as the manner of interaction between a doctor and a patient, and between a boss in the workplace and a worker.

References

See: Entry Al-Habib al-Lawz in Ikhwan Wiki; ikhwanwiki.com..