boughmiga Posted 2009-05-12

Allow me, my Jewish friend!! The monument of La Ghriba, El Ghriba or Lella Ghriab, as I recall in regards to religious and marabout symbols, is important in to the mystical and historic landscape of the South. It is undeniably Tunisian, both in its history, its adoption, its thousand years of existence and, most importantly, the way it was assimilated, as is measured by the degree of affection the people of Djerba and of neighbour Zarzis pay to it. It has holy Hebrew origin and has become a place of pilgrimage for Tunisian, Egyptian and Libyan Jews in the first place and then those of Europe and the rest of the world. It has always been the centre of an exotic spiritual aura in the local social imagination. Unfortunately, it has been affected by the ethnic and religious conflict in the Middle East and the confusion of Judaism with Zionism. The impact of this has been disastrous on the integrity and independence of this place of worship. Neither the Carthaginians, the Berbers, the Romans, the Muslims (even the Hilals), the Turks, the Afrika Corps, the Ourghemma, the Djebans, nor the Akharans had never imagined the likes of the nuisance throughout the rich history of this country. Accordingly, we can deduce that this sacred place cannot tolerate the baseness of political manipulation and must continue stand at its usual dimensions in its geographic and, more importantly, human realm. Isolating it from its ambient environment would be “downgrading” it, as it has never been the subject of aggression even in times of extremism, which is caused mutually and of which the local society and the country of innocents. Paradoxically, the rule of might makes right, as dissuasive as it may be, and the economic blackmail received from the control of the flow of tourism are...