Tunisian imams to appeal government move to close mosques

Muslim clerics in the Tunisian city of Sfax on Saturday said they planned to appeal a recent government decision to close 80 of the nation’s mosques in the wake of last month’s deadly attack on foreign tourists.

At a conference at the Al-Lakhmi Mosque attended by dozens of imams and clerics – along with some 2,000 other attendees – Imam Reda Al-Jawada said the city’s imams planned to appeal the decision in court.

Al-Jawada described the measure as “unjust” while also denouncing last month’s deadly attack, which, he asserted, “bore no relation to Islam.”

On June 26, a gunman opened fire on a crowed beach in Sousse, killing at least 38 foreign tourists – mostly British nationals – before being shot dead by police.

In the wake of the attack, Tunisia’s Council of Ministers adopted a raft of security measures, including the closure of 80 “illegal” mosques.

On Saturday, President Beji Caid Essebsi declared a 30-day countrywide state of emergency.