Tunisia has been facing an eruption of violence by the radical Salafists, particularly the jihadist Salafists. They engaged in an open, bloody confrontation with the regime, which is controlled by the Islamist Ennahda party. The party had tried to co-opt the Salafist constituency at home as Rachid Ghannouchi, the leader of Ennahda, would declare often i that these are our sons, and we have to have dialogue with them to moderate their views and policies.

Many explanations, not necessarily exclusive of each other, were attributed to this appeasement policy conducted by Ennahda vis-à-vis this radical movement. One was a policy of reassurance by building bridges with them via this paternalistic discourse, to better contain them and moderate their policies and behavior.

Another reason or factor lies in that part of Ennahda’s base is politically, although not necessarily ideologically, close to the discourse of the Salafists — and thus it has to take into consideration the views and convictions of that group or that part of its political base.

Third, at the very beginning of the democratization process in a moderate and socially progressive society, it is important to have dialogue with the other Islamists who feel that the door to reaching power has been widely opened. It is also important to keep them at bay on one hand and to present oneself as the only reassuring alternative as moderate Islamists, and to hold power or to be the key partner in a power coalition.