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Tunisia cracks down on radicalization

The Tunisian government is taking a number of steps to prevent radicalization and to counter religious extremism in the country.
A man from the Salafist faction holds up a banner that reads "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God", on the second anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution at Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis January 14, 2013. Thousands of Tunisians protested against the Islamist-led government on Monday, exactly two years after the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a popular revolt that inspired others across the Arab world. In the same street, about 2,000 supporters of the Islamic-led

TUNIS, Tunisia — The March 18 attack on the Bardo National Museum that resulted in the deaths of 24 people, including the two gunmen, highlighted the issue of internal security threats to Tunisia. Even before the attack, however, the prevalence of Tunisian fighters in the ranks of the Islamic State (IS) had drawn attention to the country’s struggle with radicalization following the 2011 revolution.

While the struggle is not new, the government is now emphasizing its efforts to increase security and counter radicalization. So far, security operations against militant cells and the introduction of a new anti-terrorism bill in parliament have been the centerpieces of this effort. In addition, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has been working to bring back under its control those mosques that harbored extremist imams and networks after the revolution. Part of its effort involves reinstating ministry-sanctioned leaders in these mosques. 

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