The Scholar and the Leader - Hmida Ennaifer

A new book, written by Prof. Dr. Hmida Annaifer, has been published with an introduction by Professor of History, Muhammad Daifallah.

The book sheds light on an aspect of the state's relationship with the Zaitouna institution, as well as Bourguiba’s ties with the Zaitouna elites via Sheikh Muhammad al-Bashir Annaifer. The significance of these selected texts stems from numerous factors, the first of which is that they are drawn from documents that constitute the most essential portion of his memoirs. These selections are particularly significant because they include correspondences between the Sheikh and political officials in contemporary Tunisia, and their revelations in terms of an intellectual background and a conceptual vision, and what they call for in terms of the correspondents' expressions and political positions. On the other hand, the selections concentrated on documents concerning the Sheikh’s relationship with the leader “Habib Bourguiba” (1903-2000 AD), with whom he had ties that were not adequately and accurately addressed.

All of these texts, particularly those pertaining to the period preceding the proclamation of the republic on July 25, 1957, reveal a watershed moment in Tunisia’s contemporary history in terms of two distinct areas of public affairs: the new state and its policies on the one hand, and the status of the olive branch and the fate of religious affairs on the other.

It heralds the end of the period of religious legitimacy as a point of reference for the state and the emergence of a new articulation between the religious and the political, based on the principle of submitting the religion to the state rule.