Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tunis (Agenzia Fides) - "Tunisians are deeply saddened because they are the first to experience the violence of the terrorists", says to Agenzia Fides Fr. Jawad Alamat, Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) of Tunisia, after the attack against the Bardo Museum, which killed 23 people, mostly foreign tourists. "Tunisians will suffer the consequences of this crime at a social and economic level" said Fr. Jawad.
"The two young men who committed the attack against the Bardo Museum were Tunisians, but they do not represent the true feeling of the Country. Tunisians would like to give a different image of their land, and in fact many efforts have been made to convince the world that Tunisia wants democracy and freedom. But this attack threatens to ruin all the work done. And this is what hurts Tunisian people", says the National Director of the PMS.
"Tunisian people, do not recognize themselves in terrorism, they are lovers of peace and life, they are cultured and open, and have a very old tradition of hospitality", said Fr. Juwad, and adds: "we certainly cannot hide the existence of more or less consistent extremists groups who use violence to impose their ideology".
"To solve the problem - continues Fr. Juwad – one must first recognize that there are also violent people in the Country due to a very difficult economic situation. Unemployment and the cost of living increase. In this context it is easy for those who have much money to corrupt the minds of desperate young people and recruit them to commit violent acts".
"We have to ask ourselves where this money goes; this money is surely not given by the unemployed; whoever funds terrorists has its own policy. So we have to understand not only who the terrorists are but especially those who finance them, those who support them and who inspires them ideologically", said Fr. Jawad. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 20/03/2015)
