Two years ago a young Tunisian man set himself on fire due to feelings of hopelessness living in a society which was ruled by a dictator who simply was not creating an economy that produced jobs, particularly for younger people. The Tunisian spring soon turned into an Arab Spring leading to changes in government throughout the region. However, the initial impetus to create modern democratic societies soon was taken over by Islamic fundamentalists who simply wanted to substitute one form of dictatorship for their own. Tunisia had many secularists who were disgusted at this turn of events.
The Tunisian government finally recognized that giving power to Islamists would ruin the economy and end the important tourist trade. It declared a conference being held by the ultraconservative Muslim group,Ansar al-Sharia to disband. This resulted in Islamic mobs protesting against the moderate Ennhada Party. If Islamics come to power in the Middle East there will be a cold spring next year.
