Sayida Ounissi

Sayida Ounissi (born 3 February 1987) is a Tunisian politician representing the party of Ennahdha. She currently serves as Secretary of State for Vocational Training.

Sayida Ounissi
Member of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People for France Nord
Assumed office
26 October 2014
Personal details
Born (1987-02-03) 3 February 1987
Tunis, Tunisia
Political partyEnnahdha
Alma materSorbonne University

Early life and education

Ounissi was born in Tunis on 3 February 1987. She has one sister and three brothers.[1] Her father was an Islamist imam,[2] and left Tunisia in 1993 to escape President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's regime.[3][4] The family were smuggled to Algeria before joining him in France.[5]

Ounissi attended the Petet Val secondary school in Sucy-en-Brie in Paris. She graduated from the Sorbonne University with a degree in history and political science in 2008 and with a master's degree in economic and social development in 2011.[5] She began doctoral studies in political science in 2011.[3] Her thesis title is "The implementation of social policies and the coercive role of the state."[6]

Career

Ounissi returned to Tunisia in 2011 after the fall of Ben Ali, working as an intern at the African Development Bank.[1][5] She was a researcher at the Research Institute on Contemporary Maghreb from 2012 to 2014. She was also active in a public policy analysis centre called the Jasmine Foundation. She served as Vice President of the European NGO Young Muslims of Europe.[1]

Ounissi was elected to the Assembly of the Representatives of the People on 26 October 2014 as a member of the Ennahdha representing the constituency of France Nord, an overseas constituency for members of the Tunisian diaspora in France.[3] She was the youngest Ennahda candidate and became one of the youngest members of parliament.[3][6][7] She sat on the Committees of Finance, Planning and Development and of Martyrs and Wounded of the Revolution.[8] During the Bardo National Museum attack on 18 March 2015, she was tweeting live updates detailing the panic and evacuation.[9]

On 20 August 2016, Ounissi was appointed to the Executive Board as Secretary of State for Vocational Training in charge of private initiative in the coalition government of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and as international spokesperson.[10][6][1]

Personal life

Ounissi is an Islamist and wears a hijab. She also considers herself a feminist.[4][11] She attended the El-Fath mosque until the Salafists took possession of it.[1] She is fluent in both English and French.[12] She became engaged to marry in August 2016.[1]

Publications
  • Ounissi, Saida (12 February 2013). "Tunisie: le torchon brûle entre Paris et Tunis". Le Huffington Post (in French).
  • Marks, Monica; Ounissi, Sayida (23 March 2016). Ennahda from within: Islamists or "Muslim Democrats"? A conversation (Report). Brookings Institution.
  • Ounissi, Sayida; Ejammali, Nafouel (6 July 2016). "Democracy and Islam Go Together". Berlin Policy Journal. July/August 2016.
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References
  1. Dahmani, Frida (20 September 2016). "Tunisie : qui est Sayida Ounissi, secrétaire d'État à seulement 29 ans et figure du néo-islamisme ?". Jeanue Afrique (in French). Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  2. Sherwood, Harriet (24 October 2016). "Tunisian coalition party fights for women's rights with gender violence bill". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  3. Ben Hamadi, Monica (8 May 2016). "A Modern Young Woman in a Hijab: Sayida Ounissi Is The Face of Tunisia's Changing Political Identity". HuffPost Maghreb. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  4. Petré, Christine (1 October 2014). "Young, female Ennahda politician wants to 'cure' Tunisia through dialogue and respect". Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  5. "Sayida Ounissi, la nouvelle icône d'Ennahdha ?". Leaders (in French). 31 August 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  6. Ben Zineb, Myriam (29 July 2016). "Ennahda brings fresh blood to party's new Executive Bureau". Al-Monitor. Translated by Sahar Ghoussoub. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  7. Labidi, Mehrezia (3 September 2016). "Why women should lead in Tunisia". Politico. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  8. "Quatre nouvelles femmes députées prêtent serment à Assemblée". Kapitalis (in French). 16 September 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  9. Kohli, Sonali (18 March 2015). "More than 20 people are dead in an attack on a Tunisian museum". Quartz. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  10. "Officiel : Composition du gouvernement d'union nationale". Business News (in French). 20 August 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  11. Lajon, Karen (26 October 2014). "Sayida Ounissi, visage de la nouvelle génération d'Ennahda". Le Journal du Dimanche (in French). Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  12. Hamid, Shadi (2016). Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam Is Reshaping the World. St Martin's Press. p. 179.
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