1931 World Islamic Congress of Jerusalem The nomination of
Abdelaziz Thâalbi as a representative of Tunisia to the 1931
World Islamic Congress drew the attention of Tunisians to the conclusions of the meeting, including "the desperate struggle against the naturalization of Muslims in Islamic countries administered by France". The strong popularity of the Destourian leader in exile brought the naturalization issue to the fore once again, especially as the time was favorable to religious renewal, as may be seen from the motion of the Tunisian section of the Grand Council, in favor of Koranic schools and Ez-Zitouna University.
Burials Bizerte burial On December 31, 1932, upon the announcement of the death of a naturalized French muslim, Mohamed Chaabane, in
Bizerte, individuals gathered in the Muslim cemetery with the firm intention of opposing his burial there. Rumors spread which led the city's
Mufti, Idriss Cherif, to issue a
Fatwa, justifying this refusal. In order to avoid bloodshed, his widow, a Catholic Frenchwoman, agreed to bury him in the European cemetery. On that same day, a
spahi of Bizerte, also a naturalized French citizen, had to call the local authorities to intervene in order to bury one of his young sons in the Muslim cemetery. All these acts were celebrated as a great victory by the nationalist media. ''
L'Action Tunisienne'' started a newspaper campaign that caused violent protests in
Hammam Lif,
Ferryville and
Kairouan.
Fatwa of Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur . In order to remove any ambiguity about burial rights, Resident-General
François Manceron asked for Cheikh el Islam
Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur's advice, in April 1933. The fatwa issued by in response the "Sharaa" court was very ambiguous; it maintained that a Muslim who adopts the nationality of a non-Muslim country is an apostate, but added that if he repents, even verbally, before his death, his burial in Muslim cemeteries is acceptable. Learning of this maneuver, the Destourians denounced collusion between the French and the religious authorities. Manceron, therefore, informed the
French minister of foreign affairs,
Joseph Paul-Boncour, of his failure:
Upsurge of protests When rumors regarding the drafting of a fatwa favorable to the Residence spread, the representative of
Constantine in the French chamber of deputies, Émile Morinaud, demanded that the Minister of Foreign Affairs accelerate the naturalization policy, on April 6. On April 15 and April 16, 1933, unrest started in the Tunis neighbourhood of Halfaouine on the announcement of the death of Moussa Ben Saïd, a naturalized Frenchman. Law enforcement could not handle the turmoil and were replaced by
Senegalese Tirailleurs who dealt with the insurrection. Calm was only restored when the protesters learned that Ben Said was alive. On April 21, the Grand Vizier
Hedi Lakhoua published a proclamation by which,
Ahmad II bey, declaring himself as a defender of Muslim religion, asked his subjects for peace, defended Sharaa and warned troublemakers against the harmful aftermaths of their acts. His intervention had no effect, and to avoid riots, naturalized were buried in European cemeteries like in
Kairouan,
La Manouba,
El Kef and
Souk El Arba. On May 1, the inhabitants of Tunis inhabitants started protests once again in order to stop the burial of Mrs Kebaïli, whose husband was the chairman of the Muslim League of France. The Resident-General yielded, days later, ordering the burial of French Muslims in specially designated cemeteries. On August 7, bloodshed occurred in
Monastir. Despite the Resident's decree forbidding the burial of naturalized French in Muslim cemeteries,
Sousse's civil controller, André Graignic, forced the burial of a naturalized official's child, Abdesselem Essayadi. People decided to protest against this decision and soon violence was used: The crowd started throwing stones at the funeral oration while soldiers shot the protesters, leading to numerous injured and one dead, Chaabane El Bhouti nicknamed Kherfoucha. Following the events, Graignic and the caïd of Monastir were dismissed from their posts.
Distribution of an anonymous fatwa on May 4 '', on May 4, 1933. To express his disagreement with al-Tahir ibn Ashur, Mohamed Bechir Naifer (1889-1974),
imam in
Ez-Zitouna Mosque, wrote a fatwa specifying that a Muslim seeking naturalization was considered to have renounced his faith. The fatwa also made clear the conditions of repentance so that a naturalized had the right to be buried in a Muslim cemetery. This fatwa was countersigned by his brother Ibrahim Naifer. In order to avoid reprisals against the writers of the text, it was copied and signed by Muhammed Salah Naifer (1902-1993) who transmitted it to ''
L'Action Tunisienne'' journal. The fatwa was published anonymously on May 4: The absence of signatures was justified by the editors of the paper: "In order not to put these teachers in an awkward position towards the administration and avoid the retaliation of "Sidi Tahar," we will not publish their names that we keep for ourselves". However, Muhammed Salah Naifer was suspended from his duties, in the midst of May. == Aftermath ==