Nobel Peace Prize

Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet wins the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for its decisive role in establishing peace and national security through democracy in Tunisia during the Jasmine Revolution in 2011.

When Tunisian Jasmine Revolution spread across the Middle East and North Africa as the Arab Spring and hundreds died for the noble cause of basic human rights, seldom did we spare our time to ponder more about it. When tens of thousands of people fled from the unrest Syria, Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Tunisia, we never thought a peaceful internal coalition can actually bring in peace and consensus in any of these countries. When the internal uprisings in all the involved countries either descended into chaos and violence or sprang back to Arabic autocracy, Tunisia, with just over a ten million population, successfully saved themselves from a civil war and restored peace through its first running democratic system. 

Thanks to the unity and political strategies of a consortium of four liberal organizations in Tunisia, the country ousted its then President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011 and held general elections for the first time in their history. The Tunisian General Labor Union, The Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, The Tunisian Human Rights League and The Tunisian Order of Lawyers formed National Dialogue Quartet to stay put through a revolution that completely changed the prevailing social and political systems of the country. The autocratic administration, infamous for corruption, political repression, denial of basic human rights including freedom of expression and gender equality dug its own grave when unemployment, poor living conditions and inflation made life unbearable for Tunisians. With rallies, public protests, self emulation and powerful objections, the Quartet led the nation to eventual democracy and national security. Abolishing Shariya Law, constructing transparent civil bodies and revamping Tunisian constitution, the country is now marching towards liberation.

As the Norwegian Nobel Committee stated this is a perfect example that peace and consensus can be nonviolently obtained by unified action of people. And that is possible even to Islamic organizations. Sending obvious message to organizations resorting to violence for their cause, the Committee honored the contributions of Tunisian Quartet with the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize yesterday. Let's hope this will serve as an encouragement for Tunisia to stay democratic and the Middle East and North Africa to rekindle Arab Spring. Let this also be an inspiration for rest of the world to respect equality and basic human rights.