Introduction

Joshua Daniel

Rick Elgendy

pp. 1-13

in: Joshua Daniel, Rick Elgendy (eds), Renegotiating power, theology, and politics, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2015

Abstract

On December 17, 2010, Faida Hamdy, a municipal inspector in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, attempted to confiscate fruit from a street vender named Mohamed Bouazizi. When Bouazizi attempted to snatch his apples back from her grasp, Hamdy slapped him in the face. Two of Hamdy's colleagues came to her aid and ensured that Bouazizi's property was confiscated. Bouazizi walked to a municipal building, where he was beaten. He also sought redress at the governor's office, unsuccessfully. Near midday, in front of the governor's office, Bouazizi poured paint thinner on himself and set himself on fire. ¹ The protests that resulted from his treatment, not only in Tunisia but also across North Africa and the Middle East, led to the resignations of presidents, to civil wars in Libya and Syria, and to years of tumult that continue at the time of this writing.