Henda Ayari

Henda Ayari (born 4 December 1976 in Rouen, France) is a French writer, feminist and secular activist.

Previously a Salafi Muslim, in 2015 she founded the association Libératrices, which helps defend women and prevent radicalisation.

Biography

Henda Ayari was born on 4 December 1976 in Rouen to a father of Algerian origins and a mother of Tunisian origin, both non-practicing Muslims.[1] Her mother was violent towards her, and her father abandoned the family.[2]

After the divorce of her parents, at the age of 21 she decided to start wearing the veil, as is customary for many Muslim women, after marrying a Salafi man.[3] One of the first things her husband, Bachir, did was to make her buy a jilbab, which covers from the head to toe, and a niqab, the face covering veil. The niqab was, in her words, maximum religiosity, the clothing that most pleases Allah.[1] She adapted to family life and brought up her three children according to the rigorous principles of Salafi Islam. Henda Ayari lived for 9 years veiled from head to toe, under the absolute authority of her husband who grew more and more violent. She eventually refused the Salafi lifestyle, obtained a divorce, and slowly regained her independence.[3] For a while she worked at odd jobs before training to become a clerk at the Ministry of Justice and starting a confectionery business.[4]

Inspired by the November 2015 Paris attacks, she created controversy on social media in December 2015 by posting on Facebook two photos, one of which was her dressed in the veil, the other without veil, in tailored clothing, which symbolised her emancipation.[5] Her photo without the veil was flagged on Facebook for "nudity". She said she had nothing against women who wear the veil, but refused to accept those who impose the veil on others.[6]

In 2016 she published her autobiography (J'ai choisi d'être libre). In October 2017 she accused Islamic studies academic Tariq Ramadan of raping her.[7][8]

References
  1. Carlotta Gall, « I Could not Forget What Happened to Me That Night With Him », New York Times, 3 November 2017.
  2. « Henda Ayari : “J’étais salafiste, je suis une femme libre” », Le Temps, 8 November 2016
  3. "Sortie du salafisme, une femme témoigne". /madame.lefigaro.fr/ (in French). 2 November 2016.
  4. « Henda Ayari, libérée du salafisme, tout voile dehors », Ouest France, 3 November 2017.
  5. « Une tunisienne se débarrasse de son Hijab après 18 ans et suscite la polémique », Réalités, 29 décembre 2015.
  6. "Henda Ayari, ancienne salafiste, enlève son voile et fait le buzz". geopolis.francetvinfo.fr du 1 janvier 2016. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  7. "Prominent Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan accused of rape, sexual assault in France". France 24. 21 October 2017.
  8. Cécile Deffontaines (20 October 2017). "Henda Ayari, ex-salafiste franco-tunisienne, porte plainte contre Tariq Ramadan pour viol" (in French). L'Obs. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
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