No women no fly: Twitter tackles Tunisia-Emirates spat

Social media users blast UAE after it denied entry to Tunisian women and praise response by North African country.

TWITTER emirates etc
Social media users mocked the UAE for denying entry to Tunisian women [Screenshot from Twitter]

Social media users have blasted the UAE as sexist and racist after the Gulf state banned Tunisian women from entry. 

Emirates airline stopped accepting Tunisian women on Dubai-bound flights on December 22.

Tunisia responded to the airline’s move on Sunday, suspending all Emirates flights to and from the North African country.

The transport ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page the suspension would remain until Emirates “can find a suitable solution to operate its flights in accordance with international laws and treaties”.

The ministry previously described the move as illegal.

The UAE has cited security as the reason for the travel restriction, and Emirates said it will stop flying to Tunisia as instructed from Monday.

But critics have said the move was discriminatory and lashed out at the UAE.

A discussion is taking place under two hashtags on social media: #Nowomennofly and #تونس_تؤدب_الامارات, which means #TunisiadisciplinestheUAE.

Firas Bouzguenda wrote on Twitter: “Emirates: No women. Tunisia: No fly” 

https://twitter.com/FirasBZDA/status/945059985515536387?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

@khulafiii said it was “amazing” that Tunisia had responded strongly.

https://twitter.com/khulaifiii/status/945203816110182400?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

@ryma12 took the opportunity to give a brief history lesson, noting achievements in Tunisia to mock the UAE. She said women were given the vote in 1957, years before the UAE was founded.

https://twitter.com/ryyma12/status/945199061342269440?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

Never underestimate a nation that started a revolution … that spread across the Middle East,” said Shaima Dallali, a law student. 

Tunisian journalist Dalila Musaddiq said: “Backwardness can’t be cured with high-rise towers, a French Louvre museum or man-made islands.”

https://twitter.com/bentalkadra/status/944295859000430592?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

Sarah Elamin praised the men who defended Tunisian women against “discrimination by Emirates”.

“I don’t mean to applaud basic decency but it’s just so refreshing to see Arab men not being absolute trash for once,” Elamin wrote in a follow-up tweet.

Flah Marwa also said the issue centred on the discrimination of women.

Haithem Afli called the move by Emirates an “act of sexism and stupidity”. 

Yosr Jouini, an aspiring data scientist, joined those calling for a boycott of the airline.

Olfa Said noted that the American actor Jennifer Aniston appears in Emirates advertising, and questioned the celebrity’s opinion on the issue.

Source: Al Jazeera