Hotel comes under attack for serving up alcohol

Dozens of hardline Salafi ­Muslims attacked a hotel in Sidi Bouzid, birthplace of ­Tunisia’s revolution, because it was ­serving alcohol, the hotel’s owner has said.

It was believed to be the first such attack on a hotel in the North African nation, which relies heavily on western tourism. for its income.

“About 100 Salafis attacked the hotel on Monday night and smashed all its contents. They entered the rooms and damaged furniture and smashed bottles of alcohol,” Jamil Horcheni, the owner of the hotel, said.

He said ultra-conservative Islamists had threatened to attack his hotel in May if he did not stop selling alcohol.

A young man who tried to film the raid was beaten by members of the group and taken to an unknown location, as angry hotel guests gathered at the scene.

The bar in the Hotel Horchani is understood to be the last place serving alcohol left in the town.

Tunisia, whose authoritarian president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, was overthhrown by a ­popular uprising last year, now has an elected Islamist-led ­government.

There have been several attacks on cultural and tourist sites since the revolt.

In May, Salafis staged an anti-alcohol protest in Sidi Bouzid, nearly 200 miles west of the capital Tunis, demanding that hotels and bars be relocated ­outside the city. Fundamentalist Muslims forbid the consumption of any intoxicants, though in moderate countries this only applies to Muslims themselves.

In recent weeks, Salafis have prevented concerts and plays taking place in Tunisian cities, saying they ­violate Islamic principles, worrying secular-minded Tunisians who believe freedom of expression is in danger.

The secular oppostion has accused the ruling Islamist Ennahda party of colluding with Salafis. Ennahda has also come under fire from Salafis who say it fails to defend Islamic values. Ennahda denies all the charges.