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Tunisian actor Walid Nahdi said in an April 4, 2019 broadcast on Radio Med (Tunisia) that he would not go to Israel if given an opportunity to do so, and that he cannot tolerate the Jews and their "distinct odor." He said that he also does not feel comfortable around and cannot stand homosexuals. Tunisian actress Manal Abdul Qawi, who was also on the show, rebuked Nahdi and defended Jews, saying that Tunisian Jews love Tunisia more than many non-Jews do. She also said that homosexuality is a private matter. Abdul Qawi added that she accepts all races and religions and that she values personal freedom. Yamina Thabet, the head of the Tunisian Association for Support of Minorities (see MEMRI TV Clip No. 7063), has filed a legal complaint against Walid Nahdi following his comments. This excerpt was not posted by Radio Med to their social media accounts; rather, it was uploaded to the Internet by other Tunisian accounts.
Following are excerpts:
Interviewer: If you were to receive an offer to go to Israel…
Walid Nahdi: I wouldn't go.
[…]
When we were kids, there were three Jewish families living with us in our building. Believe me, ever since I was a kid, I have not been able to tolerate the smell of the Jews. They have a special, distinct odor…
Manal Abdul Qawi: No, no. That's not true. Our families have been living next to Tunisian Jews… I was born in the Jewish Quarter… Listen to me…
Walid Nahdi: It's just me – I personally cannot tolerate them.
[…]
The Jews have a nature that I cannot tolerate.
Manal Abdul Qawi: You are an exclusionist…
Walid Nahdi: No, I'm not. By God, this is how I feel…
Manal Abdul Qawi: You are a racist.
Walid Nahdi: Say whatever you want. I'm telling you that my personal feeling is that I cannot sit next to them. [The same goes] for the homosexuals. Personally, I don't feel comfortable with them.
Interviewer: Walid, we don't have a problem with a certain religion…
Manal Abdul Qawi: He is not a tolerant or enlightened man.
Walid Nahdi: I'm completely enlightened. I speak four languages perfectly. I lived in France, I lived in America, I mingled with Jews, Christians, and with…
Manal Abdul Qawi: You should accept others the way they are…
Walid Nahdi: I can't tolerate them. It is stronger than me, yet you tell me to accept them. I cannot tolerate the homosexuals and the Jews.
[…]
Manal Abdul Qawi: I accept all races and all religions. I hold personal freedom sacred to the utmost extent. Homosexuality is something between a person, himself, and his God.
Walid Nahdi: Manal, I am totally peaceful…
Manal Abdul Qawi: Yes, I know, but…
Interviewer: They speak English now. Next time we'll do it in English.
[…]
Manal Abdul Qawi: I was born in the Jewish Quarter and I lived with the Jews, and I can tell you that Tunisian Jews love Tunisia more than many non-Jews do.
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