TUNIS, Tunisia — On Nov. 22, the countries boycotting Qatar classified the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. This has revived accusations that the Tunisian Ennahda movement still espouses political Islam despite announcing that it has changed.

In May 2016, Ennahda leader Rachid Ghannouchi declared the movement a "civil and democratic political party” that separates its political and religious activities. The declaration came on the sidelines of Ennahda’s 10th national conference, a landmark in the political and ideological progression of the movement marking its shift to Islamic democracy.

This transformation, however, did not win the movement political acceptance in Tunisia, where Ennahda has been accused of duplicity in its political discourse and failing to become a civil party.

The position of Ennahda’s deputy head Abdelfattah Mourou reinforced the perception that the movement has no intention of ending its role as a religious reference. On May 31, 2016, a few days after Ennahda’s 10th conference, Mourou stated in an interview with Tunisian Echourouk TV, “Ennahda has not and will not change its identity, and it will stick to its Islamic reference and strategy.” He also denied any existing or prior link between Ennahda and the Muslim Brotherhood.