A controversial video lobbying against the niqab in Tunisia is creating quite the buzz on the internet.

Equality and Parity is a newly established Tunisian association that is protesting the wearing of the niqab, a long, loose garment covering the body from head to ankles that Muslim women wear as a sign of devotion to God.

In their campaign, Equality and Parity used niqab-shaped stickers and put them in bathroom stalls, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, and dressing rooms in malls. They filmed the reaction of women to the niqab stickers on the mirror, and turned them into a short film that is making its rounds on the internet.

Equality and Parity hopes that through this sticker campaign they can educate women and Tunisians in general on the severity of being forced to wear a niqab.

Prior to the sticker campaign, the association launched a Faceboook group on February 21, 2011. This online group gave birth to the "Support Group for Equal Democracy" that has garnered more than 3,600 Facebook members. It advocates gender equality, defends women's rights, runs campaigns, and organizes human rights workshops.

The subject of the niqab has come up time and time again since the fall of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's regime, most notably whenstudents at Manouba University staged protests against a ban on the niqab at their school. Ben Ali treated those who were outwardly religious with extreme suspicion. During his time in power, it was not uncommon for police to stop women in the street and order them to unveil. The niqab has found itself at the epicenter in the Salafi-secularist debate.

"We are fighting with and for all Tunisians from all regions, including those living abroad, who are also involved in our cause. We commit to define each of our goals based on a preliminary analysis of the current sociopolitical situation, which seems to exclude Tunisian women, especially in decision-making bodies, means of mass communication and the public space," stated Equality and Parity in their press release.

In the same press release, Equality and Parity promised that they will plan manifestations and sit-ins if women's rights are violated in Tunisia. The group lobbies against denigrating women's representation in decision-making - whether it be in the political, social, cultural, or economic sphere. It also promotes the full citizenship of women and total eradication of gender discrimination.

People's reactions to the video were mostly negative. Malek Radhouani commented on the group's Facebook page: "The niqab was already there over 1,400 years...Do you think that jeans trousers are our heritage? Just take a walk in the underdeveloped regions, you will find that a tattered flag, a woman wearing the niqab, or a mini skirt is far from our central issues. People have no food to eat nor any garments to put on."

Tunisia officially complies with international laws and conventions of human rights and conforms to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, in particular.