In the early years of Tunisia’s revolution, there was limited attention to improving the right to freedom of religion and belief. This focus was mainly limited to a few seminars organized by civil society organizations or television and radio programs, which primarily aimed to attract viewership or, in some cases, contributed to spreading messages of hate and division among people. However, some programs presented rational discourse and allowed for discussion.
State Initiatives
Official state institutions attempted to change some policies and laws that restrict the practice of these rights, while civil society made efforts to confront the challenges hindering the enhancement of the right to freedom of religion and belief within Tunisian society.
In addition, some Tunisian researchers and thinkers contributed by publishing research papers and academic articles addressing diversity, religious pluralism, and citizenship issues. Notable among them is researcher Amal Karam, who has authored several works, including “The Issue of Apostasy in Modern Islamic Thought,” “Diversity in Arab-Islamic Culture,” and “Freedom of Belief in Islam.” There is also Professor Najia Al-Warimi Bouajila, who wrote “Diversity and the Politics of Tolerance” and “On Coalition and Divergence,” and Dr. Monajiya Nafazi, author of “Humanization, Dialogue, and Coexistence in Islam.”
Among these contributors is researcher Zahia Jouirou, known for her works “Retribution in Sacred Texts: A Historical Reading,” “The Institution of Fatwa between the Constraints of Doctrine and Historical Pressures,” and “New Infanticide: Articles on Fatwa and Women’s Jurisprudence.” Professor “Abdel Majid Al Charfi,” founder of the school of Islamic renewal thought, has also written many works on the topic, including “Islam and Modernity,” “Revolution, Modernity, and Islam,” and “The Quran and Its Readings.” In recent years, the research laboratory “The Religious Phenomenon in Tunisia” has published several important works to analyze and understand the religious phenomenon in Tunisia. Among these publications is “Understanding the Religious Phenomenon in Tunisia: Its Roots, Manifestations, and Implications,” published in 2017 under the supervision and coordination of Dr. Muhammad Ben Attayeb.
This book is the result of a collaboration between the research unit “Religious Phenomenon in Tunisia” (Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences) and the Civil Society Support Program in Tunisia. The laboratory released another work, “Religiosity and Issues in Tunisia,” in 2024, which Dr. Muhammad Ben Attayeb also oversaw. This book, published in collaboration with Latrach Edition, provides a deep study of religiosity issues in Tunisian society, focusing on the historical, social, and political contexts that shape contemporary forms of religiosity and their manifestations in daily life.
Furthermore, other professors and researchers have participated in organizing seminars, lectures, and scientific research that generally address the issue of religious diversity and acceptance of differences. For example, researcher “Salaheddine Jourchi” has published numerous articles and studies, including “Islamists, Citizenship and Freedom Issues: From Opposition to Power.” He is also a member of the Presidential Committee for Individual Freedoms and Equality, established by former President “Beji Caid Essebsi.” Additionally, constitutional and public law professors have made significant contributions to the issue of freedom of religion and belief, such as Professor “Khaled Debbabi” and Professor “Ikram Deridi,” both of whom are members of the Religious Freedom Committee within the “Talaki” Foundation and have conducted workshops in various regions of the country regarding religious freedom about the Tunisian constitution and international law. Professor Wahid Al Farshishi also supervised a collective work titled “Religious Freedoms in Tunisia.”
Community Initiatives
Tunisia Charter for Equality and Individual Freedoms
This charter was drafted on July 24, 2018, following the report’s release by the Committee on Individual Freedoms and Equality. It aims to advocate for and support the principles outlined in the report by various organizations and associations working on human rights in general and individual and fundamental freedoms in particular. Article six states that the right to thought, conscience, and religion is an absolute right that cannot be restricted. It encompasses freedom of thought, personal conviction, the right to adopt or reject a religion or belief, and the freedom to practice or not religious rituals free from any interference or coercion from any party. Consequently, all legal texts suggesting a preference for any religious belief over others have been abolished, as well as those that discriminate between citizens based on religion and those that directly or indirectly deny religious minorities their civil, political, economic, social, or cultural rights. Discriminatory practices based on thought, conscience, or religion are also prohibited and punished.
Religious Freedoms: The Forgotten Human Rights
This initiative was launched by the “Talaki” organization in partnership with the Anglican Episcopal Church in September 2018. For the first time, a group of Muslims, Christians, and Bahá’ís met inside a church, with broad participation from youth and active stakeholders in Tunisia. This meeting helped break down barriers preventing informal religious institutions from engaging in religion and public sphere issues. It provided an opportunity to build communication bridges between the Episcopal Church and the Bahá’í community in Tunisia and to work together in a strong partnership with civil society engaged in religious matters to unify their efforts in supporting their communities, protecting their rights, and building strong alliances.
National Charter for Peaceful Coexistence Among Religious Components in Tunisia
Culminating a comprehensive and lengthy process lasting nearly three years, which included a series of workshops, seminars, meetings, and advocacy projects overseen by the “Talaki” organization with broad participation from most religious and sectarian components in Tunisia, a “National Charter for Peaceful Coexistence Among Religious Components” was signed on January 26, 2022, in the capital, Tunis, with official representation from the state through the Ministry of Religious Affairs as an “observer.”
The signatories emphasized the need to promote freedom of religion and belief, to work towards combating and criminalizing hate speech, and affirmed that the pursuit of truth, freedom of religion and belief, and the practice of religious rituals are rights guaranteed by all religions, international charters and treaties, and national constitutions, without exception or discrimination. Furthermore, they stated that the fight against violence, extremism, and hatred begins with criminalizing fatwas and speeches that call for the exclusion and eradication of others; thus, strict legislation must be enacted to prevent these phenomena. They also asserted that the symbols of all religions and sects are to be respected and should not be undermined, belittled, or mocked.This charter faced a wave of criticism, reaching the point of excommunication and cursing the signatories, calling for their blood to be shed, and demanding the state to arrest them and hold the overseeing organization accountable. This dangerous rhetoric extended beyond the general public to the educated elite, including politicians, religious leaders, intellectuals, and even some high-ranking security officials who have since retired.
Government Initiatives
Presidential Committee for Individual Freedoms and Equality
Tunisian President Beji Caïd Essebsi established the Presidential Committee for Individual Freedoms and Equality on August 13, 2017. The committee was tasked with preparing a report on legislative reforms related to individual freedoms and equality by the constitution dated January 27, 2014, and international human rights standards, particularly the agreements and treaties signed by Tunisia. Under the leadership of human rights activist Professor Bochra Belhaj Hmida, the committee conducted an inventory of laws affecting individual freedoms and equality that contradict the constitution and Tunisia’s commitments to guarantee human rights.
The committee drafted proposals using a participatory methodology.
It consulted various political parties represented in the House of Representatives and other bodies, civil society organizations, and researchers specialized in multiple fields (sociologists, scholars from the Zaytouna International University, law professors, and constitutional professors, among others). Their suggestions significantly aided the committee’s work and allowed it to complete its report in an exceptionally short time. The committee’s final report included proposals for comprehensive and radical reform, particularly in the Personal Status Code, the Penal Code, contracts, and obligations, definitively eliminating any contradictions between the provisions of the Constitution of the Second Republic and outdated laws and legislations according to the committee’s view. This report sparked a significant wave of discussions and condemnations, followed by two major demonstrations in Tunisia: One supporting the committee’s report, representing the progressive modernist faction, and another opposing it, representing the conservative faction.
National Charter for Peaceful Coexistence in Tunisia
In 2018, the Tunisian Ministry of Religious Affairs announced the “National Charter for Peaceful Coexistence,” which emerged from a series of dialogue sessions held by the ministry between 2017 and 2018. These sessions included representatives of the three recognized monotheistic religions, Islam, Catholic Christianity, and Judaism, as well as the participation from some civil society organizations. The charter emphasized the need to combat terrorism, extremism, and hate speech, affirming the right of every individual and group to freedom of belief and conscience and calling for the inclusion of religious minorities in shaping economic and cultural visions for a unified nation.
Department for Religious Minority Affairs
On March 23, 2021, Masouda Betikh, Director of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, announced the establishment of a dedicated department for religious minority affairs within the ministry. This announcement followed her participation, along with the person designated for the mission in the office of the Minister of Religious Affairs, Abdel Karim Farah, at a national conference organized by “Talaki” organization, which saw broad attendance from religious leaders, international organizations, and official participation from parliament and government. She affirmed that the goal of this department is to facilitate interactions with the religious and sectarian mosaic present in Tunisia and to meet the needs of the followers of these minorities. The ministry confirmed that it would operate in the same manner, without discrimination among the various religions and sects in Tunisia; this is an important step, albeit delayed, and requires effective action on the ground rather than being a nominal department without tangible achievements.
