Religious Freedom
& Minorities

Although those belonging to religious and non-religious communities are considered de facto Tunisian citizens, most of them feel that they are second-class citizens, as they are excluded from most of their citizenship rights, the most important of which is the feeling that the law protects them and does justice to them, given the repeated cases of violence against them without legal or social deterrence. Some of them are exposed on a daily basis to ostracism and exclusion, not to mention the physical attacks that affect them, whether from their social environment (family, neighbors, etc.) or even from some security forces who allow themselves to bypass the law. In addition to the societal stereotypes that portray them as a dangerous tool to change the Tunisian social pattern, which in itself is moving towards a major change despite attempts to obliterate and ignore it and delude internal and external public opinion that Tunisian society is a homogeneous one.

This perception and this exclusion make these groups live in social alienation, and thus the beginning of a national identity crisis for them, and one of its consequences is the emigration of some of them in search of peace and rights that preserve their rights and dignity. Therefore, the absence of a legal framework that enhances the social, political and economic rights of religious minorities and protects them from attacks on them necessarily leads to the strengthening of hate speech and extremism, and consequently the lack of peace and social security, not to mention the impossibility of building the foundations of peaceful coexistence within society and within the framework of citizenship that embraces diversity.

In view of the multiplicity of cases of discrimination and persecution faced by members of religious minorities, and the lack of the Tunisian state or human rights organizations with comprehensive and accurate statistics on the status of religious freedom in Tunisia, Attalaki established the Religious Freedom Committee, which consists of two units: 

– a unit for monitoring and following up on cases of discrimination, working to listen to the victims and provide support for them, such as legal aid, health, and social coverage, according to what we have of capabilities

– a unit to monitor and report violations or abuses practiced against religious minorities, in addition to preparing studies and reports related to religious freedom or the religious issue in general in Tunisia. 

This committee includes experts in law, sociology, and activists in the religious and legal fields. The first report on religious freedom in Tunisia and the Arab world for the year 2020, was issued, which showed the gap between what is announced by official authorities and what exists in reality, in addition to cases of violence, discrimination, and hate speech directed against religious minorities issued by political, religious and intellectual bodies, which were sharpened from within the Tunisian Parliament.