Tunisia
The Tunisian constitution provides for a parliamentary democracy, but
decision-making at all levels is dominated by the president, General Zine
el-Abidine Ben Ali, and his party, the Rassemblement constitutionel démocratique
(Constitutional Democratic Rally). Ben Ali replaced President Habib Bourguiba
in a bloodless coup in 1987, and, as sole candidate, was elected president
in 1989 and re-elected in 1994. Electoral reform has enabled four opposition
parties to gain limited parliamentary representation, but Islamist parties
have been prohibited.
Throughout 1996 the issue of security dominated both foreign and domestic
affairs in Tunisia. Concern about the escalation of political violence in
neighbouring Algeria led the government to impose tighter restrictions on
the Islamist movement. The non-Islamist opposition was also subject to further
control, as witnessed by the imprisonment of the leader of the Mouvement
des démocrates socialistes (Democratic Socialist Movement) in February.
Towards the end of the year, however, a num-ber of political prisoners were
released. Economic growth and inflation remained high at 6.5 per cent and
5 per cent respectively in 1996.
Tunisia continued to strengthen its relations with Europe, as evidenced
by the signing of a free trade agreement with the European Union. Relations
between Tunisia and Israel, which have improved gradually since the 1993
Oslo agreement, took a major step forward with the opening of low-level
diplomatic missions in Tunis in April and Tel Aviv in June. Normalization,
however, is not yet complete and is likely to remain stymied until further
progress is made in the Middle East peace process.
In the early years of Islam, at least in certain periods, Jews were tolerated
and even respected. By the nineteenth century, most Jews lived in squalor
in the sprawling ghettos of Tunisian cities. The conditions of the Jews
of southern Tunisia and those on the island of Djerba were considerably
better.
Tunisia was occupied by France in 1830 and a French protectorate was established
in 1881. By and large, the Jews benefited from the French presence. The
so-called "fundamental pact" of 1857 gave equality under the law
to non-Muslims, and other liberal measures were introduced even before the
protectorate. During the Second World War, the brief German occupation of
Tunisia led to the establishment of forced-labour camps for thousands of
Jews.
Following independence in 1956, the situation of Tunisian Jewry was tolerable,
but anti-Jewish rioting broke out during the Six-Day War in 1967, resulting
in the destruction of several Jewish shops and damage to the Great Synagogue
in Tunis. Despite the authorities' concern to allay the fears of the Jewish
community, occasional attacks on Jews and Jewish property have recurred,
including the destruction of two synagogues, in 1979 on Djerba and in 1983
in Zaris, near the Libyan border.
Since 1982, the presence of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO)
headquarters in Tunis (tolerated by the Tunisian government not least for
economic reasons) deterred Jewish visitors to Tunisia. Nonetheless, the
Tunisian authorities have recently encouraged tourism among Tunisian-born
Jews, including many rabbis who emigrated to France or Israel, and have
sought to promote business links through these visits.
The small Christian minority in Tunisia consists mainly of foreigners who are permitted to operate a small number of schools and churches. Members of the Baha'i faith, regarded by the government as a heretical sect of Islam, are only permitted to worship in private.
The founder and leader of the Islamist opposition movement, al-Nahda, Rashid al-Ghannouchi, was granted political asylum in the UK in 1993 after receiving a life sentence in absentia for plotting to assassinate the president. Nonetheless, al-Ghannouchi continues to exercise influence over the movement in Tunisia. He has invoked antisemitic themes such as the claim that Jews and Zionists are responsible for a worldwide campaign against Islam. Al-Nahda publishes a bi-monthly journal from London, launched in April 1994, called Tounis al-Shahida (Tunisia the Martyr).
Within the framework of wide-ranging reforms, many school textbooks have
been recently rewritten. Authors such as the French philosopher Jean-Paul
Sartre are no longer referred to so derogatorily as "Zionist".
More significantly, Islam is no longer presented as a superior religion.
In order to boost tourism, President Ben Ali has encouraged Tunisian-born
Jews to make the pilgrimage to the island of Djerba. Religious sites such
as the Ghriba of Le Kef and the grave of Rabbi Itzhak Lumbroso in Tunis
were recently renovated and both the inaugural ceremonies were attended
by Tunisian officials.
Despite their fairly liberal treatment by the current regime, Tunisian
Jews have generally felt vulnerable to the effects of Arab nationalism and
the threat posed by militant Islamists. The Islamist infrastructure within
Tunisia has been limited, however, by the harsh crackdown of the current
regime. In 1996, economic growth, political stability and stronger ties
between Tunisia and Israel contributed to feelings of greater security among
Tunisian Jews.
© JPR 1997