How are Christians persecuted in Tunisia?
- Tunisian Christians face increasing pressure in the form of government surveillance on church and daily activity. Those who are monitored can be arrested, interrogated and their homes searched.
- Unprecedented arrests have been carried out on Christians recently on false bases of ‘human trafficking’ to justify harassment and conflate undocumented migrants with foreign Christians. Because of this, some believers have chosen to flee the country or have lost their jobs. Some have had to endure racial abuse from their communities.
- Many believers from a Muslim background feel deep isolation due to community pressures which encourage them into silence about their faith.
Why are Christians persecuted in Tunisia?
- The government in Tunisia is increasingly authoritarian and controlled by President Kais Saied who secured power in 2021. The religious freedoms of Tunisian citizens thus depend on the President, making Christians highly vulnerable in the Muslim-majority nation.
- Government surveillance is on the rise and Christians are largely the subjects of this monitoring.
Who is particularly vulnerable in Tunisia?
- Converts, especially those in the south, face pressures to return to Islam from family and community.
- In border areas, Islamist extremists are active and target Christians.
- The rights of women are continually deteriorating under the current presidency in Tunisia. This leaves women increasingly vulnerable to sexual harassment, death threats, expulsion from families and domestic violence.
- Men who leave Islam to follow Jesus can also be expelled from their homes, lose their possessions and inheritance and be abandoned by their wives. Economic hardship is a difficult reality for Christian men in such situations, as well as for those who depend on them.
What has changed in Tunisia in the past year?
- Tunisia rose three places on the World Watch List: pressure is on the rise in the nation, whilst violence incidents have slightly declined. Christianity is continually condemned as a foreign religion and monitoring is the outcome of this perspective.
- Converts from Islam continue to face hostility and legal challenges from their families and communities.
How can I help Christians in North Africa?
- Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Tunisia. Your prayers are invaluable in reminding them that their global church family stands with them.
In cooperation with local partners and churches, Open Doors is supporting the church in North Africa through leadership, discipleship, ministry and livelihood projects.
please pray
Our Heavenly Father, we thank You that You know each believer in Tunisia by name, and that each one so precious to You. We ask You to protect believers as they seek to know You, to share Your good news, and to meet in fellowship with others. As Open Doors Founder Brother Andrew prayed when smuggling Bibles across international borders, please ‘make seeing eyes blind’ when it comes to state surveillance. We pray that You would bring about increasing freedom for people to practise their faith in Tunisia. In Jesus’ name, amen.
