Tunisia
Summary
Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in convincing the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country’s first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In November 1987, BOURGUIBA was removed from office and replaced by Zine el Abidine BEN ALI in a bloodless coup. Street protests that began in Tunis in December 2010 over high unemployment, corruption, widespread poverty, and high food prices escalated in January 2011, culminating in rioting that led to hundreds of deaths. On 14 January 2011, the same day BEN ALI dismissed the government, he fled the country, and by late January 2011, a “national unity government” was formed. Elections for the new Constituent Assembly were held in late October 2011, and in December, it elected human rights activist Moncef MARZOUKI as interim president. The Assembly began drafting a new constitution in February 2012 and, after several iterations and a months-long political crisis that stalled the transition, ratified the document in January 2014. Parliamentary and presidential elections for a permanent government were held at the end of 2014. Beji CAID ESSEBSI was elected as the first president under the country’s new constitution. Following ESSEBSI’s death in office in July 2019, Tunisia moved its scheduled presidential election forward two months and after two rounds of voting, Kais SAIED was sworn in as president in October 2019. Tunisia also held legislative elections on schedule in October 2019. SAIED’s term, as well as that of Tunisia’s 217-member parliament, expires in 2024. [1]
📷: Wikipedia
Statistics
From the The Joshua Project [2]
In the News
📷: Wikipedia
Prayer Guide
In earlier centuries the Christian Church was widespread, producing such leaders as Tertullian and Cyprian. Schism, heresy, failures to put roots deep into the local culture and to translate the Bible into local languages, foreign invasions and finally Islam brought about its demise. There are about 500 committed indigenous believers today, but only one-third of those meet together regularly for worship. Pray that a living, growing Church might become a reality again in this land.
Reaching Tunisians by other means.
a) Miracles, Hayat and Arab Vision regularly broadcast Christian programmes into Tunisia.
b) Scripture translation into the Tunisian dialect of Arabic is in progress, an important task if the gospel is to be clearly heard and understood by all Tunisians. Pray for Tunisian attitudes about their own language, which many view as inferior to modern Arabic.
c) Some Christian literature is now sold openly, but is not widely available. Pray that the Bible and Christian books might become more widely distributed through bookshops, and that Christian literature be made available throughout the land.
d) Satellite TV and radio broadcasts are highly effective in reaching Tunisians. There are many programmes in Arabic, and they can reach to the most isolated and private corners of the country.
e) The JESUS film is available in two translations – Standard Arabic and Tunisian Arabic. Pray for the wide dissemination of this film and the development of a wider ministry of Christian cassettes and videos in Tunisian Arabic. The Passion of the Christ is also in wide circulation.
f) More than 6.5 million tourists visit Tunisia each year, including those from other Arab states. Music festivals often feature gospel choirs from abroad. Pray for a ministry to Muslim tourists and also for sensitive sharing opportunities for Christians who come as tourists.
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