Tunisian Jews fear attacks by Islamists

16 February 2011

There are heightened fears among Tunisia’s Jews over their safety after Islamists held anti-Jewish protests outside the main synagogue in central Tunis last week. The Interior Ministry on Tuesday condemned extremist demonstrations and incitement to violence, in an apparent reference to the protests outside the synagogue.   The leader of the country's small Jewish community, Roger Bismuth, said he had met Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi and informed him of the Islamist demonstration, the news agency AFP reported. "About 40 religious people gathered Friday in front of the main synagogue in Tunis and started chanting ant-Jewish slogans and inappropriate words. I think this is something that might happen again," he said.

Pictures and videos taken by witnesses showed Islamists, some dressed in black, carrying banners bearing verses from the Koran and shouting anti-Semitic slogans, including a call for the murder of all Jews world-wide. "Jews wait, the army of Mohammed is coming back!” was one of the slogans. The group of demonstrators from a very poor quarter of Tunis and was said to be ”very dangerous.”

Muslim Tunisia is home to about 1,500 Jews. Most live on the island of Djerba where one of the oldest synagogues in Africa is located that draws thousands of pilgrims every year. In April 2002, a Islamist suicide bomber rammed the wall of the synagogue with a lorry laden with natural gas. Fourteen German tourists, five Tunisians and two French visitors died.

Tunisia's interim government is struggling to stabilize the country since the fall of President Ben Ali a month ago after a groundswell of street protests. In a statement on the official TAP news agency, it condemned acts of extremists at places of worship. The Interior Ministry said it would "spare no effort to safeguard these values and opposes all those who want to incite violence or discord between the Tunisian people and disturb public security". 

 

Watch a video of the demonstration here.