Overview:

• State religion is Islam.

• Recognition and registration are differentiated yet the former as existential recognition is only provided to Islamic groups and organisations; legal registration is provided to both Islamic entities and non-Islamic entities under the category “association” which in turn creates a situation of partial recognition because even though a group may successfully register, this does not equate to the same level of recognition that Islam and Islamic organisations receive.

• The involvement of the Prime Minister’s Office in the registration process is inappropriate because this politicises the process and gives broad control to unduly deny registration.

• The language used in the law surrounding proselytism is subjective which means that it is vulnerable to misapplication by the government, typically as a means to censor proselytising activities.

• A bilateral cooperation agreement between the Holy See and the Tunisian government provides the Catholic Church with some degree of existential recognition although this does not equate to Islam's recognised status and restrictions still persist on the Church's activities.

Positive elements:

• Nil.

Recommendations:

• Dismantlement of the present apparatus of laws restricting non-Islamic religious activity.

• Establish a reorganised recognition that provides recognition and registration to all belief systems and their derivatives.

• Remove all forms of subjective language from the legislation on religion and belief.