Tolerance between religions has been well established for centuries in Tunisia, President Kais Saied said on Wednesday while meeting at Carthage Palace Mufti of the Republic Hichem Ben Mahmoud, Chief Rabbi of Tunisia Haïm Bittan, and Grand Archbishop of the Catholic Church of Tunis, Ilario Antoniazzi. In a video posted on the Presidency's website, the Head of State described the meeting as "historic" and "very important", as it shows that Tunisia is "a land of tolerance, openness and coexistence, for centuries". President Kais Saied spoke about the Djerba incident, which took place last week, describing it as a cowardly and odious criminal act, adding that "the investigation of this incident is still ongoing and has progressed to determine who orchestrated it after the perpetrator's identity was identified." The president said that whoever orchestrated and carried out the incident certainly sought to undermine Tunisia's security and sow discord, but he did not achieve his goal. In the same context, he stressed that anyone who dares to sow the seeds of discord, division and fighting in the country will be addressed. President Saïed also regretted seeing parties inside the country and certain capitals talking about anti-Semitism in Tunisia, calling for a new reading of history rather than making unfounded accusations. The Head of State discussed with his guests freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience in Islam and in Tunisia, stressing that the Constitution of July 25, 2022, fully guarantees these rights. In the same connection, President Saied affirmed to the Chief Rabbi of Tunisia the continuation of securing all places of worship and the fight against any form of division. The President stressed that "the concept of normalisation does not exist in the Dictionary of the Tunisian people", adding that Tunisians "make a clear distinction between Judaism and Zionism".
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse