Tunisian Bahá’í are active in civil society and work within the framework of equal citizenship, organizing events focussing on coexistence. Their main demand is the right to organize and operate legally. Not being recognised means not being able to have a bank account, organize money collection for the community or establish facilities to educate their children according to the Bahá’í faith. The community has also petitioned the Minister of Local Affairs to establish a Bahá’í cemetery but have yet to receive a reply.
The Bahá’í marriage contract, recognized in several countries, is not recognized in Tunisia, but they can register civil marriages like all other Tunisians. Many, because they do want to operate underground, contact the municipality before their marriage and inform them that they are Bahá’í. Some municipalities then refuse to perform the civil marriage, and they then must look elsewhere until they find one that is willing to perform the act. By now, they have identified the municipalities which are more open to the community. With regards to inheritance, they follow Tunisian law like other citizens, but they can make private contracts if they wish to apportion equal shares to their male and female children, as many Muslims in Tunisia also do.
In March 2021, they filed a complaint to the Republic’s Prosecutor before the Court of First Instance of Tunis, against the Prime Minister, the Minister of Religious Affairs, the Mufti of the Republic and the Government’s General Secretary after official reports and correspondence were issued refusing to publish the declaration of establishing the organisation. The Baha’i Association of Tunisia received a preliminary judgement in their favour by the Administrative Tribunal, which was appealed by the President of the government in the first judgement. According to the complaint by the Baha’i Association, the government’s appeal contained accusations that might seriously threaten the lives of the members of the Association. This was due to the fact that these documents contained arguments from the 2008 fatwa mentioned above by the Mufti of the Republic and by the Minister of Religious Affairs, as well as an advisory opinion from the International Islamic Jurisprudence Institution, which contained accusations of blasphemy/ non-belief (tafkir) against members of the Association because of their Bahá’í religion.
Source link : https://minorityrights.org/communities/bahai-6/
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Publish date : 2024-01-23 17:09:14
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