On the American Arab Website I read about synagogues and churches standing side by side with the mosques in Tunisia while Jewish and Christian minorities freely practiced their religious rituals. It also talks about the tolerance that is ensured by the constitution that provides for habeas corpus. This guaranteed freedom of conscience and protected the freedom of religious practices.
Well this article was talking about how the young Tunisians had joined conflicts in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Bosnia. The "kameez" (knee-length shifts worn by men in Afghanistan and Pakistan) were making appearances on the streets of Tunisian in support to the people of these countries. For women, religious headscarves are now replacing the traditional Tunisian "safsari" (a large piece of white cloth worn by women over their head and clothes). These changes in clothing have worried a lot of Tunisians because they worry about the pillars of their society, based on religious diversity and secular legislation. These principles were under attack by radical Muslims who were in disagrence with the Islam.
In Tunisia, the main body of the Jewish community lives on an island of Djerba, along with a Christian community of about 20,000 Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox Greeks. They all share a mutual respect for the culture and rituals of the each others faiths. In fact, Muslim Tunisians attend Christian and Jewish festivals, primarily Christmas and the Jewish pilgrimage to Djerba.
I liked reading this article because it talked about the different ways that religions respected each other and it talked about the symbols that a certain piece of cloth can mean to a certain religion because that’s the faith that it represents.
http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=ArabWorld&article=982
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