Religion in Tunisia

New mosques may be built in accordance with national urban planning regulations; however, upon completion, they become the property of the Government.

report that many Sufis left the country shortly after independence when their religious buildings and land reverted to the government (as did those of Orthodox Islamic foundations).

Although the Sufi community is small, its tradition of mysticism permeates the practice of Islam throughout the country.

In 2007 there was a small indigenous "Maraboutic" Muslim community that belonged to spiritual brotherhoods known as "turuq".

[10] From the late 19th century to after World War II, Tunisia was home to large populations of Christian French, Italian and Maltese descent (255,000 Europeans in 1956).

The International Religious Freedom Report for 2007 estimated thousands of Tunisian Muslims have converted to Christianity.

[7] Scattered among the various churches, though mostly evangelical, are also a number of Christian believers from Muslim backgrounds 2015 A study estimated some 500 such individuals in Tunisia.

[22] However, as of July 2022, new surveys by the Arab Barometer say otherwise, particularly BBC's programme, The Newsroom journalists highlighting that the previously noted wave of those saying they were not religious has been, in fact, "reversed".

The government does not permit the establishment of political parties on the basis of religion and prohibits efforts to proselytize.

Although changing religions is legal, there is great societal pressure against Muslims who decide to leave Islam.

[25] The government allows a small number of foreign religious charitable nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to operate and provide social services.