I’m Sophie Griffith and it’s Wednesday 16th April 2025.
Welcome to the 7-minute country briefing – your deep dive into news and current affairs from a country in the Middle East and North Africa – brought to you by SAT-7.
This month, we take a look at Tunisia, home to Africa's northernmost point, and a country with a diverse and vibrant culture. Although Tunisia has a rich Christian heritage and was once the centre of Christianity in North Africa, today less than 1% of Tunisians are Christian. As the birthplace of the Arab Spring, Tunisia has enjoyed over a decade of progressive social policy, particularly in relation to women’s freedoms. But today, concerns are growing that the country is moving towards a more authoritarian state once again.
In this month's episode we’ll hear how SAT-7 has been developing and broadcasting more content for Tunisia and North Africa, bringing joy to believers and empowering marginalised women.
While Algeria lies to the west and Libya to the southeast, it’s the Mediterranean that borders the north and much of the east of the country, giving way to over 700 miles of coastline and earning Tunisia its reputation for golden sandy beaches. But visit Tunisia’s modern-day capital of Tunis, and you might also stumble across the ruins of the ancient city of Carthage; the seat of the renowned Carthaginian Empire.
As one of the most powerful and influential cities in antiquity, Carthage became an important centre for early Christian teaching and was home to influential scholars and martyrs alike.
Tunisia later came under Roman, Vandal and then Byzantine influence. After the Arab conquest in the 7th Century, Tunisia was ruled by successive Islamic dynasties until becoming part of the Ottoman Empire and finally a French colony in the late 19th Century. Tunisia gained independence in 1956 and seeking to modernise its economy pursued a progressive social agenda, which particularly focussed on the emancipation of women.
Despite Tunisia’s more progressive policies, the country remained an authoritarian state and long-serving president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, was ousted in 2011 during the Jasmine Revolution, which became the catalyst for the Arab Spring.
More recently, the election of Kais Saied as president in 2019 has seen the re-imposition of various aspects of authoritarian rule. Since his self-coup in 2021, he has suspended parliament, rolled back women’s rights and rewritten the constitution in his reversal of almost a decade of democratic gains.
Since the Arab Spring, Tunisia has enjoyed constitutional religious freedom, Tunisia's new constitution, however, is ambiguous regarding freedom of religion and belief and converts to Christianity can face job insecurity, ostracization from their communities, and even physical violence.
Women are often most at risk and can be subject to forced marriage or separation from their children. Church gatherings are closely monitored by the government and attacks on house churches and arrests of Christians are both increasing. But despite this, the Church in North Africa is continuing to grow and SAT-7 receives thousands of messages from viewers there.
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As Easter approaches it’s still not too late to dive into our devotional book 40 Days of Prayer for the Middle East which explores the fascinating Christian heritage of countries like Tunisia. The reflection on Tunisia is particularly moving, as it tells the personal story of Perpetua, one of the early Christian martyrs.
Back now to Tunisia, where one of SAT-7 ARABIC’s flagship women’s programmes, Today Not Tomorrow, recently went on the road in Tunisia, interviewing women on topics affecting their everyday life. The show aims to help women and girls in the Arab world enjoy the freedom and dignity they deserve as people made in the image of God.
“Tunisia has laws that are well ahead of other Arab countries with regards to women’s rights,” said programme producer Maggie Morgan. “We wanted to show what is possible by looking at life for women in Tunisia and thereby raise the hopes and aspirations of women in other countries.”
While the Today Not Tomorrow episodes highlighted a number of areas where Tunisian women enjoy greater rights and freedom, the show also interviewed campaigners who are calling for further improvements and better implementation of existing laws, particularly regarding domestic violence.
As well as women’s programmes, SAT-7 ARABIC recently aired a special devotional programme from Tunisia, Evening Gatherings, throughout the 30 days of Ramadan. Filmed in Tunisia, the programme was a beautiful display of unity among believers as they encouraged each other with testimonies, prayers and worship.
Andrew Gamal, an Audio Studio Manager on Evening Gatherings, explained how the show has wide appeal: “Ramadan here is similar to Christmas in the West [it is] a community celebration... When families break their fast together, they eat and watch TV!... [So], Evening Gatherings is a good opportunity to show what Christians believe and how they worship.”
Finally, as Tunisia navigates a changing political landscape, we pray that Christians in Tunisia will be strengthened and that SAT-7 programmes will continue to empower, support and encourage Tunisians as they seek to maintain their freedoms and learn more about Jesus.
Thank you for listening to the 7-minute country briefing from SAT-7.
Take a look at today’s show notes, where you’ll find links to today’s briefing article, plus ideas of how you can be praying for Christians in Tunisia.
