In the wake of serious and damaging terrorist events in Tunisia, the Tunisian government has been busy trying to address the problem of extremism in local mosques and centers of religious learning. In an interview, the Minister of Religious Affairs, Othman Battikh, says he believes that mosques dominated by extremist groups have mostly come under government control now.

In the wake of serious and damaging terrorist events in Tunisia, the Tunisian government has been busy trying to address the problem of extremism in local mosques and centers of religious learning. In an interview, the Minister of Religious Affairs, Othman Battikh, says he believes that mosques dominated by extremist groups have mostly come under government control now.

Additionally Battikh, a leading cleric and former Grand Mufti of Tunisia, talked about plans to rehabilitate extremist fighters returned home from conflict zones like Syria and Iraq as well as his personal thoughts on banning the full-face veil.

Are there mosques that are still beyond the government’s control?

Nothing is outside the government’s control. The mosques are now beyond the control of the extremists. The government is supervising all mosques in our Republic. And the Ministry of the Interior is enforcing all the resolutions published which aim to separate provocative, extremist groups.

There is a regional committee in each province composed of a local cleric as well as representatives from the Ministry of the Interior. The committees are under the supervision of the regional governor and they will follow up mosques’ activities. The committee holds a weekly meeting to look into any violations committed by the mosques and reports these violations to the Ministry, which in turn issues decisions against the violators.

True, there is sometimes a delay in implementing the regulations that were developed to control mosques but this is due to the difficulty of developing a new moderate structure that ensures compliance with conditions that include educational certificates and competence in Sharia law, as well as high personal standards of morality and good conduct.

Sometimes preachers are reluctant to meet the required conditions because they fear problems with the [hard line] Salafists. However we encourage them to assume responsibility because the government is doing its duty – this may include compelling some clerics to quit the pulpit.

How many clerics has the Ministry assigned to help make religious discourse more moderate in Tunisia?

At present there are more than 600 clerics – that is an average of one cleric or more in each administrative district. The clerics are divided into categories. There are local clerics in the administrative districts and then regional clerics at the provincial level. The second group usually consists of more senior and more experienced clerics. Their duties include grooming local clerics, providing guidance, monitoring religious practices and informing the Ministry about any violations.

Your critics have said that you have reappointed clerics affiliated with the former regime. Some of those critics include clerics who you deposed. Are they correct?

The duty of a cleric is to deliver a religious message and the Tunisian Constitution says that religion should be neutral, standing apart from politics. Anyone who wants to be engaged in political action can join a political party. There are numerous parties where individuals can have full freedom of ideology. But those who join a clerical school must take off their political hats. The imams we appointed include some who were forced to leave the pulpits by the Salafists.

Your Ministry has criticized the performance of some individuals, associated with the Salafists including Salafist Sheikh Bashir bin Hassan. And these individuals were removed from the job. Why has this been done?

Inflammatory speeches were being propagated by some of these figures. Bashir bin Hassan is not the only person to preach this type of vitriol. Bin Hassan actually returned to the pulpit without any legal qualification to do so.

There is also Ridha Belhaj, leader of the [ultra-conservative] Hizb ut-Tahrir party, who has also gone to extremes. This man is opposed to the state and to the electoral process. He does not recognize democracy and he is also a cleric and a political leader – this doesn’t make sense in terms of defining what a cleric should be doing.

And then there are also other clerics – they had previously been doing similar things but once they were warned, they changed their rhetoric and toned things down.

How do you view Hizb ut-Tahrir’s repeated calls for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate inside Tunisia?

We see this as a call for chaos and confusion and we strongly and absolutely reject the call. What are they even talking about? These things are inconsistent with reality and modern times. They are talking about a fantasy.

Is there any intention to establish a standard Friday sermon in all of the country’s mosques?

We have avoided this although it would be an easier option for the Ministry. We agreed to requests made by a number of clerics who demanded freedom to choose their own themes for sermonizing. We agreed based upon an agreement that such freedom doesn’t cause chaos. It was also stipulated that all must adhere to the Tunisian Constitution and reconcile their freedoms with legal requirements.

Should there be any violations, we would first draw the cleric’s attention to the violation – especially during Ramadan and special and public holidays. Their attention would also be drawn to this when the country has had to deal with terrorist attacks such as those perpetrated at the Bardo Museum and in Sousse. When these two attacks happened, we told the clerics about the need to condemn such acts and to educate people about the threats of terrorism.

What measures have been taken by the Ministry of Religious Affairs?

We have developed an expanded program for all mosques. The program aims to organize the lessons provided by imams and preachers – especially during the month of Ramadan – on almost a daily basis in mosques and in the media through allotted TV programs. These lessons should be provided in a simple and smooth manner. They adopt a simplified narrative and cover different subjects.

We also paid great attention to our citizens overseas. This is done through assigning a group of clerics and teachers who will travel abroad to deliver lessons and talk to people. We also sent clerics to lead them in special prayers during the month of Ramadan. Additionally, clerics were assigned to teach the Arabic language and the fundamentals of Islam at the Sharia institute during the summer vacation. They can later return to spend the holiday in Tunisia.

Do you have plans for rehabilitating extremist militants who returned home from conflict zones?

We are doing all we can to rehabilitate those who returned from conflict zones. There are clerics assigned to visit these people in prison and to help them take a more moderate approach. Some of them reject the moderate approach of course, while others respond positively and even express remorse. This work requires time and effort.

You have made statements about the possibility of banning the Niqab – the veil for Muslim females that covers almost all of a woman’s face except the eyes. Has there been any action taken in this regard?

Yes, I have made such remarks but this is my personal opinion, not the government’s view. I would not force this opinion on others, given that wearing a niqab is a personal choice – even though it is not a religious obligation nor a legitimate dress code.