Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — The tiny Jewish community in Tunisia has come under a police
crackdown.

Human rights activists said the Jewish community on the Tunisian island
of Djerba was being harassed by police. The activists said police fired
tear gas and stole property during the Jewish festival last month.

The activists said Tunisia’s Jewish community, estimated at 1,500, was
under threat from the growth of Al Qaida-aligned elements in the North
African state.

Police have been reluctant to respond to threats against Jews and
Christians since the election of a Muslim Brotherhood government in 2012.
The Tunisian Association said prosecutors have refused to process a
complaint against a Muslim preacher who called for the extermination of Jews
last December.

“Tunisian Jews feel in danger,” Yamina Thabet, a leading human rights activist, said. “They are really afraid.”

On Oct. 2, Ms. Thabet, president of the Tunisian Association Supporting Minorities, held a briefing on the crackdown against the Jews in Djerba. She cited three attacks by police during the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur and subsequent festival of Tabernacles.

Human rights activists said the police appeared to be aiding anti-Semitic elements in Djerba. They said a Muslim who called himself “the new Hitler” was assaulting Jews with impunity.

Tunisia has long claimed to be the most tolerant Arab state toward Jews
and other non-Muslim minorities. The Jewish community in Djerba, which has
been targeted by Islamists, was established more than 2,000 years ago.

“They are fed up with being used during visits by politicians as
evidence for the peaceful coexistence,” Ms. Thabet said. “And when the law
is broken, they are the first victims of negligence.”

  500 Jews report harassment since election of Brotherhood government, Djerba, Tunisia’s 1, Yamina Thabet, Yom Kippur