Decked out in a striking blue suit and white shirt, matching his political allegiance, Simon Slama rubs shoulders with fellow candidates ahead of Tunisia’s municipal elections. Nothing unusual about that — except he is the only Jewish candidate, standing for the Islamist Ennahdha party. A public relations stunt for some; a sign of genuine liberalisation for others. But even if Slama fares dismally come the May 6 poll, his candidacy has become a major story in the nation. This will be the first municipal vote since former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fell from power in 2011.

And while Slama looks at ease, joyously clapping hands on the campaign trail in the coastal town of Monastir, the 54-year old sewing machine repairman’s decision to run drew fierce initial opposition from loved ones. “My family were against my choice. My brother was angry and my wife went days without speaking to me,” the candidate tells AFP. “But I managed to convince them.” Slama and his relatives are among the small number of Jews still living in Tunisia. The community in the North African nation has shrunk from several hundred thousand before independence in 1956, to just 1,200 today.

While Jews in the country, which is overwhelmingly Muslim, once served as lawmakers and even ministers, they have long since slipped to the margins of politics. Slama believes his candidacy is helping to change all that and has already “removed fears for Jewish Tunisian citizens”. Comrades in the Ennahdha party insist Slama is the right man to stand for office in Monastir — a symbolic town for Tunisians as it is the birthplace of Habib Bourguiba, the father of the country’s independence. Others say that interest in Slama’s candidacy highlights that while Jews can practice their religion freely they remain an anomaly in Tunisia — and shows the country still has a long way to go on minority rights. And as for the candidate himself — he appears comfortable with his identity and the attention his foray into politics has garnered. If he wins, Slama says, he is ready to take the oath of office on “both the books” — the Torah and the Quran.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2018