Did Wikipedia remove the word "indigenous" from the Islam in Tunisia article?

Yes. "indigenous" appeared 2 times in this article's opening at its peak. Today it appears nowhere in the article, references included. We saved the article's opening paragraph at 6 moments between 2005 and 2025, and the counts come from those saved copies.

When did the Islam in Tunisia article stop using the word "indigenous"?

The word appeared 2 times in the opening at its peak in 2005. It appears nowhere in the article today, checked against the live article on 2026-08-02.

How can I verify what Wikipedia's Islam in Tunisia article used to say?

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Islam in Tunisia

The word “indigenous” appeared 2 times in this article's opening at its peak in 2005. Today the opening carries none, and neither does the rest of the article, references included.

Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.

Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-02. “indigenous” appeared 2 times in this article's opening at its peak. Today it appears nowhere in the article, references included.

We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since. Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now. ¹ tap a number or a side note to jump between them

The opening as it read in 2005

Islam in Tunisia is the official state religion.¹ Approximately 99 percent of the population of Tunisia is nominally Muslim . There is no reliable data on the number of practicing Muslims. There is a small indigenous Sufi Muslim community; however, there are no statistics regarding its size. Reliable sources 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. During annual Ramadan festivals, Sufis provide public cultural entertainment by performing religious dances.² Judaism is the country's second largest indigenous religion with approximately 1,500 members. One-third lives in and around the capital and is descended predominantly from Italian and 16th-century Spanish immigrants. The remainder lives on the island of Djerba where the Jewish community dates back 2,500 years. The Constitution provides for the free exercise of religions that do not disturb the public order, and the Government generally respects this right; however, it does not permit the establishment of political parties based on religion, forbids proselytizing, and restricts the wearing of hijab .³ The Constitution declares that Islam is the official state religion and stipulates that the President must be a Muslim. The Government controls and subsidizes mosques and pays the salaries of prayer leaders. The President appoints the Grand Mufti of the Republic. The 1988 Law on Mosques provides that only personnel appointed by the Government may lead activities in mosques and stipulates that mosques must remain closed except during prayer times and other authorized religious ceremonies, such as marriages or funerals. New mosques may be built in accordance with national urban planning regulations; however, upon completion, they become the property of the Government. The Government also partially subsidizes the Jewish community. The following religious holidays are considered national holidays: Eid al-Adha , Eid al-Fitr , Ras Al-Am El-Hejri , and Mouled . The Government also recognizes the sanctity of non-Muslim religious holidays.⁴ The Government allows the Jewish community freedom of worship and pays the salary of the Grand Rabbi. It also partially subsidizes restoration and maintenance costs for some synagogues. The Government permits the Jewish community to operate private religious schools and allows Jewish children on the island of Djerba to split their academic day between secular public schools and private religious schools. The Government also encourages Jewish émigrés to return for the annual Jewish pilgrimage to the historic El-Ghriba Synagogue on Djerba.⁵ Islamic religious education is mandatory in public schools, but the religious curriculum for secondary school students also includes the history of Judaism and Christianity. The Zeitouna Koranic School is part of the Government's national university system. Generally, Shari'a-based interpretation of civil law is applied only in some family cases. Some families avoid the effects of Shari'a on inheritance by executing sales contracts between parents and children to ensure that sons and daughters receive equal shares of property. There were reports that the Government did not allow married couples to register the birth of their children and receive birth certificates if the mother was Christian and the father was Muslim and the parents tried to give their children non-Muslim names.⁶

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 17099671.

The opening as it stood in 2010 8 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Tunis Zitouna Great Mosque Islam is the official state religion in Tunisia . Approximately 98 percent of the population of Tunisia is nominally Muslim . Most of them are Sunni belonging to the Malikite madhhab , but a small number of Ibadhi Muslims ( Kharijites ) still exist among the Berber -speakers of Jerba Island. There is no reliable data on the number of practicing Muslims. There is a small indigenous Sufi Muslim community; however, there are no statistics regarding its size. Reliable sources 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. During annual Ramadan festivals, Sufis provide public cultural entertainment by performing religious dances. The Constitution declares Islam the official state religion and stipulates that the President must be a Muslim. The government controls and subsidizes mosques and pays the salaries of prayer leaders. The President appoints the Grand Mufti of the Republic. The 1988 Law on Mosques provides that only personnel appointed by the Government may lead activities in mosques and stipulates that mosques must remain closed except during prayer times and other authorized religious ceremonies, such as marriages or funerals. Police stations will often be found near mosques. Some people maybe interrogated just for associating or being seen in the street with practising Muslims. New mosques may be built in accordance with national urban planning regulations; however, upon completion, they become the property of the Government. The Government also partially subsidizes the Jewish community. The following religious holidays are considered national holidays: Eid al-Adha , Eid al-Fitr , Ras Al-Am El-Hejri , and Mawlid . The Government also recognizes the sanctity of non-Muslim religious holidays. The Mosquée Ennasr mosque in Ariana has a futurist architecture Islamic religious education is mandatory in public schools , but the religious curriculum for secondary school students also includes the history of Judaism and Christianity . The Zeitouna Koranic School is part of the Government's national university system. Generally, Shari'a-based interpretation of civil law is applied only in some family cases. Some families avoid the effects of Shari'a on inheritance by executing sales contracts between parents and children to ensure that sons and daughters receive equal shares of property. According to the State Department's 2004 International Religious Freedom Report, referenced below, there were some reports that the Government did not allow married, interfaith couples to register the birth of their children. In these cases, couples were denied birth certificates if the mother was Christian and the father was Muslim and the parents tried to give their children non-Arabic names.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 359640582.

The opening as it stood in 2015

Tunis Zitouna Great Mosque Islam is the official state religion in Tunisia . Approximately 98 percent of the population of Tunisia is nominally Muslim . Most of them are Sunni belonging to the Malikite madhhab , but a small number of Ibadhi Muslims ( Kharijites ) still exist among the Berber -speakers of Jerba Island. There is no reliable data on the number of practicing Muslims. There is a small indigenous Sufi Muslim community; however, there are no statistics regarding its size. Reliable sources 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. During annual Ramadan festivals, Sufis provide public cultural entertainment by performing religious dances. The Constitution declares Islam the official state religion and stipulates that the President must be a Muslim. The government controls and subsidizes mosques and pays the salaries of prayer leaders. The famous Islamic madrasa Zaytuna , was attached to the Tunis University in 1958 and a Grand Mufti of the Republic named. In April 1987 a Higher Islamic Council was created. The President appoints the Grand Mufti of the Republic. The 1988 Law on Mosques provides that only personnel appointed by the Government may lead activities in mosques and stipulates that mosques must remain closed except during prayer times and other authorized religious ceremonies, such as marriages or funerals, although this rule was discontinued following the Arab Spring Revolution and now Mosques are open almost 24/7. Police stations will often be found near mosques. Some people maybe interrogated just for associating or being seen in the street with practising Muslims. New mosques may be built in accordance with national urban planning regulations; however, upon completion, they become the property of the Government. The Government also partially subsidizes the Jewish community. The following religious holidays are considered national holidays: Eid al-Adha , Eid al-Fitr , Ras Al-Am El-Hejri , and Mawlid . The Government also recognizes the sanctity of non-Muslim religious holidays. The Mosquée Ennasr mosque in Ariana has a futurist architecture Islamic religious education is mandatory in public schools , but the religious curriculum for secondary school students also includes the history of Judaism and Christianity . The Zeitouna Koranic School is part of the Government's national university system. Generally, Shari'a-based interpretation of civil law is applied only in some family cases. Some families avoid the effects of Shari'a on inheritance by executing sales contracts between parents and children to ensure that sons and daughters receive equal shares of property. According to the State Department's 2004 International Religious Freedom Report, referenced below, there were some reports that the Government did not allow married, interfaith couples to register the birth of their children. In these cases, couples were denied birth certificates if the mother was Christian and the father was Muslim and the parents tried to give their children non-Arabic names. The Failure of Political Islam .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 661956245.

Today

“indigenous” appeared 2 times in this article's opening at its peak. Today it appears nowhere in the article, references included. Read the current article and compare.

Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
	2005	2010	2015	2020	Oct '23	2025

What Wikipedia says this is

Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined between 2005 and 2025.

Then

official state religion

Now

dominant religion in tunisia

image & license · Wikimedia

1. Removed: “Islam in Tunisia is the official state religion.” In the article until 2005 (rev), gone by 2010 (rev).

2. Removed 6 sentences: “Approximately 99 percent of the population of Tunisia is nominally Muslim .…” In the article until 2015 (rev), gone by 2020 (rev).

3. Removed 4 sentences: “Judaism is the country's second largest indigenous religion with approximately 1,500 members.…” In the article until 2005 (rev), gone by 2010 (rev).

4. Removed 8 sentences: “The Constitution declares that Islam is the official state religion and stipulates…” In the article until 2015 (rev), gone by 2020 (rev).

5. Removed 4 sentences: “The Government allows the Jewish community freedom of worship and pays the…” In the article until 2005 (rev), gone by 2010 (rev).

6. Removed 5 sentences: “Islamic religious education is mandatory in public schools, but the religious curriculum…” In the article until 2015 (rev), gone by 2020 (rev).

Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.

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