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A dhimmi, meaning "protected person" refers to specific individuals living in Muslim lands, who were granted special status and safety in Islamic law in return for paying the capital tax. This status was originally only made available to non-Muslims who were People of the Book, namely, Jews and Christians, but was later extended to include Zoroastrians, Mandeans, and, in some areas, Hindus. The term connotes an obligation of the state to protect the individual, including the individual's life, property, and freedom of religion and worship, and required loyalty to the empire, and a poll tax known as the jizya. Dhimmi had fewer legal and social rights than Muslims, but more rights than other non-Muslim religious subjects.
Tunisia has been significant since ancient times: from the Phoenician city of Carthage through its role in the Roman Empire, its time as a pirate stronghold, rebuilding under the Ottoman Empire, and more recentl (source: Tunisia)