Batto Sfez Affair
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Samuel "Batto" Sfez (Arabic: باتو سفس) (Hebrew: באטו ספז) was a young Tunisian Jew who worked as a cart driver for Nassim Shamama, the caid or officially recognised leader of the Jewish community in Tunisia.[1] His execution for blasphemy in 1857 was a test case for the status of Jews and Christians in Tunisia and of the claim of the European powers to exercise jurisdiction over non-Muslims in the country. The affair caused an international diplomatic incident and led to the granting of the first Tunisian guarantee of equal rights for all citizens, regardless of their faith.