Ibadi Jerba: surviving the early Ḥafṣids (13–14th centuries)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Ibadi-majority Island of Jerba, off the coast of modern-day Tunisia, faced several external threats from the 13th–14th centuries. This article explores how the closed social system of the Ibadis in the island of Jerba survived the powerful Hafsids in Tunis as well as attacks by Christian European powers. It explores the different campaigns by both Sunni-Hafsid and Sicilian-Norman armies looking to establish a strategic fortification in Jerba. We also look at the circumstances that led to the Hafsid campaign to the island by the early 14th century. Moreover, we examine the Sunni-Hafsid perception of Jerba as a ‘rogue’ community, one that should be weakened and absorbed into the homogenous Sunni-Maliki Maghribi domain. Despite these many threats, the Ibadi community of Jerba survived threats from across the narrow strait separating it from North Africa to across the Mediterranean.