Mohamed Talbi

Mohamed Talbi was the first doctor of state in Arabic literature and Islamic history from the Sorbonne (1968), where he defended his foundational thesis on the Aghlabid Emirate of Ifriqiya. He served as the first Dean of the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences at the University of Tunis.

A bold and iconoclastic Islamic thinker, Talbi argued passionately for absolute freedom of conscience, democracy, and interfaith dialogue, rejecting literalist and dogmatic interpretations of scripture. His extensive works remain central to modern Mediterranean historiography.