1 How big were the changes Tunisia’s Ennahda party just made at its national congress? By Monica Marks May 25, 2016 The Washington Post, Monkey Cage Tunisian Ennahda party supporters wave flags in October 2014 in Tunis. (AFP) On Monday, the leading Tunisian political party, Ennahda, concluded its 10th congress since 1979 with a startling declaration. In a move widely reported as a landmark separation of mosque and state, Ennahda announced it was separating politics from preaching. It also unveiled plans to rebrand and reboot the party, broadening membership to recruit new voices and perspectives. Western coverage characterized the congress as abruptly separating religion and politics. Inside Ennahda, though, these changes are understood as formalizing long-brewing trends within the party – introducing revisions that tweak, but do not transformatively sever, its relationship to religion. To implement this new vision, Ennahda decided to no longer allow its party leaders to simultaneously hold leadership positions in civil society organizations, including religious associations. Leaders are also now prohibited from preaching in mosques, even informally or occasionally. This means Ennahda leaders with a well-known