How are Christians persecuted in Algeria?
- Most people in Algeria are Muslims, and those who decide to become Christians can face harsh treatment: ostracism, beatings, forced attendance at mosques, disownment by their families, and sometimes permanent expulsion from their home.
- Church leaders face frequent interrogations or detentions by police and gendarmes (armed police officers). Some pastors have fled the country.
- Unmarried women are closely monitored, making it difficult to attend underground churches, while widespread church closures have forced thousands into isolation.
- Female converts risk forced marriage or divorce as corrective punishment.
- Many believers are forced to live out their faith in secret. Kamelia*, a young secret believer who lives with her devoutly Muslim family, shares, “The biggest challenge for me has always been my family situation. I often have to take my Bible lessons in hiding, which requires a lot of discretion, patience and faith.”
“Following Christ has been the best decision I ever made.”
Kamelia
- Despite the challenges, many believers continue to faithfully follow Jesus. Kamelia shares: “Following Christ has been the best decision I ever made.”
Why are Christians persecuted in Algeria?
- Over the past three years, state pressure on Protestant Christians in Algeria has intensified to levels unseen in decades.
- Authorities have kept previously closed churches shut and ordered others to cease activities. All 47 churches under the Evangelical Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA) have halted their activities, and other (independent) churches have also stopped meeting due to fear of government action.
- Algerian Christians are isolated without churches to attend.
- More than 50 Christians have been prosecuted in the past years, with some receiving (suspended) prison sentences and fines.
- Converts face strong opposition from families and communities, especially in rural, conservative and Arab regions.
Who is particularly vulnerable in Algeria?
- Protestant Christians are heavily targeted, with all churches associated with the Evangelical Protestant Church of Algeria now either closed or forced to cease almost all meetings.
- Most Christians in Algeria are converts from Islam, and they are vulnerable to family and community challenges.
- Christians living in the southern part of Algeria (where there are very few Christians) face circumstances that are even more difficult than in the north.
What has changed in Algeria in the past year?
- Algeria has fallen one place on the World Watch List, but the persecution score hasn’t changed – the change in position is because of worsening persecution in other countries.
- During the past year, authorities increasingly targeted the church’s online presence, including the closure of a Christian Facebook group with more than 50,000 followers.
- Throughout the last year, the government continued its crackdown on Algerian Christians and any (but especially Protestant) church meetings and also increased pressure on Christian internet activities.
How can I help Christians in North Africa?
Please keep praying for your brothers and sisters in Algeria. Your prayers make an enormous difference to those following Jesus no matter the cost.
In cooperation with local partners and churches, Open Doors supports believers in North Africa through leadership and discipleship training, trauma counseling, prayer and livelihood assistance.
*Name changed for security reasons
Heavenly Father, as so many Algerian Christians follow You live in constant risk, we pray for their safety, their resilience and their courage. Bless those who are imprisoned or face arrest and fines simply because they follow You. Be with converts who are shunned by their families or expelled from their homes – be a ‘Father to the fatherless’ in the words of Psalm 68:5. We ask this for the sake of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.
