How are Christians persecuted in Mauritania?
- Converts risk expulsion from the family home and loss of livelihood, and may even be forced to leave the country.
- Apostasy is legally punishable by death. There are no known cases of this in recent years – but the threat remains.
- While visiting or migrant Christians from Western countries are largely left alone, evangelism is strictly forbidden and can lead to prosecution
- Most Christians in Mauritania are from sub-Saharan Africa and they can face discrimination in employment, because of both racial and faith-based discrimination.
Why are Christians persecuted in Mauritania?
- Since Mauritania is staunchly Islamic, Christian activities are severely restricted, making it difficult for Christians to express their faith; for converts, it’s almost impossible.
- Christianity is viewed as a negative Western influence, and it means that Christian converts face severe hostility both from the authorities and from their families.
- The presence of Islamist extremist groups also constitutes a threat to those who leave Islam.
Who is particularly vulnerable in Mauritania?
- Tribal and family ties are especially strict in rural areas, but even in the capital and largest city, Nouakchott, the pressure on converts from Islam to Christianity can be high.
- Islamist militants are particularly active in the eastern border regions, posing a threat to Christians.
What has changed in Mauritania in the past year?
- Mauritania remains at number 23 on the World Watch List, but the persecution score has increased.
- In December 2023, 15 Mauritanian Christian leaders, as well as their family members, were arrested after a baptism video was shared on social media. They were released, but the incident, and the threatening responses to it by radical Muslims, society and the government, shocked the country’s small Christian community.
How can I help Christians in Mauritania?
- Please keep praying for your brothers and sisters in Mauritania. Your prayers make an enormous difference to those following Jesus no matter the cost.
Open Doors works with local partners and churches in North Africa to provide leadership and discipleship training, livelihood support, legal aid, trauma counselling, Bibles and pastoral care.
please pray
Lord God, we thank You for the small number of Christians in Mauritania who have risked everything in choosing to follow You. Draw near to them today and fill them with Your Holy Spirit; remind them that they are precious in Your sight. Help Christians who’ve converted from Islam to find ways of sharing Your love with their families and communities, so that the church’s light will draw many more Mauritanians to You, Amen.
