[Field Story] Algeria Persecutes Christians on Charges of ‘Shaking Faith’ and ‘Illegal Worship’

A pastor who was arrested and convicted for leading a worship service in Algeria has shared his experience.

According to the Christian Post (CP), at a recent event hosted by the legal group International Freedom Defenders (ADF), Algerian Christian leader Youssef Ourahmane emphasized religious freedom by urging the authorities to reopen evangelical churches that were forcibly closed. Born to a Muslim family, Ourahmane converted to Christianity as a student and has led the church for more than 30 years.

Sharing his experience of being arrested and convicted for leading so-called “illegal worship,” he said, “We faced a lot of opposition. By 2019, most of the Evangelical churches in Algeria had closed. Many Christians felt a sense of loss when the churches closed because they considered the buildings to be part of their identity.”

Despite legal difficulties and personal danger, his faith remains steadfast. Asked if he would be willing to risk imprisonment, he said, “God knows the number of hairs on my head, and not a single hair falls out without His will. We must accept God’s will and sovereignty. I try to be a good witness to others as best I can by His grace.”

On July 2, 2023, Pastor Youssef was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 100,000 Algerian dinars (about 1.03 million won) for leading the Emmanuel Church in Algeria. In November 2023, his sentence was reduced to one year, but the Appeals Court of Tizi Ouzou upheld his conviction in May this year, adding six months of probation.

“Algeria has systematically sought to prevent the evangelical community from worshipping together,” Kelsey Zorzi, ADF’s global religious freedom defender, said at the event. “Pastor Youssef’s case is one of approximately 50 false accusations against Christians over the past several years. He has defended the entire evangelical church in Algeria for years, despite the possibility of imprisonment.”

Pastor Youssef has been facing unfounded criminal charges since 2008 for his peaceful Christian activities. He is one of 50 Christians convicted of vague crimes such as “undermining Muslim faith,” “illegal worship,” or “embezzlement of tithes.”

“In the 1970s, the government licensed churches that were mostly filled with foreigners,” said Pastor Youssef. “Today, the government is concerned that our churches are almost entirely filled with Algerian converts.”

The crackdown has also affected small home gatherings. 21Wilberforce reported that “the government has reduced many house churches to underground churches by limiting gatherings to 10 people. Church leaders who continue to hold services in Algeria are threatened, and some have been arrested and prosecuted by the government.”

He also said that “the long history of Christianity in Algeria is under threat,” and that “Christians are finding life increasingly difficult as the government closes churches and slows the registration process for religious groups.”

Open Doors reported that as of the end of 2023, only four of Algeria’s 47 evangelical Protestant churches remained open. In its 2024 annual report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRFS) recommended that Algeria be placed on the U.S. State Department’s “Special Watch List,” citing “escalating repression of religious minorities.”

Source : Christian Today

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. (1 Timothy 1:13)

We praise you for your longsuffering and for leading us in the way of love.

God, through Algerian Christian leader Pastor Youssef, the situation of the church in Algeria has been shared with the world.

We hear about the situation in Algeria, where the government has been shutting down local evangelical churches under a variety of dubious charges.

By limiting small gatherings to 10 people, they have forced house churches underground.

Remember the witnesses of Jesus Christ who fearlessly speak out in the face of persecution.

God, would you hear their cries and groans and answer them in Algeria.

Apostle Paul was also a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, but when he met Jesus, he joyfully and boldly testified about Jesus, even in the midst of the suffering and persecution he received for Jesus Christ's sake.

May the love of God, which has long-suffered and loved us even unto death, also forgive and save them.

May many of those who have received Your compassion in Algeria rise up and become bold witnesses of Jesus Christ, and may they be examples of those who will turn back!