Recently, the Algerian Pastor Youssef Ourahmane was arrested and sentenced for leading Christian worship services. The brave pastor shared his experience in the nation amid a broader crackdown on Christianity in the region. Youseff is a convert to Christianity and leads various efforts in the Protestant Church of Algeria, advocating for religious freedom.
“We have had a lot of opposition,” Youseff said at an event hosted by the legal group ADF International. “By 2019, most of the Evangelical churches in our country had been shut down. When the churches were closed, a lot of the Christians felt that something was gone in their Christian faith because the building had been part of their identity.”
According to the pastor, he was arrested and criminally punished for the crime of “illegal worship.” He noted, ““We have had a lot of opposition. By 2019, most of the Evangelical churches in our country had been shut down. When the churches were closed, a lot of the Christians felt that something was gone in their Christian faith because the building had been part of their identity.”
He explained that his is willing to face the consequences imposed by the Algerian government because “God knows the number of my hairs on my head, and none fall without His will. We have to accept God’s will, and God’s sovereignty. I try my best, by His grace, to be a good testimony to others.”
“Despite their small numbers, Algeria has systematically been working to prevent the Evangelical community from being able to simply worship together,” according to as statement during the event from Kelsey Zorzi, director of advocacy for global religious freedom for ADF International. “Pastor Youssef’s case is one of roughly 50 spurious cases against Christians in the past few years. His advocacy throughout the years on behalf of the entire Evangelical church in Algeria, even in the face of potential imprisonment, is an inspiration.” Zori added, “The United States and the international community must take a strong stand against the unlawful church closures and unjustified arrests and imprisonments of pastors.”
Reportedly, there have been extensive crackdowns in the region that have sought to shutdown large church congregations. “The government mandates they can only have 10 people per gathering, forcing many house churches to operate underground. Church leaders who continue to hold services in Algeria are threatened, and several have been arrested and prosecuted by the government,” according to the faith-based organization 21 Wilberforce.
Furthermore, Open Doors International reported that only four out of the 47 churches of the Evangelical Protestant Church of Algeria were open at the end of last year. “Christianity’s long history in Algeria is threatened. 21 Wilberforce added. “As the government closes churches and slows down the registration process for religious groups, Algerian Christians are finding life increasingly difficult.”
The Christian Tribune recently reported on other international hostility toward Christianity, where a man in the U.K. was arrested and charged after silently praying outside an abortion clinic. He had reportedly broken a rule surrounding “buffer zones” outside of abortion clinics, that supposedly prevent Christians from exercising prayer.
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