Growth of the Church in Algeria

On 13 November, 2012, the Arabic online daily Elaph published the results of the research about the spread of Christianity in Algeria. Here are excerpts from the report:

“That Algerians are leaving Islam is a phenomenon not denied by the government or civil organizations …

The subject of Christianization remains a much discussed matter in Algeria, even though no official census exists that would reveal the actual number of people who have embraced Christianity. Neither the Ministry of Religious Affairs & Awqaf nor the Algerian Episcopal authorities are willing to divulge their number.

While governmental authorities tend to minimize the size of this phenomenon, discussion of it is occurring among both politicians and religious leaders regarding its spread among Algerians, especially among the young people.

According to the field research of three Algerian experts, Jalal Mousa, Salaf Rahmouni, and Naseema Raqiq, there is a noticeable rise in the number of Algerians leaving Islam, reaching 10,000 people, and averaging six individuals per day, most of whom are young people. According to researcher Jalal Mousa, “the number of people who have embraced Christianity is estimated at 10,000.”…

The U. S. Bureau of Democracy & Human Rights of the Department of State estimates that the number of non-Muslims in Algeria has reached 500,000. They attend 300 churches,3 most of which are in the Kabyle region.

Source: http://www.answering-islam.org/authors/thomas/christianization_algeria.html

The minister of Religious Affairs and Awqaf, Ghoulam Allah tried to minimize the extent of this phenomenon by declaring “the wave of Christianization has subsided thanks to the alertness of the young people, adding that evangelists had exploited the young peoples’ circumstances by offering them inducements such as facilitating their visa applications for study abroad, coupled with offers of scholarships, on condition that they embrace the Christian faith; however most of these young people returned to Islam and wrote about their experiences!”

We rejoice at this work of God and pray with the Church that is being established in Algeria.