The modern nation of Algeria is in a region that was once a renowned center of Orthodox Christianity. The holy martyr St. Cyprian of Carthage, Blessed Augustine of Hippo, and many other saints hailed from North Africa. But in 647, the first Arab invaders arrived, and the Islamization of the area began. Ultimately Christianity was entirely wiped out in North Africa. These ongoing church closings indicate that authorities are determined that the nation’s ancient faith not experience a resurrection.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in Algeria, see here.
“Authorities Threaten Algerian Church With Closure,” International Christian Concern, February 7, 2022:
02/07/2022 Algeria (International Christian Concern) – A church in the town of Ait Atteli faces threats of closure after the provincial governor submitted a case against the church’s pastor and his father on February 2. No date for a court hearing has been set yet. The threat of closure is based on a 2006 Algerian ordnance that regulates non-Muslim worship.
The church in question is located in Tizi Ouzou, the province where the majority of Algerian Christians reside and is the congregational home to more than 90 members. The pastor’s father, who was named on the governor’s case, owns the land upon which the church is located, according to Middle East Concern. The church was established in 2006 and is part of the Protestant Church of Algeria (Église Protestante d’Algérie– EPA).
At least 16 EPA-affiliated churches have been closed or threatened with closure in the past four years by the Algerian authorities. The threats come as a result of failure to comply with the 2006 ordnance that requires non-Muslim worship to operate only in licensed buildings. However, the licensing commission has yet to issue a single permit….
