Rabat – Open Doors, an NGO that focuses on the treatment of Christians abroad, released a new report on the treatment of Christians in Algeria. The report, published on January 18, talked of the NGO’s increasing concerns about how the Algerian regime treats Christian residents.
Open Doors claims that Christians are “limited” in how they can exercise their faith. The report finds that these limitations are down to the law that other religious groups are prohibited from anything that “shakes the Muslim faith,” so as to not risk a Muslim converting to another religion.
Overall, Christians in the North African country are a minority making up 0.3% of the population. According to the report, harassment and discrimination are some of the problems that Christians face in Algeria.
The report also established that finding employment or keeping a professional position can be challenging for a Christian in Algeria.
In addition to the accusations suggesting it is becoming increasingly hard to be Christian in Algeria, there have been reports of churches closing across the country. European news outlet Evangelica Focus reported that three churches closed in the North African country in 2021.
According to converging reports, Algerian authorities have justified the closing of churches by citing the “failure to comply with building regulations.”
The rising concern for Christians in Algeria comes among other accusations at the Algerian regime for violating other human rights.
The US State Department placed Algeria alongside the Central African Republic and Vietnam on the “special watchlist for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in December 2022.
The NGO has a world ranking system on its website that shows the countries which “persecute” the Christian population. On their world watch ranking they have moved Algeria up three places in 2022 to 19.
North Korea is ranked as the worst country with regard to the treatment of Christian citizens and is in the number one spot on the Open Doors list.
