Northwest Africa

Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya - these countries have been Muslim since invasions in the middle of the 7th century. However, these countries were largely Christian by the third century due to Roman persecution. Roman persecution of Christians was often severe in these countries.

From African Christianity - "Within a century the Christian church had died out, without any particular persecution on the part of the Muslim rulers, who treated the Christians leniently because they were "People of the Book." Christians were, however, required to pay additional taxes, and within a generation or two found these taxes too onerous to be worth maintaining a Christian identity. The church, divided and quarreling, could not persuade its members of the truth and importance of the Gospel message. If the blood of the martyrs had been the seed of the North African church, the feeling that Christianity was unfashionable and rather expensive withered the plant. Had Islam persecuted the North African Christians rather than tolerating them, Christianity may well have continued to flourish."

With this heritage in mind, Tunisia, located between Algeria and Libya on the southern coast of the Mediterranean, is sort of an oasis that provides relative freedom from religious persecution. However, there is also much apathy toward spiritual things, including among Christians.

In the other northwest African countries, Christian evangelism is forbidden, and there are great conflicts between western youth culture versus their own. Today, most Libyans are Sunnah Muslims. Mohamar Qadhafi, due to his radical interpretation of Islam, began in the 1970s rejecting traditional Islamic jurisprudence and the greater part of Islamic law - rejecting obedience to authority in favor of the right to interpretation of the Islamic law. This is one of the things that makes it a very unstable country, as well as unsafe for Christians.

This month we pray that
- there will be strength, wisdom, and passion for Christ in Christian families.
- that young Christian believers will find mates who are also strong in their Christian faith.
- that Christian believers will commit their lives to Jesus Christ, and will be willing to share this faith with others by example, generosity, caring, and teaching.
- that there is more effective coordination and follow-up of media contacts.
- that government leaders in Algeria and Libya will move toward a more stable structure that will not foster radical Islamic factions, and will allow residents freedom to choose to listen to the Word and follow Christ.
- that government leaders will be able to continue to protect the Tunisia from radical Islamists.