22Algeria

While Christians make up a tiny percentage of the population of Algeria, they face increasing obstacles to religious freedom. Laws regulating non-Muslim worship ban anything that would “shake the faith of a Muslim” or be used as “a means of seduction intending to convert a Muslim to another religion”. A 2006 law repressing worship remains in place, despite a new constitution being introduced in November 2020.

Most Christians in the country are converts from Islam and, as with most countries in North Africa, these believers face strong opposition from their family and community. This can involve harassment, beatings, threats and imprisonment, as well as pressure to adhere to Islamic norms and rites.

What has changed this year? Several Christians were prosecuted and imprisoned on blasphemy and proselytising charges. Algerian authorities are also waging an ongoing, systematic campaign against the Protestant Church: 13 churches that had previously been forcibly sealed remain closed, and another three were forced to shut down.