“I found a God of love, full of love for us.”

Algeria has Christian roots dating back to the second century, but Islamic influence is growing. Islamic extremist groups including al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) and Salafism are increasingly visible in society. The government is working closely with Islamists to strengthen its power. It continues to enforce an anti-conversion law which regulates the exercise of religions other than Islam. This is to control the Algerian Christian minority. Christian converts from Muslim families face legal discrimination from the state and hostility from their extended family.

Christians are persecuted by both the state and the Muslim majority population in various ways. Christians cannot worship freely in Algeria because the state prohibits all non-Muslims from worshipping in venues that has not been registered and recognised as places of worship. Christians have great difficulty getting state registration for their places of worship and in getting permits to build churches.

In cooperation with local partners and churches, Open Doors is supporting the Church in Algeria through discipleship, Christian literature distribution, socio-economic development, and advocacy. Open Doors also raises prayer support for believers in Algeria.