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Algeria Shuts Down Protestant Churches, Police Arrest Worshipers
[Jpost] The closure of three Protestant churches in the Muslim-majority North African country of Algeria coincided with arrests of Protestant worshipers in mid-October. While Algerians in western nations can safely worship Ba'al in the several mosques and islamic centers afforded them, thank you. The US-based International Christian Concern (ICC) advocacy director Matias Perttula said that "Reports of rising levels of religious intolerance in Algeria are once again causing a great level of concern for ICC and our partners. These church closures are completely baseless and clear indicators of persecution and harassment of Algeria’s Christians, who represent a significant religious minority. ICC plans to raise this issue with our partners as well as members of Congress on Capitol Hill to make them aware of these human rights violations." The Morning Star News, a Christian media outlet, reported on October 14 that protestant Christians protested the closure of two churches. Pastor Salah Chalah, head of the Protestant Church of Algeria umbrella group l’Église Protestante d’Algérie (EPA), said the authorities retaliated against the Protestant Church of the Full Gospel of Tizi Ouzou because of a sit-in that Christians organized at the Bejaia Province headquarters on October 9. Posted by: Dron66046 2019-10-25 |
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