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| Africa North | |
| Algeria to open synagogues and churches | |
| 2014-07-16 | |
| [MAGHAREBIA] Algeria may soon open synagogues and churches shuttered since the 1990's. Religious Affairs Minister Mohammed Aissa on July 8th reiterated his country's welcome to Jews and Christians. Five days earlier, he announced that his ministry was preparing a bill that would grant minorities access to their places of worship. "This is a message to the Jews and the rest of the communities that Algeria is not against them," he said from Oran. "Algeria is diverse in terms of culture and language and accepts others."
Speaking at a forum organised by Liberte, Aissa said his ministry was "responsible for all religions, not only Islam". In the past, Algeria had accommodated a Jewish association that oversaw the status of Jewish cemeteries in co-ordination with the ministry. The organization also offered tours to historic Jewish neighbourhoods in old Algerian cities such as Tlemcen, which in recent years received delegations of pilgrims to the Kebassa cemetery, where Rabbi Ephraim Ben Kawa is buried. There are 25 synagogues within Algeria, according to the religious affairs ministry. But leaders of the salafist ...also known as Wahhabis, salafists are against innovation in religion or in anything else. They eat the same things every meal of every day and all their children are named Abdullah or Mohammed. Not all salafists are takfiris, but all takfiris are salafists. They are fond of praying five times a day and killing infidels... movement in Algeria rejected the government's decision. Dozens of salafists protested July 11th in Algiers. Salafist Cheikh Abdel Fattah Zrawi had described the move to reintegrate minorities as a threat to Algerian society and culture. But many did not agree with the salafist stance. "Algeria throughout history, including under the Ottomans, always endeavoured to preserve the rights of all communities in worship, including Jews, so that the temples and monasteries of the Jews in Bashar, Tlemcen, Algiers and Oran were not destroyed or even targeted," according to journalist Kamel Chirazi. "That is further evidence of the depth and religious diversity and co-existence in Algeria. The same applies to Christians and their symbols in Algeria," he said. Trader Mohammed Madani said the salafist perspective on the issue was a form of extremism. "Mohammedans pray in mosques that are or were constructed in La Belle France and Europe based on freedom of belief," he explained, noting the double standard in the salafists' stance. For his part, the head of Algeria's advisory human rights ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedomat the convenience of the state... commission, Farouk Ksentini, said that the free exercise of religion was guaranteed by law and the constitution. "Why should we think that we can close churches or temples without a good reason?" he asked. Algerian authorities regarded the Jews as Algerians, no more and no less, Echorouk quoted Algerian Jewish history researcher Dr Fawzi Saadallah as saying. Jews in Algeria are today a minority estimated in the hundreds up to a maximum of a few thousand, said the former head of the Jewish community in Algeria, Roger Said. The former human rights official pointed out that a number of Jews converted to Islam and melted into the community. There are also families in the cities of Tlemcen, Algiers, and other cities that are believed to have Jewish origins, and there is no problem, he said. In various cities of Algeria, almost only the elderly are left, because young people usually migrate in search of broader horizons, as do Mohammedans, Said added | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 And Algerians will blow them up. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2014-07-16 13:54 |
| #1 If true, a baby step...but nonetheless a step. |
| Posted by: borgboy 2014-07-16 00:25 |