The day we prayed, life for a Algerian Christians changed too.
Three weeks after the Algerian church leaders spoke to the UK parliament on October 25th there was a public demonstration in Algeria outside the Ministry of Justice attended by Christians and Muslims alike, calling for religious liberty for all Algerians.
This remarkable event was prompted by Karim Siaghi’s appeal, due to be heard the following day. The demonstrators held signs reading “Freedom to worship equals equality for all” and “I am Muslim and tolerant.” One Muslim student was reported as saying, “He has the right to live like any other who is a Muslim.”
We prayed in the houses of Parliament that day. As we declared in each room we knew God would change things. But let’s keep praying…
Since then the verdict on Karim’s appeal has been again postponed. The judge indicated that he did not have sufficient information to reach a conclusion. This came as no surprise to Karim’s lawyer, who was quoted in an Algerian newspaper saying, “There is no evidence… Even the person who complained was never presented at the hearing.”
Mustapha Krim, head of the Evangelical Church in Algeria, described the ongoing delay as “outrageous”, emphasising that this case highlighted the arbitrary restrictions facing Christians in Algeria. He called once again for the repeal of Ordinance 06-03, which had caused such confusion in their treatment.
Following his visit to the Foreign Office, Open Doors received an official response indicating that “We raise the issue of human rights, including freedom of religion and belief, with the Government of Algeria through a variety of mechanisms.”
More information is available from: Open Doors
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