151:" in which Christians worship are in allowed and known by the Government, although there have been notable incidents of criminal charges for home-based religious practices. Algerian Christians have recently been facing a serious threat to their freedom to worship and suffered clear violations of fundamental freedoms, including the closure of places of worship which continued into 2019. Since November 2017, 17 churches, members of the Protestant Church of Algeria, have been closed by the Algerian authorities, who justify these closures by a lack of authorisation from the National Commission for the exercise of non-Muslim worship. According to the Protestant Church of Algeria, this Commission has always refused to grant any authorisation to evangelical Protestant communities. The Church of the Full Gospel in Tizi Ouzou, which is described as the largest Algerian Protestant church was closed by police in 2019; in March 2023, a court sentenced the president of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA), Pastor Salaheddine Chalah, to 18 months in prison for proselytizing on social media, although this was later reduced to non-custodial sentence.
86:. However, during the period covered by this report there were reports that adherents replaced government-appointed imams with ones whose views more closely aligned to the sentiments of local practitioners. The Government monitors activities in mosques for possible security-related offenses, bars the use of mosques as public meeting places outside of regular prayer hours, and convokes imams to the Ministry of Religious Affairs for "disciplinary action" when warranted.
219:
95:"against the noble nature of the mosque" or act in a manner "likely to offend public cohesion". The amendments do not specify what actions would constitute such acts. By law, the Government is allowed to pre-screen religious sermons before they are delivered publicly. However, in practice the Government generally reviews sermons after the fact. The Government's right of review has not been exercised among non-Islamic faiths.
45:(Article 2) but also declares that "freedom of creed and opinion is inviolable" (Article 36); it prohibits discrimination, Article 29 states "All citizens are equal before the law. No discrimination shall prevail because of birth, race, sex, opinion or any other personal or social condition or circumstance". In practice, the government generally respects this, with some limited exceptions.
141:, an organization fighting the government who are determined to rid the country of those who do not share their extremist interpretation of Islam. However, a majority of the population subscribes to Islamic precepts of tolerance in religious beliefs. Moderate Islamist religious and political leaders have criticized publicly acts of violence committed in the name of Islam.
110:"likely to offend public cohesion". The Ministry of Religious Affairs provides some financial support to mosques and during the period covered by this report sought to expand its control over the training of imams through a government-run Islamic educational institute. At the end of the period covered by this report, no school had actually been established.
186:
In general noncitizens who practice faiths other than Islam enjoy a high level of tolerance within society; however, citizens who renounce Islam generally are ostracized by their families and shunned by their neighbors. The
Government generally does not become involved in such disputes. Converts also
65:
populations generally practice their faiths without government interference, although there have been several instances where the
Algerian government has closed non-Muslim places of worship, most recently from 2017-2019 during which time eighteen Christian churches have been forcibly shut down. The
89:
Amendments to the Penal Code in 2001 established strict punishments, including fines and prison sentences, for anyone other than a government-designated imam who preaches in a mosque. The
Ministry of Religious Affairs coordinated with imams in certain regions to reduce religious extremism following
195:
In 2022, Freedom House rated
Algeria religious freedom as 1 out of 4, noting that members of religious minorities, including the Algerian Protestant Church and members of the Amazigh and Ahmadi communities, suffer from state persecution and interference. Religious communities may only gather to
94:
members called for the boycott of specific prayers, the division of mosques between Salafi and non-Salafi members, and the right to lead religious lessons and hold religious seminars. Harsher punishments were established for any person, including government-designated imams, if such persons act
206:
reported that religious freedom conditions in
Algeria had continued to deteriorate and that the government was increasingly enforcing blasphemy laws and restricting worship. In 2022, the U.S. Department of State placed Algeria on its Special Watch List (SWL), following USCIRF’s recommendation.
66:
law does not recognize marriages between Muslim women and non-Muslim men; it does however recognise marriages between Muslim men and non-Muslim women. By law, children follow the religion of their fathers, even if they are born abroad and are citizens of their (non-Muslim) country of birth.
856:
161:(USCIRF) added Algeria to its 2019 annual report of the world's most severe religious freedom violators, citing several legal barriers to the free exercise of religion, specific incidents of violence against members of the
771:
882:
929:
925:
921:
144:
Proselytizing to
Muslims by non-Muslims is a criminal offence; in 2022, a Protestant pastor was imprisoned for illegally storing religious literature with the aim of proselytizing Muslims.
861:
746:
912:
908:
899:
890:
886:
183:"Offending the Prophet," however, is a criminal charge. If indicted, the defendant faces up to five years' imprisonment and a heavy fine (Abdelkarim Siaghi case - May 2011).
626:
158:
291:
57:
policy of tolerance by allowing, in limited instances, the conduct of religious services by non-Muslim faiths in the capital which are open to the public. The small
447:
349:
399:
611:
17:
154:
In 2022, the
Catholic Church noted that they were able to carry out religious services and prison visits without interference from the authorities.
631:
169:
about the religious oppression seen throughout
Algeria, and recommends that the Department of State add Algeria to its Special Watchlist.
419:
646:
316:
960:
134:, despite (or because of) his lack of religion. In most other areas of the country, the non-religious tend to be more discreet.
548:
476:
283:
686:
176:(particularly for people who "look Muslim") is legal but attracts public hostility in most areas, except for some areas of
796:
786:
591:
443:
269:
801:
691:
621:
338:
781:
731:
716:
671:
606:
166:
518:
965:
736:
836:
811:
661:
656:
636:
601:
586:
137:
The majority of cases of harassment and security threats against non-Muslims come from the now nearly destroyed
821:
791:
776:
761:
751:
741:
706:
701:
651:
596:
165:, and the repression experienced by certain minority Muslim sects. The USCIRF report follows reports from the
831:
826:
766:
721:
681:
576:
557:
955:
806:
756:
711:
696:
676:
666:
641:
581:
162:
103:
816:
726:
616:
541:
386:
373:
400:
Algeria: Arbitrary
Closures of Protestant Churches and Prosecution of Christians Continue through 2021
507:
496:
237:
534:
232:
8:
412:
242:
138:
312:
199:
In 2023, the country was ranked as the 9th worst place in the world to be a
Christian.
126:-speaking area) where they are generally tolerated and sometimes supported; notably,
224:
148:
123:
62:
526:
42:
949:
131:
127:
58:
34:
118:
People without religious affiliation tend to be particularly numerous in
468:
107:
218:
91:
54:
177:
173:
119:
31:
336:
203:
187:
expose themselves to the risk of attack by radical extremists.
83:
79:
38:
284:"Everything you need to know about human rights in Algeria"
159:
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
99:
75:
385:
République Algérienne Démocratique et Populaire, «
372:
République Algérienne Démocratique et Populaire, «
214:
389: », 12 janvier 2021 (consulted the 22-03-2022)
376: », 22 janvier 2021 (consulted on 22-03-2022)
556:
947:
402: », 20 août 2021 (consulted the 22-03-2022)
98:In 2003, the Government sanctioned a number of
337:International Christian Concern (April 2020).
542:
549:
535:
180:; most restaurants close during Ramadan.
508:Open Doors website, retrieved 2023-08-28
444:"US State Dept, 2018 report on Algeria"
313:"World Watch Monitor report on Algeria"
102:for inflammatory sermons following the
14:
948:
270:"US State Dept 2022 report on Algeria"
264:
262:
260:
258:
190:
530:
196:worship at state-approved locations.
497:Freedom House, Retrieved 2023-04-25
398:World Evangelical Alliance, «
255:
74:The Government of Algeria appoints
24:
18:Religious discrimination in Algeria
113:
25:
977:
379:
366:
167:United States Department of State
82:and provides general guidance on
857:Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
627:Democratic Republic of the Congo
339:"Freedom of religion in Algeria"
217:
512:
501:
490:
479:from the original on 2014-10-12
461:
450:from the original on 2020-06-10
425:from the original on 2021-08-04
355:from the original on 2021-10-24
319:from the original on 2021-11-28
294:from the original on 2021-06-10
130:is widely seen as a hero among
106:and for interpretations of the
69:
961:Freedom of religion by country
558:Freedom of religion in Africa
436:
413:"USCIRF report, Archived copy"
405:
392:
330:
305:
276:
28:Freedom of religion in Algeria
13:
1:
248:
163:Protestant Church of Algeria
7:
210:
48:
10:
982:
870:
845:
564:
53:The government follows a
612:Central African Republic
172:Eating in public during
966:Human rights in Algeria
374:DZA 15.03.2021 (5.2020)
238:Human rights in Algeria
772:São Tomé and Príncipe
632:Republic of the Congo
233:Algerian Family Code
30:is regulated by the
956:Religion in Algeria
847:States with limited
346:www.persecution.org
243:Religion in Algeria
191:International Views
139:Armed Islamic Group
519:USCIRF 2023 report
387:HRC/NONE/2021/SP/6
147:Many of the "home
943:
942:
874:other territories
647:Equatorial Guinea
104:May 21 earthquake
37:, which declares
16:(Redirected from
973:
935:
934:(United Kingdom)
930:Tristan da Cunha
926:Ascension Island
918:
905:
896:
872:Dependencies and
565:Sovereign states
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544:
537:
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202:In recent years
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225:Religion portal
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114:For non-Muslims
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5:
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883:Canary Islands
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43:state religion
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
978:
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931:
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718:
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687:Guinea-Bissau
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658:
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650:
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128:Matoub Lounes
125:
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111:
109:
105:
101:
96:
93:
90:reports that
87:
85:
81:
77:
67:
64:
60:
56:
46:
44:
40:
36:
33:
29:
19:
922:Saint Helena
893:
797:South Africa
787:Sierra Leone
592:Burkina Faso
571:
514:
503:
492:
481:. Retrieved
472:
463:
452:. Retrieved
438:
427:. Retrieved
407:
394:
381:
368:
357:. Retrieved
345:
332:
321:. Retrieved
307:
296:. Retrieved
287:
278:
201:
198:
194:
185:
182:
171:
156:
153:
146:
143:
136:
117:
97:
88:
73:
70:Within Islam
52:
35:Constitution
27:
26:
849:recognition
802:South Sudan
692:Ivory Coast
469:"Countries"
950:Categories
904:(Portugal)
862:Somaliland
782:Seychelles
747:Mozambique
732:Mauritania
717:Madagascar
672:The Gambia
607:Cape Verde
483:2021-11-30
454:2021-11-30
429:2021-11-30
359:2021-11-30
323:2021-11-30
298:2021-11-30
249:References
41:to be the
737:Mauritius
61:and tiny
59:Christian
928: /
924: /
917:(France)
911: /
889: /
885: /
837:Zimbabwe
812:Tanzania
662:Ethiopia
657:Eswatini
637:Djibouti
602:Cameroon
587:Botswana
477:Archived
448:Archived
420:Archived
350:Archived
317:Archived
292:Archived
211:See also
149:churches
92:Salafist
55:de facto
49:Overview
32:Algerian
913:Réunion
909:Mayotte
900:Madeira
895:(Spain)
891:Melilla
822:Tunisia
792:Somalia
777:Senegal
762:Nigeria
752:Namibia
742:Morocco
707:Liberia
702:Lesotho
652:Eritrea
622:Comoros
597:Burundi
572:Algeria
178:Kabylie
174:Ramadan
132:Kabyles
120:Kabylie
84:sermons
80:mosques
932:
915:
902:
832:Zambia
827:Uganda
767:Rwanda
722:Malawi
682:Guinea
577:Angola
204:USCIRF
124:Kabyle
108:Qur'an
63:Jewish
887:Ceuta
807:Sudan
757:Niger
712:Libya
697:Kenya
677:Ghana
667:Gabon
642:Egypt
582:Benin
423:(PDF)
416:(PDF)
353:(PDF)
342:(PDF)
100:imams
76:imams
39:Islam
817:Togo
727:Mali
617:Chad
157:The
122:(a
78:to
952::
475:.
471:.
446:.
418:.
348:.
344:.
315:.
290:.
286:.
257:^
550:e
543:t
536:v
486:.
457:.
432:.
362:.
326:.
301:.
272:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
