Source: Middle East Concern, February 4, 2022
Christians in Algeria request prayer for church leaders in Ait Atteli, a village in Tizi Ouzou, the province in which most Algerian Christians live, as officials have started proceedings to close their church.
The provincial governor filed a case on February 1 against the pastor and his father who owns the land where the church is located. The case is based on a 2006 ordinance regulating non-Muslim worship. No date has been set for the court to hear the case. The church was established in 2006 and joined the EPA (Église Protestante d’Algérie), the legally recognized umbrella of Protestant churches in Algeria, in 2011. It has more than 90 members.
In recent years several churches have been closed under this ordinance, which requires non-Muslim worship to be held only in buildings licensed for that purpose. The licensing commission established under the 2006 ordinance, has yet to issue a single license.
The government has waged a systematic campaign against Protestant churches since November 2017, leaving 16 church buildings closed and at least four other fellowships ordered to cease their activities.
In other news, evangelicals are among those signing the country’s first “National Charter for Peaceful Coexistence” in neighboring Tunisia (Evangelical Focus).
Got a heart to pray for the persecuted? See also five ways you can pray for Chinese Christians during the Olympic Games (Voice of the Martyrs).