A lot of Christians today, particularly those of us here in the United States, are completely oblivious to the fact that our brothers and sisters in other nations around the globe are experiencing horrific persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ. Like Algerian Pastor Youssef Ourahmane, who was arrested for worshiping God. Ourahamane shared his story, going on to shine a spotlight on the current oppression of religious minorities in Algeria.
What you are about to read, ladies and gentlemen, is why your church and every other church needs to have a ministry focused on praying for missionaries, pastors, and other congregations located in places around the world that are hostile to the gospel. The saints need to be strengthened to face their persecution for the glory of God.
The Christian Post is reporting, “At an event hosted by the legal group ADF International, Youssef, a Christian convert and leader in the Protestant Church of Algeria, advocated for religious freedom and the reopening of Evangelical churches forcibly closed by Algerian authorities.”
The faithful Algerian pastor recalled the time he was arrested and his conviction for the crime of “illegal worship.” And this is the kind of thing that happens with regularity in Muslim majority countries. These kind of regimes want to force you to accept their faith, whether your belief is sincere or not. If you refuse, you either pay a tax as a second class citizens, eventually get imprisoned, or killed.
“We have had a lot of opposition,” he said to the audience. “By 2019, most of the Evangelical churches in our country had been shut down. When the churches were closed, a lot of the Christians felt that something was gone in their Christian faith because the building had been part of their identity.”
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Youssef was born into a Muslim family, but later converted to Christianity during his years as a student. He has been a pastor for over 3 decades now. And yet, during all of that time, no matter how many legal challenges or the personal risk involved in what he’s doing, he’s steadfast in his faith in Christ.
When asked why he is willing to face imprisonment, he responded, “God knows the number of my hairs on my head, and none fall without His will. We have to accept God’s will, and God’s sovereignty. I try my best, by His grace, to be a good testimony to others.” On July 2, 2023, Pastor Youssef was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 100,000 Algerian dinars ($750) for leading the Emmanuel Church in Algeria. Although his prison sentence was reduced to one year in November 2023, the Court of Appeal in Tizi Ouzou upheld his conviction in May and added an additional six months of suspended prison time.
“Despite their small numbers, Algeria has systematically been working to prevent the Evangelical community from being able to simply worship together,” Kelsey Zorzi, director of advocacy for global religious freedom for ADF International, went on to say during the event. “Pastor Youssef’s case is one of roughly 50 spurious cases against Christians in the past few years. His advocacy throughout the years on behalf of the entire Evangelical church in Algeria, even in the face of potential imprisonment, is an inspiration.”
Algeria is made up of 99 percent Sunni Muslim. The population is around 43 million. As you can see, Christians are heavily outnumbered. The nation’s government enforces weighty laws limiting religious freedom and expression, which includes their definition of blasphemy and sharing the gospel.
Again, pray for people like Youssef in Algeria and all over the world.