(CP) – Yet another Christian church has been ordered to shut down in Algeria as the government’s crackdown on houses of worship continues. The United Kingdom-based Christian persecution advocacy organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports that Hope Evangelical Church in Oran city in western Algeria received a closure order issued by a local court earlier this month.
The church is the latest in a series of churches that have received similar orders under a 2006 law requiring that all non-Muslim places of worship be authorized by a government board called the National Commission for Non-Muslim Worship.
“The closure of House of Hope church and the increased government pressure on Christians and other religious minorities in Algeria is a cause for concern,” CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said in a statement. CSW, which is active in over 20 countries, reports that 13 churches in total have been shut down since last January. READ MORE
