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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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Christians Secretly Target Converts in North Africa

Islamic leaders oppose 'unethical' tactics

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(Newser) – Islamic leaders in north Africa say they are incensed by the tactics of Christians bent on secretly converting their followers, Reuters reports. Religious authorities gripe that missionaries in Morocco and Algeria are using “unethical” methods, such as spreading false information and preying on the weak. “People respond positively when they don’t have their full freedom,” one observer said.

Christians deny this, arguing that they stay low-key in order to set up schools or jobs for local followers, who face persecution by the government or their own families. Nonetheless, their methods aren’t always culturally sensitive. “The new breed of missionary doesn’t have the same historical training as the older established denominations,” one expert says, “so there’s a bull-in-a-china-shop effect.”

Though no official numbers exist, Christians say the number of followers in Morocco alone has swelled from 100 to 1,500 in the past 10 years.
Though no official numbers exist, Christians say the number of followers in Morocco alone has swelled from 100 to 1,500 in the past 10 years.   (AP Photo/Alaa al-Marjani)
The Notre Dame (Church of Our Lady) in Algiers is shown here, circa 1930.
The Notre Dame (Church of Our Lady) in Algiers is shown here, circa 1930.   (Getty Images)
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When I told my father I had become a Christian, he stared at me without speaking. Then he said: 'From now on, you are not my son. Go to those people, let them feed you and give you a home.' "
- Amin, who converted from Islam to Christianity in northern Morocco

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