The country’s public prosecutor said Habiba Qawider should have asked authorities first whether she could leave the Islamic faith, local media reported, quoting evangelical pastor Mustafa Karim.
Qawider, who is in her 30s, was plucked off an inter-city bus outside of her home town Tiaret and handcuffed on March 29, after police found some 10 Bibles and books on Christianity in her hand bag, rights investigators said.
In Algeria, Christian churches must seek special permits from the Ministry for Religious Affairs to practise their activities. “You reinstate Islam and I will [drop the case]; if you persist in sin you will undergo the lightning of justice,” the prosecutor told Qawider in published remarks.
CHARGES DENIED
Her defense lawyer, Khelloudja Khalfoun, has denied his client was involved in religious wrongdoing. “There is no trace of a possible reason to try individuals for the ‘practice of non-Muslim worship without authorization,’” Khalfoun reportedly said.
Her court case in Tiaret, some 400 kilometres west of the capital Algiers, has underscored mounting government pressure on churches, according to advocacy groups. A new hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, May 27.
In addition, six other Christians will face a court hearing that day for allegedly "distributing illegal religious documents shaking the faith of Muslims." The Protestants, all men, were detained this month after leaving a prayer meeting, rights group Barnabas Fund told BosNewsLife.
In another incident in Tiaret this month, Algerian authorities reportedly charged six Christians with distributing "illegal religious material" after detaining them as they left a prayer meeting. The Protestants, all men, were accused of "distributing documents to shake the faith of Muslims," before being released, with their first court hearing scheduled for May 27, believers said.
SIMILAR TRIALS
Other Christians face similar trials, said advocacy group International Christian Concern (ICC), which has close knowledge about the situation.
ICC with website persecution told BosNewsLife that another Christian man, only identified as Djallal, was detained Thursday, May 22 apparently after prosecutors re-opened a case against him for carrying Christian literature. Djallal and a fellow Christian were first arrested by police in June 2007 when police found the Christian publications in their car, but a court later ordered their release, according to observers of the case.
"It seems that he is facing charges in the same case in which he was tried and found not guilty in 2007," ICC said. "Many Christians have also received suspended prison terms, threatening them with prison if they continue evangelizing Muslims,” said ICC. Also, “More than 20 churches have been closed by Algerian officials under the guise of failing to register with an as yet non-existent government body," ICC added.
CIVIL WAR
Christian rights activists say the reported crackdown is a set-back for Algeria, which made a comeback from a bloody civil war between the government and Islamic militants that resulted in the death of over 100,000 Algerians.
"Currently, the country is enjoying peace and economic progress, but its heavy-handed approach towards Christians, which constitute less than one of the total population, is tarnishing its image," ICC said. Algerian authorities have defended the policy, saying they are carrying out the laws of the land.
However ICC Regional Manager for Africa, Darara Gubo, said "Algerian officials have the duty to respect religious freedom [and] must, therefore, re-open the closed churches, and stop detaining and harassing Christians who are practicing their faith."
His group has urged the international community and Christians to "pray" and to call "Algerian embassies in their respective countries."
