Christians in Libya request prayer due to continued anti-Christian actions on part of the authorities. At the end of December, the ministry of interior issued a warning to citizens “not to celebrate Christmas on New Year’s eve,“ which apparently the authorities think Christians do.
A campaign was launched across the country to confiscate Christmas decorations. In a major city, the local police, after confiscating them, closed shops selling those items. This followed a police warning against Christmas and New Years celebration, claiming that those do not represent the country’s (Muslim) religion or its beliefs. The national news agency quoted government officials proudly commenting on this.
In a city near the capital, a group of expatriate Arab Christians, who were celebrating the New Year were arrested. Libyans celebrating in a near-by area were also arrested. A member of the Benghazi Fatwa Committee declared that celebrating “Christian feasts“ is against Islam. This action reflects a continued pattern to discriminate against Christians. In May 2021, the ministry of religious affairs called on the General Authority for Communications and Informatics to close down and forbid several types of web-pages, including those which call “youth to follow other religions,“ or those “calling for atheism and devil’s worship.“
Prayer Points
Christians in Libya ask us to pray:
- that Libyan Christians will know the peace of Jesus and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and have the Father’s strength to face the continued discrimination
- for converts from Islam especially, to be protected against the continued attempts of the authorities to harrass them
- for more religious tolerance in the country, including toward Christians from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East
