Libya

Islamization nearly wiped out the church in Libya

Kristnes situation i Libyen kan opsummeres således:

• Truslen om forfølgelse: Militante salafistiske grupper har til dels udfyldt magttomrummet som opstod under borgerkrigen i kølvandet på diktatoren Gadaffis fald i 2011. Kristne og andre minoriteter risikerer fængsling og udstødelse af deres egne familier.

• Søgende befolkning som afsæt: Selvom det er forbundet med livsfare, opstår der muligheder for at dele troen, fordi mange især unge libyere gør oprør mod islam og søger alternativer.

It's not that Libya hasn't played an important role in church history. It was Simon, from Cyrene in present-day Libya, who helped Jesus carry his cross to Calvary. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, people from present-day Libya were present.

Several theologians who have had a decisive impact on the development of the theology of the Christian Church are from North Africa, such as Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian and Augustine. During this period, the church flourished in Libya and neighboring countries.  

In the 7th century, Arab tribes invaded North Africa and defeated the indigenous peoples of North Africa, the Berbers, or more properly the Amazigh, as they prefer to be called. With the Arab invasion came the Islamization of the region, and for centuries the church was almost non-existent. 

In 1969, Muammar Gadaffi came to power in Libya in a coup. Only Arabic was allowed, and the language of the indigenous peoples, Amazigh, was made illegal. Parents were not even allowed to name their children in Amazigh. The church consisted mainly of Christian guest workers, including people from Egypt, while the number of Christian converts, both Arab and Amazigh, was very limited. In the 1980s, there were only five known Christian converts. 

In 2011, Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown as a result of uprisings in the wake of the Arab Spring. Several Western countries backed the resistance movements militarily. A brutal dictator may have been removed, but since 2011 the country has been characterized by instability, with the Tripoli government in the west of the country vying for power with the Tobruk government in the east.  

I In this tense situation, with a lack of legitimate authorities, a power vacuum appears, where extremist, militant Salafist movements can play a major role. In both the eastern and western parts of the country, police and intelligence tasks are even partially delegated to such groups.  

There are also examples of Islamists acting as moral police by demanding gender segregation in public gatherings, banning the sale of certain books and requiring women to dress Islamically. Not only Christians, but also atheists, feminists and humanists risk persecution. 

Gods work in this particular situation

Flere og flere libyere med muslimsk baggrund ønsker at høre om Jesus. De nye kristne må mødes i undergrundskirker. Det er Dansk Europamissions samarbejdspartnere vidner til. Selvom kristne risikerer fængsel, udstødelse af deres familier og i yderste konsekvens martyrdød, søger muslimer i denne tid Jesus. Jesu kærlighed, hans person, liv, lære og budskab om tilgivelse og fjendekærlighed, står i modsætning til lovreligionen islam, som ikke mindst en stor andel af unge gør oprør mod. Meningsmålingen Arab Barometer viste i 2019, at hele 35,5 % af de 18–29-årige i Libyen identify themselves as non-religious. 

What does the Danish European Mission do

• Danish European Mission's intercessors and donors support that Christians converts can be trained in the Christian faith, and that Christians converts under pressure can receive pastoral care and counseling in their specific situation. 
• Danish European Mission supports the translation of the Bible into a minority language.  
• The Danish European Mission has tried through diplomatic channels to contribute to the release of a Christian prisoner of conscience from prison but has not yet succeeded.