It is a fragile and insecure faith that has to imprison and fine those who challenge it, rather than meeting them as equals on the battlefield of ideas. The left is the same way: its rapid and increasing moves to silence dissidents indicates that leftists know they can’t win on the strength of their perspective and views. This doesn’t mean they won’t succeed or that free society isn’t deeply threatened; nonetheless, it remains true that those who turn to forced silencing of their opponents know they can’t prevail any other way.
“Two Christians Sentenced to Prison and Heavy Fine in Algeria,” Morning Star News, March 4, 2021:
TIZI-OUZOU, Algeria (Morning Star News) – A court in Algeria has convicted and sentenced in absentia a pastor and another Christian to two years in prison and a heavy fine, accusing them of “shaking the faith” of Muslims with Christian literature at their bookstore, sources said.
Pastor Rachid Seighir and Nouh Hamimi learned by a written notification slipped under the door of their church building in Oran, a coastal city 268 miles west of Algiers, that they had been sentenced to prison and fined 500,000 Algerian dinars (US$3,745).
The pastor was the manager of the now-closed bookstore, where Hamimi worked as a salesman. The judgment reads that they are condemned for “distributing publications or any other propaganda undermining the faith of a Muslim.”
Pastor Seighir of Oratoire Church in Oran said the conviction was mere retaliation in a conflict over the bookstore going back to 2008, when he was convicted of the same charges and acquitted on appeal. The governor of Oran ordered the bookshop closed in 2017, but in April 2018, a court ruled the closure order was invalid due to procedural problems – though authorities continued to keep the bookshop closed, he said….
The church on May 26, 2019 won another legal fight to unseal the bookstore, but the governor again refused to obey the order, and it remained closed, he said.
“Continuing our fight, we asked the administrative court to intervene,” Pastor Seighir said. “Here too we were successful, and the judgment arrived on October 13, 2019 ordering the removal of the seals and the reopening of the bookstore, with financial compensation of 500,000 dinars [US$3,745]. Unfortunately, the wali did not comply with the order of justice, and the bookstore remained closed. Four years of closure.”…
Algeria’s 2006 law regulating non-Muslim worship, known as Law 03/06, criminalizes the publishing or distributing of any materials “which aim to undermine the faith of a Muslim.” Punishment can range from two to five years in prison and fines of 500,000 to 1 million Algerian dinars (US$3,745 to US$7,490).
Islam is the state religion in the 99-percent Muslim country. Since 2000, thousands of Algerian Muslims have put their faith in Christ. Algerian officials estimate the number of Christians at 50,000, but others say it could be twice that number….
Algeria ranked 24th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2021 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, up from 42nd place in 2018.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
There’s an increasing willingness to quash free speech across the globe. This entails a decoupling from reality, so to speak. But the Moslems have always had this going, from the beginning under the command of the Holy Prophet. And now we have Big Tech and even the U.S. gubmint in the censorship business. The globo-socialists in this sense have aligned with the Moslems. Whether it’s Das Kapital or the Holy Ko-Ran, it’s by the book so watch your mouth.
Mount Zion says
Poor dears , their faith got shaken by christian literature , muslims should be definitely denied to enter any christian country to protect them from their faith beeing shaken . Can you imagine the outcry if a muslim bookstore in the west was closed on grounds of shaking the faith of christians.
gravenimage says
Good points, Mount Zion.
somehistory says
So, when one sells or gives Christian literature to a mo slum, that one is committing a crime because the mo slum should be allowed to go on being blind to the Truth… keeping his “faith.”
But, when a mo slum is a terrorist, has been “radicalized,” then he/she is in need of a change in his/her thinking, .; “faith”.. and this is allowed. And this is because when one is “deradicalized,” that one is not given reasons for leaving islam…only that he/she should not carry out the command to kill infidels…or something like that. And that is why the programs to “deradicalize” don’t work.
Eur says
Muslims have a different mentality, in reality we all have different mentalities (Southern Europeans, Scandinavians, Germans, Anglos, Eastern Europeans, African Americans, Chinese, South Americans …) but the Muslim mentality is very different from the rest … they are conquerors. Islam is not just a religious confession, it is an idea of life, a conception of society where Muslims must be subject but non-Muslims must be subject to Muslims. They are slaves who enslave.
Michael Copeland says
The Western mind is hopelessly handicapped for comprehending Islamic ideology. To make any headway there is a need to part company with many basic assumptions and replace them with unfamiliar foreign ones, involving a large effort of imagination.
From:
https://gatesofvienna.net/2014/10/the-mindset-need/
somehistory says
Many detectives who have investigated serial killings have had to “put themselves in the mind of the serial killer and think as he thinks,” in order to catch him.
One who is not evil of mind can never really understand the evil mind of another. The behavior and patterns can be studied, but the “why” anyone would wish to be a psychopath can never be understand by the non-psychopath.
James Lincoln says
Excellent linked article, Michael.
Well done!
James Lincoln says
somehistory,
I immediately thought of the movie “Donnie Brasco” (1997) when Joe Pistone goes undercover and infiltrates the Mafia…
Walter Sieruk says
This jihadwatch article is right on the mark when it starts off by declaring that “It is a fragile and insecure faith that has to imprison and fine those who challenge it…”
The followers of Islam can’t defend their religion by debate from the Bible or reason because the foundations of Islam along with its doctrines are so very weak Muslim with power resort to such low tactics as violence and this specific case prison to silence any Bible refutation of the false teachings of Islam.
Furthermore with this above it’s appropriate to reiterate that the way for a person to discover the truth concerning the nature of Jesus is found in the Bible verse Isaiah 8:20. This instructs “To the law of the testimony. If they do not speak according to the word, it is because there is no light in them.” [N.K.J.V.] In other words, if a religious teacher has teaching that are in contradiction to the Word, the Bible, then that teachers is a false teacher who teaches false doctrines. The Muslim clerics, as the imam and mullahs, teach and speak doctrines about God from the Quran .
As the Quran in 112 teaches “He is God alone: God is the eternal begetteth not…” Likewise, this religious book which is the entire foundation of and for Islam further teaches in 19:35. “It is not befitting to God that He should beget a son.” In great contrast the Bible teaches in John 1:14. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory , the glory of the only begotten of the Father ,full of grace and truth.” Likewise John 3:16 teaches “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son… Then just a little further in verse 18 it is written about Jesus Who is “the only begotten Son of God. “ Other places in the Bible further teach that Jesus is the Son of God as in Matthew 16:15:16. Luke 1:35. John 3:36. First John 4:14. 15. 5:14,15.
Moreover to be even more clear the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, Who is God the Father. As found in Matthew 3:16,17. First John 2:22,23. 4:14,15. Of course , it ,very much, needs to made even more specific . The Bible teaches that Jesus is also God the Son. As seen in Hebrew 1:8 and First John 5:20.
The imams and mullahs as well as the other apologists for Islam will try to “explain” this all away. As in they will try brush off all those Bible verse off by making the claim that the Bible had been corrupted, through time, by Christians and that’s why the Bible reads as it does. That claim they make actually underestimate the Power of God to protect and keep His Word safe and intact ,through time, and away from the corruption of men.
In conclusion ,with the above instruction of the way to find doctrinal truth in Isaiah 8:20 and in the light of the Bible verse provided it may be clearly seen, by all those who are willing to see, that Islam is in terrible doctrinal error and it is therefore a false religion, Proverbs 14:12. John 14:6.
In addition there is a Christian internet site which replies to the many claims made by the imams and mullahs as well as the other apologists for Islam. It’s http://www.answering-islam.org
Crusades Were Right says
Christian nations should cease sending “aid” to Algeria, stop visiting the place as tourists and end all commercial ties with the place.
Let’s see if that “shakes” anything! lol
James Lincoln says
So, according to the feature article:
“A court in Algeria has convicted and sentenced in absentia a pastor and another Christian to two years in prison and a heavy fine, accusing them of “shaking the faith” of Muslims with Christian literature…”
In a sane world, “shaking the faith” of muslims would be seen as a positive, like trying to get neo-Nazis to question – and hopefully change – their beliefs.
But no…
tim gallagher says
I agree, James. I also thought, in relation to this report, that Muslims must know that they are living in a glass house, believing in an indefensible load of crap, Islam, and only this thuggery will stop people leaving the barbaric ideology behind. I agree with the idea that Islam is right down there in the gutter with Nazism and, anything that helps to destroy it, is definitely a positive.
David M says
The same fragile & insecure faith that goes berserk & kills people over cartoons. The only reason Muslims would go berserk over literature or cartoons is that deep down they know their religion is a fraud, & they don’t want to reminded of the fraud.
gravenimage says
Algeria: Two Christians get prison and heavy fine for ‘shaking the faith’ of Muslims with Christian literature
……………..
Just glad this was done in absentia.
And if someone’s faith can be shaken by tracts, then it probably wasn’t very strong to begin with.