Libya: Nine Christians including Libyans, AoG American missionaries, and a Pakistani face possible execution after arrest for apostasy and evangelism
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Nine Christians, including six Libyans, two Assemblies of God American missionaries, and a Pakistani have been arrested by Libya’s Internal Security Agency, and face possible execution on charges of apostasy from Islam and preaching Christianity, the Catholic News Agency (CNS) reports.
The Libyan Agency released a video of the nine arrestees, including a girl, with their faces blocked out. The agency confirmed the Christians have been handed over to the Office of the Public Prosecutor for trial.
In a statement the Libyan government alleged that the two Americans had taken jobs as English teachers at the Gateway International School in the Tripoli suburb of Zawiyat al-Dahmani in order to turn the school into a center for teaching Christianity, CNS reports.
The Internal Security Agency accused the Assemblies of God denomination to which the Americans belong as having a role in “seducing Libyans in various ways” to turn away from Islam to Christianity.
In an official press release, the agency stated: “The Libyan people are proud to belong to their religion and consider it the solid foundation of their unifying national identity and regard any violation or abuse of it as a hostile act that threatens national security and seek[s] to sow discord and disunity among its people and those who comprise it. Attacking our true religion is no different from acts of extremism and terrorism, and through monitoring and investigation, the agency monitored the rise in activities hostile to true Islam, targeting our youth of both sexes, many of whom left the country.”
Libya ranks 5th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
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